Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Well, I am the lucky guy that is married to Allie and seeing how she has a bad wing and all, I thought that maybe I should pinch hit for her and update her blog.  

First of all, Allie is very grateful for all of you that have taken the time to post words of encouragement to her on this blog.  She reads all of your comments and it means a great deal to her.  She considers herself very blessed to have good people like yourselves that follow her blog.

What has Allie been up to?  you might ask.  Well... 

For those of you that don't know, Allie's shoulder was in pretty bad shape.  It was bad enough that it would just fall out of joint from time to time.  It had done this for years, but it was starting to interfere with her quality of life and more importantly, her longarm quilting. Obviously, it had to be fixed.

Those of you that know Allie personally, know that she has what some might call an addiction....... to Coke.  Not being able to drink a Coke beverage from midnight, until after her surgery was quite a task for her.  When she was in the recovery room, and started to wake up from all of the wonderful drugs they had pumped into her system, the first thing she asked for was a Coke.  Still not quite awake she took her first sip, looked up at me and said, "ahhh, a Coke and a smile."  She, of course, was smiling. 


She felt ready to go home about 2 hours after surgery, but they would not release her due to her heart rate being too high.  (Probably the sugar rush from the Coke.....just sayin')  I was finally able to take her home a little over 8 hours after first checking into the surgical center.

The Doc was happy with the result of the surgery, however, the injury to Allie's shoulder was not what he had expected.  He had originally thought that the looseness in her shoulder was a result of her tendons being torn away from the bone on either the front or back of her shoulder.  He had anticipated going in and reattaching the tissue to the bone.  What he found was that the tissue had become extremely stretched out all of the way around her shoulder. He described it to me as having a 34 inch waste and wearing a pair of 42 inch pants.  So instead of having to reattach tissue to bone, he had to go in and "pleat" her tendons to tighten them.

What this means for Allie is that her recovery is going to take longer than we thought.  We had planned on starting therapy 2-3 weeks after surgery, but it will be more like 6 weeks.  Therapy is going to take quite a while once she starts, and considering she is right handed and it was her right shoulder, it will be some time before she is back to normal and able to sew again.  


Having said that, she is getting better every day and is anxious to get back to creating.  


Keep checking in.  She'll be back........sometime.


-Tony

19 comments:

Joanne said...

OH dear Allie. I have been away for a few weeks and came back to find you MIA. I will put you on my prayer list and continue to send you notes via email. Love

Petit Design Co. said...

get well soon Allie! I hope recovery is swift and without set backs. Thanks for the update Tony

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

Thanks for the update Tony. I wish you a speedy recovery Allie.

Jocelyn said...

Oh please give Allie my love and let her know she is in my thoughts. Take good care of her.

Char said...

Thank you for the update.
Take care and get well soon Allie!

Marlene said...

Wishing you well Allie. Hope your recovery is a speedy one.
I have had similar surgery - but luckily my left shoulder. I tell you once it's healed it will be good as new. Do all the exercises they recommend when the time comes.

Rafael's Mum said...

Good news is you are getting well and it was fixable!! Never mind how long it takes.. you will get there! I am wishing you a speedy recovery as possible, we'll be all here waiting for you and we'll pray all goes well. Lots of good wishes from over the ocean xxx

~Laurie~ said...

Thanks Tony!! Allie - it sounds like you have a little recuperating to do :( Try and enjoy the "down" time - read, spend time outdoors enjoying nature, maybe just take a nap in the middle of the day! We'll be patiently waiting for you to come back - DON'T rush it!

Alisa said...

Oh, that sounds painful!

Hope you are fixed up well and that your recovery goes well. Patience!

Allie said...

OH MY - that's not good! [And neither is the Coke....tsk tsk]. Please tell Allie that I miss her and am praying for a complete and timely recovery for her!

Patty said...

I hope for a speedy recovery for you. I can't imagine what I'd do if I couldn't use my right arm. I have tried to do somethings left handed and am way too clumsy. But I bet you'll be able to get lots of help from your family. Take it easy and rest when you can. Will be watching for updates.

Emily said...

Fun to hear from Tony on your Blog, sad to hear that you are having a rough go of it! Take it easy, and get well soon! Good luck on that Coke addiction!

Sarah Craig said...

Hope you are feeling much better very soon! And Tony, thanks for the update!!

Karen said...

Get well soon. Enjoy the coke (I do too).

Angela Nash said...

What a sweet update - bummer that it isn't the best news. Prayers for you Allie - patience to wait for the therapy to start and endurance to push through that therapy once you begin.

And a prayer for a bit of sanity while you're out of crafting commission! I know I get twitchy when I am forced to take a crafting break!

Kristen said...

Just went in to check on Luke and covered him with his Allie quilt. Thanks for the update, Tony. I've been thinking about you guys.
Sending my love,
Kristen

val said...

Dear Allie, You have been on my mind and I want to say that you will be in my prayers. You don't know me but I feel that I know you because you have been so inspirational to my life. Your wonky squares are my favourite too now - thanks to you :0) and I made Sofa Snuggle quilts for my married sons, (to snuggle up when the little one is asleep and watch a movie together) .... you are not aware I am sure of how much pleasure and happiness you bring, but as a sister in Christ and as a little crafter I want to say Thank You Allie .... and Tony for your post.
May God bless you and your family with joy in Him.
love Val xx Oxfordshire UK

Kris said...

Thanks for the update Tony - looks like you have keeper there, Allie!! :-)) Have a Coke for me, will ya?? And take care of yourself!! I'll keep you in my prayers!! Love, Kris

An Oasis in the Desert said...

I hope you are well on your way to recovery by now.
CAS