Almost finished the season...

This afternoon I get to go through the agonizing ordeal of watching my team play the final game of the season without me. I’ve officially hung up my skates for the season; my shoulder had stopped improving, and playing was really starting to take its toll, so I decided to take several months off in order to get back to 100% before getting back in the game. It’s a little disappointing to have to quit with so little of the season left, but I am happy with how I played in my limited return to action (6-1-1, 92.9 save percentage, allowing an average of 1.34 goals a game). The range of motion and strength in my arm are really good - flexibility is back to what it was before surgery, and strength-wise, well, let’s just say that pre-surgery Marita would not want to meet present-day Marita in a dark alley.

So that’s all well and good, the only problem now is that my shoulder is still achy, and gets sore and tired really fast. I’m led to believe that this is a matter of inflammation, and that the whole resting (in terms of not playing sports) and continuing with strength exercises thing will get rid of the problem in time. I’m even in the process of getting weaned off of PT, which is a little scary (I feel more comfortable with adult supervision), but I expect to survive OK on my own.

That said, I’ve read through past posts, and realized that there’s a lot of the rotator cuff tear/surgery process that I never wrote about. While most of the people who wander through this blog are looking for “gory pictures”, there are a reasonable number who end up here while searching for information about shoulder surgery. So, I’ll try to oblige and gradually fill in as much information as I can. Part of what was so terrifying about the whole process for me was the dearth of (non-technical or non-“official”) resources that would tell me what to expect during the various procedures. So maybe I can help with that… a little.

Update (end of the 1st): Watching this is so difficult. I thought I was nervous when I played, but at least playing gives me something to focus on. I'm sitting here in the stands shaking, which is ridiculous, because it's not like this game is particularly meaningful. We don't have play-offs or anything. 0-0 game at the end of one, with some insanely good scoring chances for MIT. Let's hope we keep it up.

Update (end of the 2nd): I can breathe a little easier now, as we've started finding the cracks in the HBS goalie's game. Add to that the most aggressive penalty kill we've ever managed (where we outshot them 5-0), and we're in pretty good shape, although I wouldn't mind some insurance goals. Current score: MIT 2 - HBS 0. One more period to go...

Final Update: Phew. We kept up the pressure (for the most part) and netted two more goals (including the first-ever goal for rookie sensation Yuki Jung) to win it 4-0. Toughest game for me all season. I need a nap.