Another Fun Day

Before I went to physical therapy today, Joe and I went to DMV to license the old minivan I purchased on Saturday.  This minivan will be used primarily to schlep boxes etc. from the house I am putting up for sale, to the old farmhouse.  We arrived at DMV one hour before I was due at PT.  I took a quick glance around and determined there were probably 10-15 people ahead of me.  They sat, bored, in the uncomfortable chairs, staring at the screen which displayed the numbers being served at which station, willing their number to be announced next.  I imagined I could get the van licensed and get to PT on time, so I took my number and joined the sit-in, willing the DMV clerks to move a little faster.

I don't work at the DMV, so that allows me a certain license to observe (objectively of course) the operation.  I can see they are not a well-oiled machine... in fact, they seem to require a beverage break after every customer.  Also, I notice they have six stations, but only three are in use.  And the person at the front station, the one that EVERYONE has to visit first, the one with the woman and her yellow highlighter who carefully highlights all of the places that need to be completed by the time the customer's number is called, is a little bit of a smart alec.   I say this not ONLY because when, 45 minutes into our visit, Joe decided to ask her if there was a restroom he could use, she replied, "No, but you can use the woods, or go to Lowes."  Joe, thinking she meant another business named, "Woods," asked where that was.  She indicated the woods were all around the back of the DMV.  To indicate how obvious a selection "the woods" was, she added that her son will run out of the house for an opportunity to pee on a tree.....

Of course, while Joe had asked his question in a confidential tone of voice, her reply was in a loud voice which brought the whole zombied "audience" to life!  One of the other women looked at me, and we both agreed, it was a good thing Joe was a guy, because we seriously doubted that woman would get away with suggesting that WE should go relieve ourselves in the woods!  Joe went outside and I returned, with the rest of them to willing my number to be next.  Finally, with three minutes left before I was due as PT, my number was called.  Suffice to say, I was 7 minutes LATE to PT, but I now have a licensed old beater with which to clean out the house I am selling.

When I visited physical therapy today, they were all impressed with my improvement since Thursday...they oohed and ahhed and then set about subjecting me to more "fun."  The first course of action involved attaching some sort of electrodes to my arm, wrapping it in thick warm towel and pad and turning on the stimulating....it felt like periodic vibrations to me, but this is, apparently, something to improve the healing process.  I'm not sure, beyond the fact that it felt pretty good!

The therapist then announced I was to use the bicycle.... ummmmm... really?  I need to ride a bicycle to help heal my bad arm??? Well, no, it is an "arm bicycle."  OK, well, five minutes with ZERO resistance and this wimp had had plenty, thank you very much! (more oohs and ahhs, of course..)

Next it was on to the, hmmm, well, I don't think I caught the name of this particular thing, but it entailed pulling a rope back and forth for more minutes than I thought I could tolerate.

But, tolerate it, I did, and I was rewarded with a trip to the corner of the room!  There, the therapist put a towel behind my arm and had me perform the opening and closing of my arm with the palm out straight, in the "handshake" position, and then in the palm up position, and then in the palm down position.

Now, this was all fine and good, and I DO want to get healed quickly and all, but WHILE I was working the rope pulley thing, one of the techs came around, informing the world that someone had just delivered some chocolate covered cookies, some sort of advertising ...Joe, always the alert one, quickly assured the tech that he'd take two...one for himself and one for me.  Again, a very nice guy, right?  He would not let me be left out of the treats while I was enduring the pain of healing.   Well, while I was in the corner doing the arm bends, HE was eating his chocolate covered cookie...relishing it....and they were ALL talking about how good, how rich, these things were, and there I was counting my reps! (Not fair!!)

After all of my exercising was complete, the therapist taught me how to "work" the wound, to soften and flatten the scar tissue.  Let me tell you, that was PAINFUL!  OK, so, I guess I will do it tomorrow as she instructed, but I am NOT looking forward to that one!

So, with my PT session behind me, it was off to the bank, then to get groceries, then back home...where I got to play with the goats.... and enjoy the end of another really nice day.