New Bone Growth and Telemundo

Well, for those of you who are tracking my progress, today was my 1 month appointment with my surgeon Dr. Baer. Apparently, my progress is better than he hoped. Almost all my swelling is gone, and my joint mobility is where it should be. The pain I'm experiencing is normal and within the acceptable parameters for this type of injury. Apparently numbness and flashes of heat is normal. My clavical is in allignment, and he is happy with my range of motion (since it is not his pain when I move).

I suppose the surreal aspect of this trip is looking at x-rays of my bones still in pieces and hearing that "everthing looks good." Next week I can start physical therapy. In two weeks I can start back to work 4-6 hrs/day (chair bound only), and hey I might even be back to work full time by mid-October.

I take this news two ways: 1) I am encouraged that I'm healing well, and maybe even faster than the doctor projected, but 2) I'm only halfway (minimum) through this rehab and slip in and out of minor depression and serious frustration. I know I'm lucky to be alive and live in a country with quality doctors, and I have health insurance. A little perspective helps, I know.

But I think what really gets me, is that the other day while chair bound with my leg elevated I could have watched Germany play Azerbaijan on Fox Sports in english, but I was forced to watch Mexico vs. United States on Telemundo in Spanish. I know many Americans have little patience for Soccer, but at least take a little pride in our national team and celebrate it by that great American pastime of watching TV in the middle of the afternoon. Seriously, I was able to watch an hour of pre-game hype on an ESPN special, but no english speaking network cared enough to broadcast the game. A little off topic, but even the little things are more annoying when bored and restless.