5 Years on

Five years ago I was recovering from breaking my shoulder while walking to the bus stop on the first day back to work after the Christmas and New Year holiday. It was careless to slip on the ice, but I had done that many times before without serious consequences. This subject has more blog entries than any other, so when I realised it was 5 years I thought I should provide an update. This blog entry http://3cephas.blogspot.co.uk/2009/01/18-cm.html shows the wound just after the stitches were removed. I was told by the surgeon that I would probably not get full functionality back and that is the case. I still have trouble with certain movements, most notably I can't put my arm up straight. Improvements have continued slowly in some areas.. I can reach far enough up to open and close the garage door, and wash my hair without bending my head forward. Some things have not improved, I don't have good stability in certain positions, such as part way to my mouth.  If I stop there the contents of the fork or spoon will be distributed in various directions.  I also often have aching, especially first thing in the morning. I can STILL feel the plate (or the screws?) when I move in certain ways.
Still the reality is that it is functional for the majority of things I need it to work for, and a few things are still very difficult.  Another report in 2019, if nothing dramatic changes.

DXA Scan #2

Thursday I went for the first follow-up DXA scan.  It was supposed to be in February, but getting things done in the NHS is not all it could be.  The the appointment only came through a week ago and included a blood test, which I had to take the following day to get it completed in time.
So the scan itself was the same as last time.  Some buzzing and whirring and some pictures of my bones at the end.
The good news is that my densities have increased in all three locations, hips and spine.  I was told though that the spinal increase is probably due to arthritis.  I'm sure I remember being told that improvement was impossible - but there it is and no-one was trying to deny it.  This is apparently down to exercise, so the dog is therefore responsible.  Without him I would not get out as much and certainly would never be running - not that I do much of that anyway.
The even better news is that I do not have to go on any more medication.  Officially I have Osteopenia, and am not a great risk of further fractures.  After my last experience with Alendronic Acid (called Alendronate now?) I was not looking forward to having to try any new medication along those lines. 

Health update / Lost Son

Since returning from holiday I have joined what has been called the biggest drugs trial of all time - giving everyone who is over 50 and has an elevated cholesterol reading statins.  My last Cholesterol reading was 6.9, up from 6.7 in a little over a year.  I was offered the chance to take these tablets - to try them and see if they are OK.   I'm told they save 6 of 100 people in 10 years.  It doesn't sound impressive, so put another way my chances of a heart attack in that time go from 1 in 4 (25%) to 1 in 5 (20%).  The latter is a more convincing statistic (to me anyway).  So every night (but one - it was late and I forgot - memory pills next!) I have taken a 20mg Simvastatin tablet.  Soon it's back to the doctors - to get my blood measured again, I expect.

The main reason for the entry is really to mark the 18 month recovery period for the broken (smashed, destroyed, mangled) shoulder.  Most days I would not know that I had received such an injury.  I rarely experience pain and have adequate movement to live my normal life.  In reality the range of movement has continued to increase since I stopped the physiotherapy but the increase is slow.  I have also compensated by using other movements to achieve my aim.  I have noticed recently that I have started reaching for things with my right arm - a good sign.  The osteoporosis tablets have stopped - the side effects are too extreme to continue.

This morning we were woken to sounds of barking.  Brody (our chocolate Labrador) had returned home and found his way into next door's garden - and their dog was barking.  Andy was missing.  A phone call soon established what had happened.  Brody had run off with another dog, got himself lost, and decided to come home.  Andy was still in the meadow looking for him.  

A wedding and an AGM

Wedding
Mandy and Rob were married at Christ Church on Saturday.  The church had been tidied up the previous week and looked good as did the extra decoration for the occasion. This is the first wedding of a regular member of the congregation for quite a while.  We were therefore all looking forward to it. Personally I have known Mandy for a long time - from youth groups, through to the visit to Tanzania in 2002, and to her recent role as worship leader.  Our ex-vicar Paul gave an excellent talk.  The service ran very smoothly and the bride and groom performed their vows loudly enough to be heard.  There are pictures of the wedding on Facebook, so if you're reading this on Facebook, take a look.
Then off to Five Lakes, a local(ish) golf club for the reception. 
The speeches were very good, very entertaining without getting nasty or abusive, as I have heard sometimes.  The meal was very nice, but I did get a little shock.  Trying to cut a piece of butter and pick it up on the end of the knife with my right arm extended to its maximum reach proved to be both painful and near impossible.  That shows the limits of the healing process much better than digging the garden, which went without incident. Then on to the cake cutting - see the picture for that - it was an unusual cake. 
Altogether a very good day for us, but more importantly a life changing day for Mandy and Rob. We wish them rich blessing as they live out their married life.

