First week after surgery

March 17th -- March 22nd

Even though it was a great feeling to be out of the hospital and being back home again, I think staying in the hospital for two nights was the right choice. Thanks to the nerve block I was practically in no real pain and now, three days after surgery I was fine with taking the pills they gave me. The painkillers lasted until March 20th and I didn’t need to take additional medication afterwards. This really surprised me! I was prepared for days of pain after surgery when effectively I had never really been in pain, thanks to the nerve block in the hospital and the painkillers. I stopped taking painkillers after 5 days and was free of pain from there on.

The first night at home was quite alright as well. I was not in pain and my bed has an adjustable back rest, so I was able to turn it into a recliner with an elevated back part. That makes sleeping a lot more comfortable. I was able to sleep for ~6 hours on average with was enough to feel well in the mornings.

Washing still was a challenge and my girlfriend helped me with that. I didn’t feel comfortable yet to take full showers alone. My girlfriend also helped me changing the bandage every two days. We got the necessary items for that in the pharmacy. Until stitches are removed you should change bandage every two days. The wound was healing well and I didn’t have any issues with infections or other complications.

I had scheduled a shoulder massage which helps to treat the inflammation with a physiotherapist. He encouraged me to also remove the arm of the sling when watching TV and resting it in an elevated (chest-height) position. I just put a pillow next to me which worked great. That helped to stretch my elbow and I started moving my elbow when having the arm out of the sling. Now I got more and more comfortable with getting dressed and dealing with the arm in general.

I also went outside for walks to get some fresh air without any issues.

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