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mike gregory - Posted - 02/08/2012: 14:23:20
It's 4.20 pm Weds, and I'm going to see the dr at 9.15 am Thurs.
Hope he'll tell me it's o.k to shower, and to drive my car. even if not at the same time.
Pain nowhere near as bad as it was.
pstroud1 - Posted - 02/08/2012: 14:34:50
Hope he'll tell me it's o.k to shower, and to drive my car. even if not at the same time.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes you might be able to wash the coffee off your monitor and drive the pain right out of that shoulder at the same time, Mike. ;)
Paul
mike gregory - Posted - 02/08/2012: 15:17:07
Biggest pain of the day:
Half asleep, dreamed I was sliding a manila folder across a table top, by pushing it lightly with both hands.
Muscle perceived the dream impulse as a command to move the arm in the real world, and twitched. Arm did not actually move, but the pain was sudden, and sharp. (expetive deleted)!
ambpicker - Posted - 02/08/2012: 15:22:45
You are something of an inspiration to me. I have a torn rotator cuff, but my life situation with my job and insurance is not very stable at the moment, long story.
I was on the surgery list, but had to cancel.
Right now I've little strength in my right arm, and it hurts constantly. Can't fish, hunt, hardly anything.
But watching you do this kind of renews my determination to somehow get this done.
Best Wishes
Leslie
Dave1climber - Posted - 02/08/2012: 17:02:30
When you think that you can arm wrestle your doctor, you will be healed. Soon I hope.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/08/2012: 17:17:44
He's lean, but he's a SPORTS doctor, so he's probably in good shape.
Dunno if I could take him on a GOOD day.
And his momma named him Jim Stone.
twayneking - Posted - 02/08/2012: 23:00:40
You know an awful lot of us old banjo players are beginning to break down in our bones. Evidence of a misspent youth, I suppose.
twayneking - Posted - 02/08/2012: 23:06:18
I know a doctor who's a sporting man. He's been hobbling around after shoulder and knee surgery for the past year. I used to warn him that water skiing on his bare feet was going to pay him out some day. He used to rip the crotch out of 4 or 5 pairs of neoprene diver's shorts a summer doing those high speed seat drops.
The boy did have a clean colon though, except for the odd bits of seaweed and the occasional minnow. It's good he became a sawbones or he'd never have been able to afford the overhaul he's got ahead of him.
Dave1climber - Posted - 02/09/2012: 05:38:30
quote:
Originally posted by mike gregory
He's lean, but he's a SPORTS doctor, so he's probably in good shape.
He looks quite a bit like the doc that did my shoulder, also a sports doctor, does reconstructive surgery for the Michigan State football team. Nice guy.
gregsbanjo - Posted - 02/09/2012: 05:48:45
Mike.. just saw this....I had the same surgery 16 years ago....give it time... I cannot stress how important the rehab regime will be to your recovery.
Best of luck.
Greg
mike gregory - Posted - 02/09/2012: 07:35:49
Turns out that today's appointment, is actually tomorrow's!
ambpicker - Posted - 02/09/2012: 08:46:45
Hope your recovery is going well. Did they have to any stitches or shoulder reconstruction?
Having seen you go through this, I decided to go ahead and get this done myself. I am expecting a call back from the surgery coordinator today.
I'm hoping this will not interfere with my job. I just sit behind a computer and type. If push comes to shove, I'll just type left handed.
I think my capabilities will be determined by what is needed in the surgery.
If it's just some debridement with no stitches or reconstruction, maybe it won't take that long to heal.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/09/2012: 09:02:52
Haven't seen under the bandages, don't know exactly what was done.
Like they say at the Rolex factory,
"Do watch ya gotta do."
mike gregory - Posted - 02/10/2012: 15:54:26
Got the big bandage taken off, replaced with waterproof bandages. Ahh, the joys of a good shower!
I can drive, if not taking the presciption painkillers.
Have a few very tiny movement exercises to do 3x/day.
No banjo yet!
Shoulder looks like it's been shot at, small caliber close rane.
I'm calling it my DANIELCRAIG shoulder, in honor of his Bond films.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/10/2012: 19:01:55
Clinic replaced original dressings with much smaller, waterproof (OK to shower) bandages.
Shown some very small exrcises, to start loosening things up.
Shoulder looks interesting, in a "Daniel Craig as wounded James Bond" sort of way.
Pictures soon.
DJMorgan - Posted - 02/10/2012: 19:30:09
Good luck with PT
Deaf Lester Crawdad - Posted - 02/10/2012: 19:30:55
quote:
Originally posted by mike gregory
photos soon.
Do we have to, teacher?
pstroud1 - Posted - 02/10/2012: 20:51:47
Photos of the nurses or your shoulder? ;)
Paul
From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 02/11/2012: 09:29:58
Mike,
What pain killer are you on and what does it feel like if you don't take it on time. Do you have any indication how much longer you will need to take it?
ken
mike gregory - Posted - 02/11/2012: 09:59:42
ken: Oxycodone, and the shoulder is pretty much pain free, so I just take a couple at bedtime.
paul: the shoulder.