Annual General Meeting
For a few years now the Christ Church AGM has taken place after a shortened communion service.  Today's meeting was convened at the end of the service, but unlike others we have had recently was inconclusive.  A number of the people who volunteer to server the church had gone away for Easter holidays and had not returned due to the problems with flying through volcanic ash.  So more posts than usual are unfilled and we will require a special meeting later to agree the final appointments, as is the legal requirement. 

Fencing

As my rapier wit will not allow me to get to the cut and thrust of the issue until I have parried away all these useless puns, I'll just have to get to the point.  We have been trying to put up a fence.  Yesterday I had a day off work.  Andy and Mike were also off work.  We started shortly before 10am in the end.  The next few hours were spent cutting back trees and preparing the line.  It has to be quite a high fence but the drop to the base is already 18 inches or so (~0.5m) below the level of the garden because that's where the level for the drainage ditch is.  It is very muddy.  We have the line cleared and the holes were dug for the four posts.  There is not a great drop from one end to the other but there are a couple of mature trees to pass.  There are also many less mature trees that mark the existing border.  One of the holes (only one) immediately filled with water, it was second from the top of the run of four.  We put the posts in the holes and packed them down with hardcore and stones.  Then we put a cement cover on.  It was unlikely to work, but what else is there to do?
This morning we found that the cement is still soft, so work for the day is over.  We moved the tree cuttings on to the garden to block access to the property. 

The reason for all this work at the wrong time of year: The boys want to get a dog.  The garden must be secured.  Project Dog is now on hold pending some dryer weather.

By late afternoon we had finished work for the day, so had some time free.  I visited the recycling centre with some old CRT computer screens (all working) but nobody wants them - you really cannot give them away. 
Then we went to look for fencing for another part of the garden.  It seems that you can't buy fencing this time of year!

This morning I was feeling stiff from the previous days exertions.  Surprisingly though it was my left shoulder that was painful - not my right.

One Year On

One year ago today I slipped on the ice, broke the shoulder joint off the top of my arm and generally mangled up my right shoulder.  I had a long operation to put the pieces back in place, and some metallic assistance to ensure they stay in place.  Following almost four weeks off work, and perhaps six or seven on 'short time' (arrive late, go early), then about 12 weeks of physiotherapy I have arrived at the point where my right arm is OK for most day-to-day usage.  I still have some notable exceptions.  Lifting my arm above my head is difficult, it doesn't go very far.  It doesn't go at all with even light loads.  There are times when simple twists are painful.  There are strange clicks - even when I think I'm being still. There are times when the arm is uncomfortable, and the joint slow to move.  I am still treating it gently and I'm still compensating by using my left hand to do things - its capability and accuracy have improved considerably.  I have been told that it takes 18 months to get to the point where further improvement is unlikely, so there is still some hope for improvement.

Many of the possibly bad consequences have not occurred.  For example, I had been in a new job for six months. I could easily have lost the job - I didn't. I could have been asked to use my holiday entitlement to cover my sickness time off - I wasn't.  They could have stopped my pay after the first five days - they didn't.

To read the full story, follow this link, scroll to the bottom and read the posts in reverse order (sorry I don't know if its possible to display them ascending chronologically.

I'm still looking forward to further improvements, and possibly a healing.

Am I afraid?

