Extended Absence

Sometimes you just can't get to the job at hand. I tore my rotator cuff sailing on the 4th of July 2009. But, that was just the straw that broke the camels back. The shoulder was already giving me pain. So, what followed was a course of med's, then physical therapy, more x-rays, MRI, etc. Then, after waiting at least 30-45 days to get another appointment following each procedure treatment, the decision was to do surgery. But, the holidays were a scheduling problem for the physicians, so surgery ended up in the new year, 2010, January 18. Now it is done. Ligaments reattached, the joint parts ground down and resurfaced, and the rotator cuff stitched up. They thought I should go to a rehab facility for 8 weeks following surgery. I did not.
After one night in the hospital, a friend picked me up and brought me back across the bay and helped me get onto my boat. If it had been a normal Florida winter it would have been a piece of cake; but, the temp dropped to just above freezing every night for a week (and I had no heat), and it has stayed reasonably cold. I must admit I have spent more comfortable nights, as I sat trying to sleep wrapped in a sleeping bag leaning against the bulkhead. The visiting nurse, who came every day, had never made a patient visit on a boat. After learning to check the tide level, she loved her 2 weeks of visits.
It has been a month now, and I still can't get off the boat at low tide. My comings and goings are determined by the tides because at low tide I am 3.5 ft below the dock. And, since we are prohibited from installing ladders, if I miss the tide window I am stuck on the boat until the next day.
The good news, I only have another 4 weeks to live with this straight jacket restraint! Then I start PT and hopefully get back to work on the boat.