[at-l] How to fasttrack a recovery... (ie. GOOD NEWS!!)

[Mara Factor]

When the doctor in the emergency room who just told you that you have a 
separated shoulder gives you a skeptical look when you tell her you're 
planning on backpacking in two weeks, tell her your pack weight tops out at 
20-25  pounds.  There was instant relief in her eyes and acknowledgement 
that it might just work out.

When you call the orthopod's office for an appointment and are told the doc 
doesn't have an available appointment until 3/12, accept the offer to see 
the physician's assistant the very next day.

Repeat the above skeptical look reaction with the PA as with the doc in the 
emergency room.

Call the physical therapist's office directly from the hospital and make an 
appointment for the very next day.  Don't wait until no longer "acute."

Repeat the above skeptical look reaction with the therapist as I had with 
the PA and emergency room doc.

Then surprise the therapist with good range of motion, good strength, etc.  
To be sure, there are definitely problem areas to be addressed.  I'll be 
going in again tomorrow.  That said, by the end of the day today, she was 
already telling me I could travel as I had originally planned.  But, when 
asked, she also agreed that I might do well to come in for another session 
or two early next week.

I'll wait until after my therapy session tomorrow to decide if I'll start my 
travels on Sunday or Tuesday, but I think I'll be able to squeeze in 
everything I had originally planned, anyway.

Woohoo!

Tomorrow, I bring in my pack - partially filled - so the therapist can see 
how it fits, and make suggestions for how I put it on, take it off, and 
adjust straps to relieve pressure as necessary, etc.

Stay tuned for more...

Mara
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit my Travels and Trails web site at:

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_________________________________________________________________
Win a Zune™—make MSN® your homepage for your chance to win! 
http://homepage.msn.com/zune?icid=hmetagline