A further small dusting of snow overnight and the previous nights experience of watching cars not manage a truly straight line up the road meant that plan A was to be applied.  We walk to church.  We got up late though! With coats, thick socks, walking boots, hats, scarves and gloves we were well-prepared for the two-mile walk.  It took only 5 to 10 minutes longer than usual, and I was happy not to have to negotiate the hill, and the junction with Rushdene Road in the car.  As we got up late we also arrived late, and so finished Breakfast at about 10 to 10:00.
Christ Church this morning was 'in the round', or as Warner put it '360° church', although I'm sure that has a much more important meaning than the layout of the chairs.  The reason for the unusual layout was that today is the day of the nativity.  The service when the younger children present some sort of tableaux that tells the story.  We were warned that there had been minimal rehearsal, and that was certainly true.  Children were confused about where they should go and what they should do.  It was all handled very light-heartedly, and the parents of those involved seemed to enjoy it.  Most importantly the story of Christmas - the coming of the Saviour - was told.  Not only the how, but also the why - God breaking into his world to save us from ourselves - each of us and all of us.
If you needed anything to remind you that we cannot save ourselves you only have to have read or listened to the news yesterday. Global warming is now officially allowed, as the Copenhagen talks fail to deliver anything even remotely useful.  As I typed that sentence I was aware that my fingers are freezing, and we need to do something to fix the windows that do not close properly. That will help with Global warming.  As we walked rather than drove we have completed our target (almost) to drive five miles less a week.  As campaigns go, and I'm not a fan of them as you probably realise, this is probably one of the most ridiculous.  There aren't many of us that can just choose to drive less that easily.  "I'll drive to within half a mile of work and park there" or "I'll leave the car half a mile from home and walk the rest" - It just isn't practical.
Our walk to church through the ice and snow generated a question - "Aren't you afraid to go out walking in this?"  The immediate answer "No, I'm not".  The truth is that I think more carefully and make sure I have the right equipment - walking boots, so that I don't slip.  I have learnt a valuable lesson and early enough so that the consequences have not disabled me. The accident has not undermined my faith in my ability to walk, or my faith in the ability of God to save me when I need saving - which will be sooner than I would like it to be!

Snow before Christmas

It is rare, we seem to keep on saying, to get a reasonable amount of snow in England.  When we do things largely grind, or rather slide, to a halt.  Last night we had five inches - measured on the top of Andy's car this morning.  It was well forecast and as a result much of the transport infrastructure was still working this morning.  The schools were closed, of course.
I prepared myself properly, I was well wrapped up and had walking boots on.  New snow is not a problem to walk on.  Just a little ice is, as I found out at the beginning of the year.  The journey to work took only 5 minutes longer than usual.  I was given a lift home, we were allowed to go whenever we wanted to today.

Jo was out at a Christmas party last night before the snow started.  Mike went to a friends house with her boots and walked her home, there is no point in trying to drive up our hill unless you really have to.

We are expecting more, so there will be plenty of opportunity to take some really Christmassy pictures.

Nearly Live

Nearly Live
It has been a busy week.  I've worked more hours this week than any other since I started this job.  Now I'm nowhere near the 70+ that I was once working, but that was many years ago.  The first phase of my project is about to go live, and performance has (suddenly?) become an issue.  It has been overcome, by redesigning some of the code, and the nightly run now completes without time-outs waiting for the database to get nothing.

If you didn't understand that - never mind -, but if you want more detail its here.

Today should have been a welcome break, but there is still one option that doesn't work.

Youth Worker Conference
Both Karen and Liz are away at the Youth worker conference this weekend.  I attended a few year ago and had a really good time.  It's even better if you're a professional, still I'd like to have been going.

Automated Lighting
The motion sensitive switch out side the front door has been playing up for ages.  A few days ago it gave up altogether.  I had already ordered and received a new one.  Today was time to put it up.  Drilling holes in walls and making the nece3ssary electrical connections is not too difficult, but the lack of strength in certain parts of my shoulder made screwing in the screws difficult, and surprisingly keeping the drill straight was harder than it should have been.
I'd read the wiring instructions and wired it up, then came back and read them again.  How come they are different the second time round?  I went back and corrected my connections.  The switch on was fine, and we now have light on our broken steps.

Winter - really?
This miniature rose appeared to have died, and was due to be removed, but here it is flowering at the end of November!

