New Appreciation

So almost every day of my operative life, I injure the lattismus dorsi muscle in some way. I either move it out of the way of my axillary thoracotomy or plough right through it for every other thoracotomy. Of course these are the lats on other people (my patients precisely). Yesterday as I mentioned, I worked out my upper body for the first time in . . . well forever. This evening, my lats HATE me.

It is not that a little soreness feels good because you know you worked out thing. It is my arms can't be raised higher than waist height. I should be concerned about driving home. However my biggest concern is that I still have to go close a chest. I did a sternotomy so that ENT could take out a big thyroid cancer. Putting the sternum back together is mostly about technique, but some chest strength is required. I am going to be embarrassed if I have to ask the ENT resident to push a wire thru the sternum for me.

According to my schedule, I am supposed to work out lower body tonight. We will see what time I get home. I am on call tomorrow so should really suck it up and go regardless, but should and will are not always the same for me. Oh well, off to try to close a chest.