Today I attended the second physiotherapy session. Some progress has been made during the week, and the exercises have been extended. For the therapist the step was noticeable, for me the things to notice are practical - today I shaved with my right hand and only required a little guidance from my left.
After physiotherapy it was off to the GP to talk about pain relief. I have been given co-codemol, and that is apparently what is recommended. Co-codomol is codeine based and is therefore potentially addictive, but the doctor says I have a legitimate reason for taking it. The side effects are extreme drowsiness and constipation. The drowsiness (and actual sleep) will wear off as I get used to having the drug in my system. The constipation can be overcome by additional fibre in the diet and drinking fibre supplements - these have their own side effects!
I have also found a way of overcoming the drowsiness. Just at the point tonight where I began to loose the will to stay awake I dragged myself upstairs and did the new exercises. The pain is a good antidote to sleepiness.
An example of how careful you have to be
Remember that I had strained the muscles between my ribs on the left side. Any deep breath stopped halfway through and causes me to bend forward sharply.
I picked up the kettle with my right hand, it had just boiled, and I tipped the water into the cup. At this point the stability in my arm failed and the arm began to shake, along with the kettle and .5 litres of boiling water. I held my breath and concentrated hard. Slowly I moved my arm forward, through the pain barrier, and lowered it, and gently settled the kettle on its stand. My shoulder and arm were VERY painful. I gasped a breath, the focus of the pain moved from my right shoulder to my left ribs. My body bent forward, and the breath stopped. Still very close to the half litre of boiling water I gasped a fewer more times and slowly recovered.
There was no audience, so no-one laughed ...
As I write this it is snowing, it looks like we have almost 2 inches (5 cm), so tomorrow will be another weather story day.
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