Yesterday in physical therapy, Jeremy stretched my shoulder joint vertically to about 165 degrees (out of 180). This means I have recovered most of my range of motion since my shoulder fracture in June, but not all. Jeremy said the last degrees are the hardest in stretching out a “frozen” shoulder, where the tough capsule surrounding the ball-and-socket joint has pulled tight to protect the joint. Continuous stretching and muscle strengthening are key to recovering full range of motion–and I am determined to do just that.
Meanwhile, I have been enjoying getting back into sports. Saturday I ran/walked 2.2 miles–my farthest distance since the bike accident. I can finally support my weight on my boogie board, too! The beach was beautiful last Sunday, and I caught a dozen waves before my shoulder got tired.
Every time I get discouraged about the seemingly slow progress on recovering the last degrees of range of motion, I have to remind myself of the progress made so far. It’s really a miracle that I’m at this point after less than three months! Rome wasn’t built in a day, they say. I need to have patience with the process of healing that my body requires. After all, that frozen shoulder capsule developed for a purpose: to protect my shoulder so that it could heal. Now to convince the capsule that it’s okay to loosen up!
Tags: Add new tag, broken bones, osteoporosis, physical therapy, Shoulder Fracture
Last week at church the lector read from the book of Ezekiel about how God brought to life a pile of dry bones:
“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'” (Ezekiel 37:1-6)
These days I feel God doing the same thing to me. Every day He is healing my bones of the osteoporosis and making my body stronger. It is still a miracle of God’s love that I didn’t break my back or a hip in the bike accident on June 16th when I fractured my left shoulder in four places! As God is breathing more life into my body, I feel more hope and joy, and a greater capacity to love and serve…and I know that He is the Lord!
Tags: faith reflection, osteoporosis
Last month I joined an on-line support group, sponsored by the National Osteoporosis Foundation in cooperation with Inspire. Since then I have benefited greatly by the experiences and advice the members have shared, and I have had the opportunity to share my journey with others. Here’s the introductory information you’ll find when you visit the website:
“This is your place on the Web to meet friends, ask questions, and share stories about osteoporosis and bone health – all within a safe, secure environment. We hope you’ll enjoy the time you spend here. Please note that information on the Osteoporosis Community is not intended to provide medical advice and should NOT be relied upon for any particular diagnosis, treatment or care. Members are encouraged to speak with their healthcare providers for medical and treatment advice.”
You can join, the NOF Support Community, too! Just visit:
http://www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foundation/
and click on JOIN.
Enjoy!
Tags: bone health, osteoporosis, support community
According to my chiropractor, Dr. Ashley Bourne, some fruits and vegetables are more important to buy organic than others because of the higher pesticide load that some conventionally grown foods carry. This is the breakdown, according to his research:
Best to Buy Organic:
- Peaches
- Apples
- Sweet bell peppers
- Celery
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Cherries
- Lettuce
- Grapes (imported)
- Pears
- Spinach
- Potatoes
Foods You Don’t Have to Buy Organic:
- Broccoli
- Eggplant
- Cabbage
- Banana
- Kiwi
- Asparagus
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Mango
- Pineapple
- Sweet corn (frozen)
- Avocado
- Onion
I am definitely not to the point yet where I am able to locate and buy organic all the items recommended, but this list gives me a goal to work toward. Recently, Dr. Bourne told me that he has information about a local farmer who is interested in forming an organic coop with interested health food consumers. When I get that information, I’ll pass it along to you.
Tags: Add new tag, bone health, organic foods, osteoporosis
The creamy taste of this peach pie comes from bone-friendly almond milk, instead of bone-hostile heavy cream. A big hit with my family, this is one recipe you won’t want to miss!
You will need:
- Oven preheated to 400 degrees.
- 1 9″ pie pan
- 2 pie doughs for top and bottom crusts
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup of melted Earth balance buttery spread
- 1/3 cup almond milk (Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze brand)
- 5-6 cups of sliced peaches (The better the peach, the tastier the pie!)
Line pie pan with one pie dough crust.
Slice peaches into one mixing bowl and set aside.
In other mixing bowl, combine egg, flour, spices, honey, buttery spread, and almond milk. Stir until well mixed. Pour mixture over the peach slices. Stir and coat well. Pour into pie pan.
Cover with second pie dough crust. Crimp to close. Cut slits in top crust for steam to escape while cooking.
Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce to 325 degrees for 50 minutes.
De-lish!
Tags: almond milk recipes, bone health, osteoporosis, peach pie, Recipe
What an exciting visit today with Dr. White to review the progress of my shoulder fracture! The shoulder x-ray showed complete healing of all four breaks! Then, Dr. White moved my arm around to test for current range of motion and was quite pleased with my progress. He said that four more weeks of physical therapy ought to get the job done, so that I will recover my full range of motion.
What a miracle! Only six weeks for bone healing + eight weeks of physical therapy = fully functioning shoulder! And to think that the original prognosis pointed to nine months to a year for a full recovery. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me…and to our Lord who gives the healing!
