Entertaining oneself while on med leave from work

Lavender Room
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I’m having shoulder surgery on Jan. 19. It’s to fix a nerve palsy - an unfortunate and somewhat rare thing that is seen in some lifelong swimmers and female volleyball players (not so much male and it’s not known why). The MD can do it arthroscopically; I researched this guy (he was the second opinion I got bc the first MD I did not like and had bad gut feeling about) and feel I could not be in better hands. I’ve been compiling inappropriate jokes to tell to ease my anxiety the day of; I found when I had foot surgery that was a helpful thing and I don’t think the anesthesia team minded.

Important note: I do not want to know what this procedure is going to entail because I don’t want to think about the details, so please do not say anything at all about what on earth they are going to do inside my shoulder because you will make my already wildly anxious brain feel worse. I’ve convinced myself that whatever they will do will be small and minor; this is emotionally protective. Please don’t deny me that. Just please don’t.

Anyway, I’ll be in a sling for a week or so and on med leave for a week or two (appt Tues AM will provide more info about the length of the sling and med leave). I’m having some anxiety about how on earth I will spend my time while not working, as work is how I fill most of my time. I’ve been listing activities to keep myself occupied. **Please help me add to ideas. **

Please don’t say “figure out what work tasks you can do with one hand” because it’s important to me that work like reading a journal article is a thing only if I get really anxious (work calms my brain). If I’m lucky, I’ll never be on FMLA again. I should take advantage of this time to do as little work as possible. And I’m allowed to enjoy the break.

All activities which one would use two hands, assume I will do w one

  • read
  • watch movies (we have a good collection of S. King movies)
  • make puzzle
  • my aunt will help me learn how to cook some things I would like to learn how to cook (I will help as I can - current cooking list is vegetarian moussaka, white wine sauce for pasta, salad dressings. Go ahead and make fun of me on the salad dressings, I do very little cooking at all)
  • play games w my parents when they are not at work
  • color w left hand
  • memorize poetry for Open Mic Poetry Night
  • I should be able to go for walks
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Interested in learning a new language? This is a lifelong thing but you could get a start using an app like duolingo.

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Interested in learning a new language? This is a lifelong thing but you could get a start using an app like duolingo.

That’s a good idea. I took a Dutch class in grad school (mostly bc favorite math prof, who is from the Netherlands, was teaching it). I could keep working on that.

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I don’t understand, what do you do that you can’t do it a sling?

I was a heavy construction carpenter foreman. I had surgery for a torn rotator cuff, torn labrum and detached bicep tendon and I went to work the next day.

It hurt like all hell, but I didn’t want to take anything that would make me feel better and start moving it. It was my right shoulder and I had a manual pickup at the time, so I had to rent a car on the way home from the hospital. I was still loopy so my wife went in and rented the car, and I took it from there. I told her I felt fine. She said I was going 10 mph all the way home.

The first day was tough. When I got into my work van at the end of the day with my laborer driving, I let out a groan. The laborer asked if I was alright and I said that I was fine, he said ‘‘not from the look on your face, you’re not fine’’!

So take a day or two off then go to work. You be fine!

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I won’t say anything about the surgery, but can I offer advice for post-op? I’m an ortho/sports PT so I’ve seen my fair share of post-op shoulders and I can think of a great list of things for you to do over the next 2+ weeks that will make your first few weeks so much better.

Re activities:

I like the language suggestion.

Also painting or drawing (think sitting in front of an easel not a table).

Throwing cards is actually a lot of fun. We did this a lot when I worked in NYC.

Nerf gun with small targets around the house (cheap Amazon purchase).

Ping pong ball trick shots?

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Before my shoulder surgery I made my self a list of things I wanted to do since I couldn’t work. I don’t think I accomplished any of the list. I spent most of the first week asleep, the narcs knocked me out completely. I hate taking them, so I stopped early and spent a ton of time with the ice circulator things on my shoulder, which means I was stuck in the chair or couch. It sounds like your surgery won’t take you out as badly, I was in that shoulder immobilizer sling thing for 6 weeks.

You’re very active, I’d recommend, if your surgeon allows it, to walk a lot. Low impact, keeps you moving, let’s you explore Stillwater more!

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Ik weet hiet niet. LOL

You could write a letter a day to old friends etc. Cast your bread upon the waters as they say. Explain what you are going through not for sympathy but so they know where you are at. See what kind of responses you get. Once I wrote a letter to our international student from Chile after she went home. She was happy to get it because, “I have never received a hand written letter before”

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Before my shoulder surgery I made my self a list of things I wanted to do since I couldn’t work. I don’t think I accomplished any of the list. I spent most of the first week asleep, the narcs knocked me out completely. I hate taking them, so I stopped early and spent a ton of time with the ice circulator things on my shoulder, which means I was stuck in the chair or couch

I was exactly the same with my knee replacement surgery. I had plans to read so many books, but the most I could do was lay there and watch mindless TV.

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https://youtu.be/UAxARJyaTEA?si=he4h2s5TDJf64s80
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I won’t say anything about the surgery, but can I offer advice for post-op? I’m an ortho/sports PT so I’ve seen my fair share of post-op shoulders and I can think of a great list of things for you to do over the next 2+ weeks that will make your first few weeks so much better.

Please do. Thank you for respecting my request regarding the procedure itself.
I’d be most grateful for your post-op suggestions. My thanks.

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I don’t understand, what do you do that you can’t do it a sling?..So take a day or two off then go to work. You be fine!