D. lester: you don't have to. I'll leave them in my photo files,with a clue as to which one, so you can avoid the sight. I imagine they'll be on by Sunday.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/11/2012: 12:48:19
For those of you who wish to see, there's a picture in my homepage photos, in the TEEJAY file.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/11/2012: 14:53:07
And, since it's easier, after that surgery, to sleep sitting up, than lying down, and daylight makes napping a bit more difficult, a sleep mask is a nice accessory to have.
Adding eyes to mine was something I had contemplated for years, simply as an amusing touch.
Certain grandbabies found it gloriously amusing.
roxygrl - Posted - 02/11/2012: 15:10:38
{Sweet child} Grand baby is making victory signs?..or saying she’s so pleased to see that the devil has returned.? 
nice photo.
Edited by - roxygrl on 02/11/2012 15:11:49
mike gregory - Posted - 02/11/2012: 18:22:17
Double bunny ears, I guess.
figmo59 - Posted - 02/11/2012: 18:25:38
Bloody cute pic...Mike...
Edited by - figmo59 on 02/11/2012 18:26:12
Dave1climber - Posted - 02/12/2012: 06:03:44
Almost didn't recognize you without the hat 
and with the mask 
Cute child
BNJOMAKR - Posted - 02/12/2012: 11:28:18
Mike
I'm glad that your are doing better, with minimal pain. I know about the surgery markings. My Dr. signed my right foot before my surgery. It was on there several days, almost a week, before I could wash it off. I get to go to work tomorrow... I hope that you will be hammering away at your banjo real soon.... BUT.... Don't over do it my friend!
Marvin
ambpicker - Posted - 02/16/2012: 10:50:46
Mike, how is the shoulder coming along?
I will have my shoulder surgery on March 1, assuming all the lab work, ekg's, stress tests, etc, are all OK.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/16/2012: 13:59:55
It's a annoyance, being one-handed.
But on a pain scale of 1 to 10, with just generic acetomenephin, it's seldom more than 2 point 5.
Fashion hint: Since the sling covers one arm, elbow to wrist, get some thrift store shirts, or any shirt you already own and don't mind destroying, and cut off the sleeve, very near the top.
Also, have a very large tee shirt you can put on, before the sling goes on.
Otherwise, the Velcro (TM) on the sling fasteners may abrade your skin.
Bathing tip: Since it hurts to move the affected arm high enough for a good pit scrub, and it's equally difficult to hold the washcloth in the affected hand while trying to do the other armpit, perhaps a foam bath brush -like the blue one- would be helpful. Soap it up, and slip it in there. And the extra couple of inches of reach it gives the affected hand makes reaching over to the good arm, a lot easier.
ambpicker - Posted - 02/16/2012: 15:20:46
Looks you are typing OK. Have you tried any banjo picking?
I've already resigned myself to not being able to play for a while, hopefully it won't be too long.
I've always felt learning all of that music theory stuff would be beneficial, just have never done it.
Maybe I'll hunker down and give that a try while the shoulder is healing.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/16/2012: 19:26:02
Am not going to pick any banjo until after I see the doctor, end of next week.
FEELS like if I sit down, with no resonator, so it's thinner, I might be able to get by.
airoldi - Posted - 02/21/2012: 12:06:55
Hi mike, i had mine done yesterday. Curious to hear what your doc says about getting back to it. How soon after did you start using the chair to move the arm. from what I'm hearing they want me to keep it immobile for some time. have you discovered any great new books or movies in the downtime?
Beanblossom - Posted - 02/21/2012: 12:48:12
To all with shoulder miseries: I had a rotator cuff repair about 15 years ago. My main advice is if your shoulder hurts, keep moving it. The worst is when your shoulder joint freezes. It then has to be broken loose before it can be repaired, and that causes a bunch of serious pain and a longer recovery. My doc told me he had to straddle me on the OR table and use both hands and all of his strength to wrench my shoulder free of the scar tissue buildup. It still makes me cringe to think about it. My physical therapist must have been a sadist on the side, but man did she get me back into shape. The good news is that my shoulder has been great since. It pays to do what they tell you to do.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/21/2012: 13:09:15
Have not started the chair yet. Doing 3 little exercises, 3 times a day, per doctor's orders.
As to books, got a Bart Ehrman scholarly tome from the public library. Also have dozens of books I've picked up at yard sales and thrift shops, because I either know the author's skill from previous books, or because the book seemed interesting.
Will see the doctor again Friday morn, will find out if I'm allowed to move more.
Again, it's an inconvenience having one arm less than fully useable---BUT-- there's good ol' Bill Rickard, with one arm gone forever, making Very Nice banjos anyway.
'Tweren't for him, I'd allow myself a heck of a lot more self-pity.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/24/2012: 11:41:28
First session in the chair today. No big deal. I sit & watch a British film about some lady named Carrington, a painter, and the chair slowly lifts my arm just a bit, up and out, down and back. Does not hurt at all.