Drugs
This week has also been the week to replenish the drug supply.  I had given all the details to the Chemists as they offer a free service to collect and make up prescriptions.  I had completed and signed all the forms.  So on Wednesday evening the cynic in me was not at all surprised they had never heard of me!  They got me the drugs I need though, so it is not all bad. I picked them up on Thursday. The NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) have changed suppliers for some of the drugs, and the headline description is different, so it was back on Friday to check that they really were the correct ones.  "It all makes work for the working man to do"

At work, but not at work

Today we had an out of office day.  We met early and were taken to Brightlingsea for a days sailing.  We met at Brighgtlingsea Boat Park and Ride, where we were given some brief instruction and introduced to our skippers.  There were four boats - Brightlingsea class dinghys, with the skipper and two of us on each boat.
We had been told to bring warm cloths, and a complete spare set - which I had done because I was fairly convinced that I would get the prize for first in the water.  After the initial briefing we were provided with 'water proofs' and life jackets. Then it was off to the river side, and the 12 man motor boat that would take us to our dinghy and would be the safety boat for the day.  Our Skipper was Keith, who immediately informed us that he was deaf in one ear and hard of hearing - with a hearing aid in the other.  We were left at our boat while the others were taken to theirs.  Keith began looking at the boat and seemed confused.  He explained this by telling us that the boats are built to the same specification but are fitted out differently. He was having some trouble raising the sail, the mechanism was jammed.  We were quickly found another boat, and towed out of the creek.  I was paired with the only person in our group who had any sort of sailing experience.  We practised turns and the various manoeuvres we would need for the afternoon race.  Almost immediately we had our first brush with the water as my colleague reacted to a situation by pulling the rudder instead of pushing it.  Suddenly, instead of looking at the horizon, I was looking at the other side of the boat!  Keith righted the situation very quickly.  Too soon it was time to head back to the Colne Yacht Club for lunch.

Despite Keith's concerns about the potential speed of the boat - which had lead us to get our excuses in at lunch - we set off for the race.  Backwards and forwards trying to hit the start line at the right time.  Class flag at  minus five minutes accompanied by a hooter, 'Blue Peter' at minus four minutes and another hooter, Blue Peter down at minus one minute, class flag down and the race is on - we were second.  It turned out that our skipper was a former champion racer, and had won eight years in a row.  He knows a lot about racing yachts. His fears though were soon shown to hold water (bad expression) as we were passed by another boat.  Still third is GOOD when you're expecting fourth.

After the race we sailed up another creek, and practised some of our not yet acquired sailing 'skills'.  It was here I dropped the jib ropes at a bad time leaving us still in the water as the other boats caught and passed us.  ( No, it wasn't part of the race, but we were in front for the first time.)  We also ran aground once.  Then back to the moorings as the temperature dipped and I was glad of all the layers of cloths I was wearing. 

Tea and cake rounded of the day nicely.

My shoulder had not been stretched beyond its capabilities, and is still improving.

Our Christmas Event was over for another year.

A very enjoyable day

No more teenagers

Today our youngest has left his teenage years. He is getting older. Recently he has been staying at his girlfriend's father's house, looking after the dogs, so we haven't seen much of him. Some things haven't changed yet though. We still get together for a birthday meal (those of us that can). This time we went to the Inn on the Green. Mike's girlfriend joined us, but Andy and Liz were not able to. There are, of course, other birthday celebrations that are not parent appropriate. There is still cake too - and candles. Here you can see the result of Mike blowing out his candles rather too enthusiastically. (You may have to click the picture to get the full effect)
Our eldest, Karen, was down for a few days break after her trip to Africa with her young people. I've linked the first post on the subject, I'm sure there will be others. She spoke in church this morning, and was immediately approached to speak at woman's fellowship.

We have started a series on Colossians, and Jane gave us a very good introduction to the book, and summed it us as "Christ + nothing = salvation". She had also used the image of seeds in her talk to show how the faith can spread. Warner pointed out that Karen was a fully grown seed, off doing the Lord's work at St Hughs in Luton.

For the second week this year I cycled to church. Last time I was half dead on my return, but it was not so bad this time. It is only 2 miles each way! My poor fitness is returning as my shoulder heals and allows me to do more.

