Tomorrow I return to work for the first time since I left December 14th to undergo two separate carpal tunnel surgeries, one on the 15th, one on the 30th. It's been a long six weeks off, and one with mixed reaction.
My right hand handled the surgery fantastically for the most part, sure there was pain, not just from surgery and healing but from therapy as well. But healing wise, the right hand really responded well to the surgery and the therapy. The incision is still quite sore, lots of underlying scar tissue that eventually I'll have broken down thru massage and probably a tear or two.
My left hand was a different story. The carpal tunnel was worse in that hand, and it caused me a lot more pain than the right one did. When the stitches were removed, it decided to do a Moses and the Red Sea bit and it opened back up. There's still a lot of scabbing, still a lot of pain that hasn't decided to leave yet, but I've gone thru my therapy, I'm doing it here at home, and it's time to get back with the program.
I imagine the first few days are going to be a bit hard, mainly because my hands still aren't as dextrous as they need to be, but that will come back. I imagine a few of my co-workers might bless me with a bit of the cold shoulder because I was away from work for as long as I was. Actually, I'm hoping the lot of them are understanding to what I had to go thru, because I sure wouldn't have gone thru all that just to get away from work.
I love my job, I love my customers, and it will be great to see them tomorrow and it will be great to be back out amongst the real world again. Give me a few days, probably a few exhausting ones and frustrating to begin with, but all in all, I'm truly looking forward to heading back to work.
My time served tells me I have less than three years before I can retire. During those years I've got a lot of decisions to make. First and above all else, will I really hang it up when the time comes? As much as I've said yes over the years, now I'm not so sure. I've thought about maybe hanging in there for another year or two, but I'm just not sure. I'd like to go the day I'm eligible, but I don't know if I'm going to be financially able and sound enough to do so.
Thankfully I've got the better part of three years to decide, and until then, I have a great job that I love, a super group of people that I work with, and the best damned customers one could ever ask for. Sure hope I feel like that at this time tomorrow evening...just kidding...
For those of my faithful few, hey, gang, I've made it thru another hurdle. Tomorrow reality heads back, and I'm ready for the ride once again.
Onward.....
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