Rotator Cuffed

Two months ago, I went to the doctor's with my friend Jozi to have a doctor check out my rotator cuff. It had been hurting for about a month and a half, and it was clear that resting was not going to help it. (Side note for those who are asking why I waited a month and a half: remember this is coming from the same guy who walked on a broken ankle for over two weeks. Then again that broken ankle actually started healing, and in the right way.)

So, the doctor moves my arm a little this each way to test the pain and decides to give me some medication. I went in with the intention of getting an x-ray to really see how it was. Not today though.

Three weeks later when I ran out of the medication, I asked the assistant principal if I could take a student with me to go to the doctor's because Jozi was in Austria that week. She let me pick which student I wanted to take. I picked Andrej, the baseball player who took full responsibility for my injury because it came while playing baseball and said he would do anything to help me.

The next day I arrived at school and the assistant principal found Andrej and told him he was to accompany me. Andrej approached me with a smile, glad to help me. Then he said, "Professor, you should have told me yesterday that I was going to take you to the doctor's. I stayed up until 2 a.m. doing my homework. I could have been relaxing." I replied, "Now I'm especially glad you didn't know."

We arrived at the doctor's office and I received an x-ray quicker than I imagined. We were only there for an hour. That is lightning speed here. We then took the x-rays to a specialist (though I question how special this doctor really was). We waited for an hour and a half to see him. Andrej and I talked about baseball, the Lyceum, and his future. It was a good opportunity to hear his opinions about various subjects.

Around 10:30 a.m., the doctor called us in. After looking at the x-rays for a moment and moving my arm around a little, he said he would give me an injection.

Not an injection, I said to myself.

For those who don't know, my family has a terrible allergy toward injections. We have been known to pass out from time to time.

If he told me he was going to give me an injection and then just gave it to me, it would be no problem. Nevertheless, he waited about ten minutes, giving me ample time to psych myself up for the needle.

When the doctor was about to inject the medicine (cortisone, I believe. I didn't find out) into my shoulder, Andrej said, "Just look at me, professor." I looked at Andrej and, a minute later, I felt a needle the size of a ruler enter my shoulder. I felt it go through every single tissue and muscle.

After the needle exited my body, I tried to stand failingly. Then the doctor told me to lie down. Then they lifted up my legs, and he pushed him hand into my forehead. I thought he was just checking my temperature. A few minutes later, Andrej finally said, "He wants you to try to push his hand." Thanks for the help finally, Andrej, I wanted to say.

After lying for about fifteen minutes, I could finally stand. Then the doctor told me to buy a sling, a 20 crown (1 dollar) investment, which turned out to look like a towel of guaze. I was told to return the next day for a check-up.

I wore the sling the rest of the day and returned the following morning. The doctor told me to rest that weekend and Monday I would feel like Spiderman. He said I could return on Monday if I wanted, but it wasn't necessary. He said the shoulder would heal now and he gave no further instructions.

Monday, came and I was still Peter Parker pre-spiderbite stage.

I have searched the Internet for the cure for my ailment. I have found numerous rotator cuff stretching exercises and helpful tips. The shoulder has improved; however, the progress is slow. It has been nearly three weeks. If it continues for another week, I will return to the doctor's.

Through this experience, I have learned one thing, and re-learned another. I re-learned that going to the doctor's in a foreign country is terrible. Some things are not translated and expectations are not always the same. I learned that x-rays make excellent wall decorations.