On yer Bike ...

As one of our more 'colourful' politicians used to say to the unemployed.
I was up earlier than expected this morning, so decided to cycle to church. This is the bikes first outing since the injury. I have normally managed 6 or 7 trips by now. It is only 2 miles each way, and there's plenty of time to rest in the service, as I wasn't doing anything. I was tired when I got back, and expect to have a little stiffness tomorrow. This shows me how much of my fitness I have lost, and there wasn't much to start with!

Christ Church had a new service leader for the first time, and he did very well, and said he enjoyed it. Being a fifth Sunday the youth band played - they are better than they realise, even though I make a point of telling them. Our preacher was also not one of the regulars, and she did a good job of making us thing about the situation between Mary and Jesus on her return to the temple to find Him. What was Jesus thinking when he stayed behind? What was Mary thinking when she returned, and when she found him? Right now I am more in tune with Mary, as we have learnt that Karen and her young people must spend the night in Cairo.


The illusive grandfather has made an appearance. Here he is in a picture with two others, who I don't know, standing behind them. This is the only picture of him we have found.
George Fisher was apparently 56 when he died, although I have to say he looks older to me.

Below is grandmother Annie Fisher, with my Aunt Phyllis (20) and my uncle Philip (16):

Right Dominance returning

At last a Saturday morning where the things I HAVE to do are not so immediate as they have been for the last few weeks. A time to sort out the paperwork, much of it long overdue. 01 Jun 2008 was the earliest date I've found so far. So I have been filing and moving old hardware into the loft until it can be recycled. That's when I find my Shoulder is the most limiting - when I have to lift things above head height. Now I'm planning to watch qualifying (F1 European GP) from start to finish.

I've also had a look at the Diocesan news paper and submitted my blog to the list. Liz had told me about the bloglist a while ago. I would hardly call this a 'Parish Blog', but it does cover quite a lot about Christ Church.

While I was searching for the list above I mistyped 'list' as 'lost' and found this on 'UglyVicar', which lead to Anger at [Chelmsford] vicar's anti-gay preaching I had seen this headline on the placards outside the newsagent in Galleywood, and had wondered what it was about. Seems Chelmsford is in the thick of the CofE's 'Homosexual Clergy' debate.

On to more edifying things.

It is looking to be an exciting autumn at Christ Church, not only is there an Everybody Welcome course, but there is also the Bill Legend Band (26 September) and Riding lights with Origins and Lemons in November. See the Christ Church Website Events page for more information.

So on to the topic of the Title. When I finish work I am often the last out of the building and have to lock up. During the week I left just before six and was the last one out. Walking down the stairs I put the building keys in my right hand, opened our door, went and set the alarms, walked through the door, shut it behind me and locked it. All with the keys still in my right hand. Then wondered why it had felt so awkward. The entrance is narrow and the lock is on the left, so locking with the left hand is easier. The dominance of my right-handedness is returning

Physiotherapy session 10 / More on the Bus

Physiotherapy session 10
At last a new exercise. Like climbing the wall, but once you are up there, take a step back, and lean in toward the wall bowing your head. It pushes the arm further up - further than its been in six months. One or two of those are very painful, and as a result of that I think, I have lost the stability in my right hand again. I 'get the shakes' when trying to feed myself! Keyboard work is OK though.

After the Encounter with God, I am a lot less inclined to accept that there will always be limitations. It should help me to get more motivated to do the exercises. I was shown in the class that some fairly basic resistance exercises can loosen the muscles and give me further reach.

I think it was Luther that said "Pray as though everything depends on God, work as though everything depends on you" - not about healing I'm certain, but the principle stands. This should help me to be more motivated to pray, and ask for prayer.

More on the Bus
After Physiotherapy class, I catch the bus to Chelmsford. It is the first OAP bus, and is packed. Today it was also full of chatter - lots of noise. I want one of those people who measure the noise footprint of heathrow to try a trip on the bus!

