If It Ain't Broke...

If It Ain’t Broke…
17 September 2010
Shanghai, China

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

And it isn’t broke. But unfortunately it is torn. A ligament in my shoulder that is. Warning: be careful the next time you are motoing around Mallorca and it starts to rain.

I had thought my sore shoulder would just go away, but, months having passed, I realized it was not getting any better and had actually started to get worse. It was keeping me up at night.

This gave me the opportunity to go to the doctor in China. There is a very convenient clinic a short walk away and my awesome sublessors dropped me off. It was so easy. I filled in a one page form and waited for about 20 minutes before being led in to see an extremely kind Malaysian doctor. She examined me, explained what it might be, and discussed the options, specifically whether I should get an x-ray and/or see a specialist. I opted for the x-ray because it was far less expensive while able to decidedly narrow the possibilities. This seems to have been a good decision because, in the end, the doctor (perhaps in response to my monologue about being a poor student) showed the x-ray to the specialist anyway, and he said it was more than likely a torn ligament.

No more mud wrestling.

I got a sling but it is more restrictive than necessary, so we’ll see if I wear it. Most importantly, I’m not supposed to raise my arm above an 80% angle from my body or carry anything heavy. She warned that not letting it heal could cause permanent damage. She also said that if it weren’t getting better, I should come back in a few weeks. To my grave disappointment, she did not suggest acupuncture.

So much for white-water rafting in Tibet!