Well, I just had my 3-month follow up appointment with my doctor. As expected, I have been cleared to resume normal activities. His exact words were "you are free to resume normal activity as tolerated."
Those last two words are huge. When I had the surgery on my right elbow, I believe I rushed back into things too quickly. I started putting way too much stress on my elbow which resulted in soreness. So much so, that I scheduled an appointment with my doctor because I was worried I damaged something. Thankfully I did not.
So I really want to take it slow this time. Today I did two pull-ups and experienced no pain. Tomorrow I will try two push-ups and hit the ice for a light game of pickup hockey. While that sounds quite dangerous, my doctor informed me that as long as I wear elbow pads I have nothing to fear. A hockey stick does not have much weight and I certainly don't have a hard shot that might screw up my elbow.
That's my plan! Increase exercise slowly. My doctor did not feel I needed to have physical therapy. I have full range of motion and very little soreness. I imagine this may not be the case for all people having this surgery.
Really no pain at all anymore. I still get a slight tightening pain when my arm experiences resistance. The incision area still has numbness but I never expect that to recover fully since my other arm is still slightly numb in some spots. Doctor said this is normal.
I will try to remember to keep updating this blog at least monthly for the next year. Hoping someone, some day will find it useful as they recover from the same surgery.