We stopped just outside Billericay, the driver walked up the back of the bus and returned to his cab. He then walked up the back of the bus again. A few moments later a young man stormed off the bus, and judging by his waving good bye gesture (his thumb touched his finger tips as he waved his hand up and down) was none too pleased to be leaving. First time I've seen that, but because of the chatter the exchange with the driver was lost.

Sunday Afternoon Fun

Bouncy castles and I don't mix. That's OK, no-one was trying (very hard) to get me on one, and my shoulder is the perfect excuse. The barbecue was good, and ice cream was also available on arrival. I walked a lot yesterday - to and from Praise in the Park, and to and from Christ Church. That was good, and a very lovely day it was too. I have the sun burn to prove it!

Back to the event. Liz and her friends in the Twenty somethings organised it, and many young families came - some we had not seen before. The children looked like they were enjoying themselves and as children rarely pretend to enjoy themselves they must have been having a good time. There's a little more info in this very long post.

For me is was a chance to relax and chat with a few people. Some of whom I had not seen for longer than is good for us who are supposed to be members in the same church. Then a stroll back home through a very quiet High Street to work on my sermon for Sunday.

Later we went to the Dukes Head for supper. They were not serving food outside - they must have gone mad.

Re-union @ the Rising Sun

Every once in a while my old team from about 2002 to 2004 get together for a re-union. I missed the last one due to my shoulder. So I last attended a re-union in June. We meet at the Rising Sun near St Paul's Cathedral. Last night was one of those events. There are usually only four of us, but we have been trying to contact some of the others. Last night was the latest get together now titled "Meet & Eat in the City". That's by far the best title we've had. There were five of us eventually. Two who I haven't seen since they left, and two other regulars. Some people have changed, some are still pretty much the same. There was something that team which is difficult to work out. It jelled better than almost any other team I've been in. We were not great friends at the time, but as the company split us up, we became better friends. It is always a great evening. To get to London I have to buy three rail tickets because I go from work and back to home. Chelmsford to Shenfield (£4.70), Return Shenfield to London (£10.30), Shenfield to Billericay (£2.70). The cost per mile varies dramatically. Why are one stop journeys SO expensive? On my return, Jo kindly agreed to pick me up from the station. I called at Liverpool St to let her know the train I was on. I called again t Shenfield, but didn't get through. A message 'unregistered number' appeared on my phone. I phoned her mobile and left a message. By now I'm at Billericay and still cannot call our home land line, nor Jo's mobile. There had been a power cut in Billericay which disrupted the mobile phone service, it seems, as it's working fine today.

Encounter with God

I'm told I shouldn't call things that are attributed to God weird, but perhaps the dictionary will help me:

weird

1. Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural.
2. Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange.

as with all dictionaries one word leads to another

preternatural

1. Out of or being beyond the normal course of nature; differing from the natural.

2. Surpassing the normal or usual; extraordinary: "Below his preternatural affability there is some acid and steel" George F. Will.

3. Transcending the natural or material order; supernatural.

so perhaps I am allowed the word.

This is what happened. One of our vicars friends - Neil - from a previous parish was the visiting preacher. I met him at the door as Warner was not around when he arrived. I welcomed him to the church and guided him around.

He preached on Jairus' daughter, he talked about healing and explained a little of how he had got into the ministry. He spoke of some of his 'successes' and 'failures', and how he had started to come to terms with them. He used some expressions I had not heard before. 'Jairus released his faith'. I wasn't sure what that meant, so we spoke at the end of the service. He was stood on my right, and was explaining what he meant. "Suppose you had broken your arm" he said, and touched my right arm just about where the bottom of the plate is. I was shocked, and asked if it had been mentioned. I think I said rather loudly 'who told you'. None of the physical beings in the church had mentioned it. We talked some more about another phrase ' shutting down the doubt'. This is easier to understand. It simple means if you do something in faith don't immediately go and deny that faith by your following actions.

He prayed for the healing of my arm, something that has only been done one other time in my presence. Afterwards the arm was looser than it had been, not much, but noticeably to me. We talked about healing of believers being impossible in the presence of unbelief. It was not that I didn't believe, I am recovering, I had never thought that God may want to hurry it along.
Here is the main point - I do not have the mindset to expect these things to happen. I accept they are possible, but as they don't fall in the category of regular events (we do not have anyone in the church with this calling so far as I know) I don't think about it that much.

