Frozen

I have had a couple enquiries asking how today’s surgeon visit went so here is an update.

While it does look like I have a torn labrum called a SLAP tear, I would not be surgical until at least the current swelling and tightness subside.  I have severely limited range of motion associated with a condition called frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) .  This condition is caused when joints in the shoulder have too much friction to move freely and pain free.

In my case the friction has been caused by the creation of scar tissue and inflammation normally associated with a severe injury as I had.  I was told that this is a very common presentation for a 35+ year old (I am over 10 years past that milestone), who has had a shoulder break and dislocation. I was further assured that there was nothing that I could have done different to prevent this condition developing.  More specifically, I was assured I did not cause any regression to the shoulder by continuing to work after the injury, and in fact it probably helped delay the onslaught of the frozen shoulder (remember it got much worse when I took a 2 week break).

As I have not had any new dislocations since the first injury, there is a chance that the SLAP tear will not need to ever be repaired.  The next step is to get a cortisone injection to reduce the inflammation.  The surgeon believes that 1 injection into the joint will not be sufficient and that I most likely will need a second injection outside the joint near the top of the humeral head (site of the fracture).  Each injection is to be followed by a week of total rest and then a month of intensive physio therapy.  If at the end of two injections things have not significantly improved, I may then need surgery to trim the joint capsule so things slide easier.

I will use the delay getting the injection through the medical system (instead of paying for a private clinic) to hopefully finish the backfill at the front of the house and along the south and west sides.  This really must be done before the winter rains set in or I would have to delay the backfill until things dry out in the spring. Obviously this is something I want to avoid at all costs.

Mr. J and I will work tomorrow to hang the dimple board and then commence once again on backfill operations.  He will run the compactor and haul gravel while I move soil with Alfie.   Next week I will finish the torch on membrane and insulation on the south wall and then depending on day of week will hire labour to assist with Mr. J’s duties until next Friday when he can again join me.  If all goes well, by the end of next week, I hope to have the majority of the south wall back-filled allowing Alfie to finally once again reach the back yard and the large backfill stockpile at that location.

I also want to provide an update on the roving cam.  I have had a few notifications from web visitors that it is offline.  Unfortunately, it has finally succumb to the abuse that I have subjected it to over the last year.  It was an indoor camera that I was using outside.  While I protected it from direct rain, the moist environment has rotted out the circuit board per below photo.

So I have ordered some new FOSCAM units to provide a replacement outside roving cam, upgraded container cam (which is pointed at road to provide site security since a series of vehicle break-ins in the area), a new roving cam that will live inside the structure, and a new tree cam that will provide a bird’s eye view of the build from about 30 ft up.  I use FOSCAM webcams because to date, they are the only manufacturer to have an accessible API.  This allows me to provide you the images with just a little HTML code on my webpage.

All other cameras I have investigated require physical connection to a ‘server’ which then rebroadcasts the signal to a website or for users to download an addin to their web browser.  This represents a lot of extra costs and complexity.  With FOSCAM cameras, you just have to connect them to a LAN cable or Wireless LAN connection and you are good to go.  You can either load a browser add-in and view live video (like other cameras) or run like my site and have the webpage code call for a snapshot that is then updated regularly (I have it set to every 3 seconds to reduce the load on my network).  You the viewer do not need to load anything on your browser to view the images.

Well, your now all caught up.  Thanks for visiting.

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.”—H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Writer

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”—Helen Keller (1880-1968) Author, Lecturer, Activist