I’m a college prof on sabbatical. I need to write a paper and a grant. My job right now is basically typing / using a computer for a living. Although I could do it very slowly with my left hand, the demands and expectations of my career are such that it’s important for me - in terms of this healing and my not being labeled “not productive enough” on my end of the year eval that it’s important I have some time fully off work here.

I have the time I can take; I earned it via 5.5 years of work; I need this shoulder to heal as well as it possibly can - I’m kind of good at a certain Other Forum Thing and that high level performance is in jeaopardy if this doesn’t heal well.

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I won’t say anything about the surgery, but can I offer advice for post-op? I’m an ortho/sports PT so I’ve seen my fair share of post-op shoulders and I can think of a great list of things for you to do over the next 2+ weeks that will make your first few weeks so much better.

Please do. Thank you for respecting my request regarding the procedure itself.
I’d be most grateful for your post-op suggestions. My thanks.

Absolutely!

Disclaimed: clear it all with your surgeon and med staff. Especially exercising post op for lower body. But there’s really no reason you can’t do lower body strength during acute recovery. As long as you’re getting good sleep…which leads to me the first suggestion:

Start to practice getting comfortable and sleeping upright now. Laying flat comfortably is most often near imposssible post sh surgery. The pressure in and gravity pulling down on the joint prevents people from getting comfortable. So most people sleep in a recliner or on a sofa begrudgingly. But if you practice now with comfy pillows or buying a nice wedge one and have a good setup then it won’t be as much of a shock and you’ll actually have the best chance to get some decent sleep which will facilitate the acute healing period. I’ve even told people to get a cheap sling and try it before to adapt. But this is also procedure dependent. Some structure cause more discomfort than others.

In a similar vein, practice getting down to and up off the floor with one hand. You may find sitting on the floor leaning against the couch more comfortable than actually sitting in the couch (depending on your couch and level of discomfort). It’s also a nice chance of scenery and actually does keep your body moving (legs and hips).

Get to the gym now and really work on back/sh blade strength. Normal protective guarding causes tightness and spasms in the neck muscles (trap and levator scap muscles). You’ll have a natural tendency to keep the shoulder shrugged especially in the sling or as you move to protect the arm you’ll keep the shoulder tucked in more. And this causes neck tension.

So do a lot of rows and lat pull downs (single arm) over the next 2+ weeks to combat that as much as possible. It will also lead to better outcomes after as that is also going to be a good component to recovery. I know you’re not having a structural procedure done, but still trauma is trauma to the shoulder and there will be swelling and a protective response from the body.

Also post op hit the legs. Get the large muscle groups going with leg press and hamstring curls, step ups, lunges, box squats, single arm deadlifts etc. Get your blood flowing and the more muscle groups working the better the recovery.

Practice those motions now so you’re familiar with them once you’re post op. I promise you’ll feel better being able to do them and keeping your body moving.

Practice doing your hair and brushing teeth etc. Setup your bathroom and kitchen etc. for one arm use and get a good flow. Move utensils and glasses, cookware etc now. Anything you can think of to set yourself up for smooth transitions back to normal daily tasks. Otherwise the frustration mounts and every little inconvenience you perceive due to the shoulder will add up and then stress goes up.

The less stressed and inconvenienced you are post op the smoother everything should feel and move quickly.

Of course there are always outliers and perhaps none of this will help or matter to you. But the majority of people benefit from this approach.

I’ll add more as they come to me.

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I broke my shoulder a few years back, and of course it was my strong side (which sounds like your strong side will be the - operative? operated? - shoulder as well).

There are two things I would recommend you practice ahead of time: the worst problem that had was brushing my teeth with my off hand. Holy hell, never had thought of it before, but this was mind-numbingly difficult!

The second was difficult, but comes to you out of necessity: using the bathroom (more specifically, toilet paper).

Practice those and your life should be less stressful after the surgery.

Long story, but took me a couple weeks to find out my shoulder was actually broken, so I kept trying to run. DO NOT DO THAT!! It is unbelievably painful. Walking should be Ok, but judge for yourself depending on the pain and discomfort.

Good luck, and hopefully you heal quick and are stronger than ever!

  • Jeff
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Buy a puppy!!!

Maurice

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Interested in learning a new language? This is a lifelong thing but you could get a start using an app like duolingo.
The idea above, while excellent, is not as good as writing the quarterly newsletter for my dog breed club; the one that I’m about a month behind schedule on.

Happy
One two three
One two three day

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thank you! I really appreciate it.

I was hoping I’d be comfortable sleeping on my left side - I’ve been practicing that a lot. I do prefer to sleep on the R, but left has been ok. Do you think that’ll be okay?

this is to fix a suprascapular nerve palsy; I forget people around here know lots of stuff and should have just said what the specific issue was.

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Do you have to write the paper while on your sabbatical?

Your second paragraph is a bit confusing. It could be argued that 2 weeks don’t make a difference if you are 20 weeks late on your paper, but if I were on your shoes I would take whatever time I have available to research, brainstorm, even if you need to take time off the keyboard to rest your shoulder.

On the other hand, taking two weeks mentally and physically away from work might be the best alternative long term.

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… since you type a lot, may I suggest you obtain the Dragon Naturally Speaking digital voice recognition software and accoutrements, spend the time learning that, and you will save beaucoup time in the future.

I used it for narrative patient records ( disliked the canned pull-down records systems ) for the last 10 years of my career … spend the time “training” it to recognize your speech, and train yourself into speaking the punctuation and Bob’s yer Uncle.

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you’ve won the thread. 3 pts