When Your Body Turns Against You

Thoughts on decay

Photo by Hush Naidoo Jade Photography on Unsplash

Things are probably going to get a little interesting around here in the coming months. I go to my orthopedic doctor on Friday and I fully expect him to recommend surgery to repair a SLAP tear in my right shoulder which has been causing me considerable pain and preventing me from doing a lot of daily functions. Practically this means my dominant arm will be in a sling, immobilized for 6-8 weeks, plus physical therapy, so I’m told. How will I write three times a week under these conditions? Voice dictation? Just use my left hand? Nothing sounds particularly practical. So we’ll see if I’m able to keep up this writing pace.

What’s interesting about this injury is that I have no clue what happened. Neither do the doctors. It’s just there. My body just seems to be injured. And now I have to figure out how to live with it. I guess this is just growing older. No, that’s not right. I guess this is just being human. I know so many people with chronic illnesses, with diseases, and with disabilities who have been thrust into challenges with their bodies. Compared to so many others, I have no significant personal experience to speak of on this subject, unless you count the mind as the body turning against you, which I suppose we should in some sense. But I want to venture to offer some tentative suggestions about how we should all face what’s coming for us, the decay of our bodies, the betrayal of our bodies. It’s easy to grow discouraged when you have medical problems. Maybe I’m just preaching to myself as I’m facing surgery and two months of a sling, which I know in the large scheme of things is nothing. So excuse me if I textually process how we should deal with physical suffering. And I hope this is helpful to you.