SHOULDER.

At the beginning of this past football season, I was ready to work hard and make all-district middle linebacker. After a few games I was on pace to make this goal. In the Oak Hall vs. Lafayette game, I got 18+ tackles; 15 solo and 3 for a loss. After that I played 3 more games and got the same outcome. However, the next game was different. In a tackling drill in warm-ups, my shoulder popped out of place. The trainer then kept me out for the first quarter of the game. After the Doctor arrived at the game, he told me that it would be safe to return to the game. I did and tore up my shoulder even more. After the game ended, I went home and iced my shoulder.

The next day, I went to the physician. He informed me that I might have a torn labrum or a rotator cuff issue. After, I arranged an arthroscopic MRI. They found that I did in fact have a torn labrum in two places and a torn rotator cuff. Surgery was the best bet to make it better. Before surgery, I got a nerve block. This is a shot that the doctors stuck in my neck to numb my whole right arm and neck. After that occurred, there was an asian lady who barely spoke english. She made my day when she said that she would be giving me the "happy juice". When I got the happy juice, (anesthesia), I felt really loopy.

Then, the surgery was over and I woke up. I didn't remember a thing. The surgery was the most exciting thing that came out of my shoulder being hurt. The nerve block was still in effect for quite a whiile after the surgery was complete. Later, when the nerve block wore off, I felt the pain. I'd like to say that I dont feel pain and that I'm tough. But no matter how tough I am, when that nerve block wore off, I felt the most painful thing in my life. Although I was on a heavy narcodic called Oxycotton, the pain was still there. After a few weeks went by, the pain became less and less.

Then came therapy. It blowed. Try to imagine getting shot in the soulder twice and moving it around the very next day. That's what it was like. Eventually it became a little better, and I was able to stop sleeping in a recliner, which also sucked.

Now, the pain still lingers, but i can get by. I didn't go to the homecoming dance because, well, who wants to dance with a guy in a sling.

As rehab continues to get better , so will my shoulder, and eventually I'll be long-tossing on the baseball field again, crackin' skulls in football, and playing basketball.