Doc says the incisions are healed well enough, they don't even need Band-aids (TM) on them.
Think I'll go to the jam, try a bit of banjo picking, see if that causes discomfort. (discomfort to ME! Who cares about the listeners??)
Deaf Lester Crawdad - Posted - 02/24/2012: 12:11:51
quote:
Originally posted by mike gregory
Think I'll go to the jam, try a bit of banjo picking, see if that causes discomfort.
Yay!! Very pleased to hear that!
"Discomfort" is probably okay, depending on your personal pain threshold, but don't push it.
~Pete
mike gregory - Posted - 02/26/2012: 11:42:26
...
So, I want to at least chord along at the jams.
Pushing DOWN, as with a Dobo slide, would put strain on the shoulder. Made myself what I call the UBU chording clamp.
UBU stands for"Ugly But Useful".
Banjo is flat on the table, lifter block could be clamped, but since I have a spare hole already drilled, I bolted it to the peghead, to get clearance and keep it from tipping.
The bottom of the J-shaped piece goes under the neck, and the upside down L-shaped piece with the padded triangle hovers over the fingerboard until the hand squeezes.
The little blue ponytail band pulls against the L to keep it open, but is easily overcome by a squeeze.
Think I'll put a scrap of that rubber mesh shelf liner under the resonator, to keep that end from sliding, too.
Luckily, the people at the jams I go to, don't care if you're unable to dazzle, musically. Long as everybody's having fun, that's the entire point.
Edited by - mike gregory on 02/26/2012 11:59:04
KE - Posted - 02/26/2012: 11:52:40
That's a very nice thing-a-ma-jig. Glad to hear you're progressing. Those Bart Ehrman books will give you muscles between your ears.
Dave1climber - Posted - 02/26/2012: 12:10:21
I am glad to know that your making progress as opposed to congress. 
Clever gismo, good thinking.
BNJOMAKR - Posted - 02/26/2012: 17:45:16
Mike... You are one gizmo making gu-rue! 
DJMorgan - Posted - 02/26/2012: 21:01:33
Good to hear your doing so well and your keeping busy.
DJMorgan - Posted - 02/26/2012: 21:02:31
Good to hear your doing so well and your keeping busy.
mike gregory - Posted - 02/27/2012: 04:07:03
.....
And here's a complete redesign. Seems that surrounding the neck with a rigid frame, and twisting, puts a more even pressure across all frets.
(Author Graham Greene seemed fascinated by it! )
The dark blue rubber tubing imitates the finger, and the cube of yellowish foam allows for ease of movement, regardless of neck taper.
ambpicker - Posted - 03/01/2012: 08:04:59
Today is my turn. Waiting for my brother to pick me up. Hospital is about 30 minutes away.
My surgery is scheduled for 12:30.
mike gregory - Posted - 03/01/2012: 08:51:03
Best wishes for a great outcome.
mike gregory - Posted - 03/14/2012: 05:05:38
The chair controller gets increased by two notches every day or so, and I can kick it higher if it doesn't hurt.
Top reading, for me, is supposed to be 140, and I'm already up to 72.
Was able to jam along last night, by laying my banjo face up on the table, and pressing down on the strings, kind of like Barry Abernathy does with his finger stumps. (NOT trying to put myself in his skill category, just describing a technique). Having so much fun, I gave up and went home early, rather than risk overworking the arm.
Sold a salad-bowl uke to one of the physical therapists, and may be renting a banjo to, and giving lessons to, another.
Buddur - Posted - 03/14/2012: 08:40:21
So glad you're doing fine, Mike.
My Father had a torn cuff and was taking cortisone shots to relieve the pain, then finally he chose to go in for surgery in '05 to repair it. In the recent past he had a heart attack and was on blood thinners as a result...he had to go off the thinners for this surgery. To make a long story short, they released him early and after the long drive he passed away only minutes after arriving home. :(
mike gregory - Posted - 03/16/2012: 14:58:16
Today the doctor which I saw, or the witch doctor who saw me, was pleased with the numbers (degrees of motion of the arm, in several directions) and said I did't have to wear the sling any more.
Oh frabjuous day, calloo callay!
But I'm not supposed to lift anything. It being St. paddy's day, I suppose he suspected I was hearing it as permission to leave the 3-liter beer mug on the bar, and slurp it up through a length of plastic tubing. However, much to my neighbor's annoyance, since gasoline prices went up, their Miles Per Gallon seems to have gone down, and my plastic tubing tastes strongly of petroleum distillates.
So I'm staying off the booze, but will be attemptng to play banjo at the jam in Waterford WI.
Details will follow, as they are usually on the back end of de animals.
Now, let's go over to that OTHER thread, and crank out a rendition of Hanging of the Moon!
banjohangout.org/topic/229790
Edited by - mike gregory on 03/16/2012 14:59:21
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