According to Neil it is part of us being different - in the world but not of it, I suppose. Right now I am like this boy's father (Mark 9:14-25). I have to believe that getting better will one day be got back to normal. Only when there is normality will there be have been a miracle.

I had really only intended to try to understand what he was saying, but speaking to someone with a healing gift it would be strange not to ask for prayer for healing when you have such an obvious problem. So I would have mentioned it. God it seems has other ideas. Who needs comfort zones anyway?

Sixth Session

It was my sixth session at the shoulder class today. That was, in theory, my last. However, I have been invited back because the Physiotherapist was unwell again, and will need to see me to do an assessment. The class was covered by another physiotherapist, so once again there were different exercises to do. The result was pain - not too bad and certainly not requiring drugs, but pain throughout the day as a result of new movements. I doubt I will remember them all.

As we come toward the end of treatment I have to ask the question "What benefit has been gained?"

Over the six weeks I have managed to:

• get my right hand on to the top of my head to wash my hair, but not far enough above it to use a comb.
• put the fingers of my right had on my left shoulder

After careful though I am fairly sure that is it.

Movement forwards and upwards is basically unchanged, as is movement sideways and upwards.
Movement behind the back is still very limited and very painful.
External rotation (see 'Signed-off') is still just as limited.

So do the exercises really work? One or two conversations in class and afterwards indicate that my experience is common with the others.

Why then have the specific improvements occurred? - because I have been doing my own practice to achieve them. That then is the whole of my case (such as it is). The generic exercises are of little, if any, help to specific problems. Specific exercise may be of some help. External rotation has had additional specific exercises and has not improved.

Not watching Eurovision

The blue roll is a hospital sized role of paper towel. Its nicely wrapped in polythene, and rolls really well. It caused you to stretch certain muscled in the back of the neck / top of the shoulder. Its the only exercise that I cannot do effectively at home. The Isometric resisted exercise is the one that consistently causes me least problem and little pain. I give you these last two, as I'm promised some new ones, although I'm not expecting line drawings.

Tonight is the evening of the year when all the countries in the Eurovision area - including Israel, among other non-European countries, gather together for their annual song contest. It used to be mandatory viewing when I was young, now it is to be avoided. Avoidance is essential if you are to miss the unedifying sound of a commentator pretending that its all fair and only the songs are being judged, or maybe you will hear the commentator being too flippant about the whole show and ruining their career. Also I don't enjoy listening to songs in other languages that I have no hope of understanding. When there were only western European countries it was bearable (because there aren't that many of them).

The week has been dedicated to work and sermon preparation, and I've been in a world of my own while I concentrate on these two important aspects of my life. In work I was asked if I would return the holiday that had been mistakenly carried over. I was happy to. Even more so when I was told that it was not required that I was paid while off because of my accident.

Signed Off

Today's appointment at the hospital has resulted in me being signed-off by the Fracture Clinic. All I have to do now is to get some use back. At the Shoulder Class this morning there was a different supervisor. He got me to do some of the exercises differently - another level of pain to add, just as I started to be able to do them comfortably - still I suppose that's what it is all about - a step at a time. We started with different warm up exercises - they were painful too. He also promised new exercises next week. This week should be extended to 8 or perhaps 10 days.

To see how far you go with external rotation stand with your arms by your side, bend your elbows so that your arms point forward. Now, keeping your elbows close to you sides move your hand outwards. On the left I can do 90 degrees easily. On the right it is may be 10-15. That is all the improvement that I have managed from 0. I have a special (not drawn) exercise which simply involves pushing it with a stick. I have found lying on the bed and using the weight is easier on the back muscles, so that's what I have been doing.

The doctor thinks there is more movement to be had, but did say there would be limits, and they wouldn't be as good as the left. I have been prepared well - that has been the message all along. The limits are cause by scar tissue in the muscles and in the joint. Scar tissue is not as flexible or as elastic as normal tissue. The joint was badly damaged, and the surgery cut through muscles that when healed mean more scar tissue.