Okay, I have a new primary physician.  5 minutes from our house, with their own labs, x-rays, urgent care and PT in the same building. 

I have had some issues with my primary physician.  I feel like he might have some issues listening to women – or at least this woman.  Also I’ve had issues with the staff there.  And I didn’t love the drive to and from Chesaning by mostly rural back roads – not fun now, and when the snow starts blowing it could get dicey.

I like the new doctor. Not a total match made in heaven.  He inquired about my position on weight loss surgery (!).  He got an answer in no uncertain terms about how I feel about mutilating a healthy internal organ (and how the risks go up dramatically once you are past 60).  I told him that at a certain point, being fat does not affect all-cause mortality in older people; and the elderly are better off maintaining weight.  He said he questioned it, but he’d like to see the actual research – so I sent him a bunch of links to studies.

So he may be teachable.

And, of course, yet another portal.

Anyhow, back to the point of this post.  My new primary sent me to PT for my boo-boo shoulder.

Turns out I really have two boo-boo shoulders and the one that doesn’t hurt is in worse shape than the one that does. 

But he showed me a wonderful and bizarre handy-dandy tool.  It’s called a therapy cane.  It looks more like something you stick in your front yard and hang geraniums from; or maybe a sex toy for orgies.

It has an open hook and some knobbly things poking out. 

But that weird looking fucker is a wonder. 

You can use the hook part to reach parts of your back and shoulder not usually within reach and find the tender bits (of which I have plenty) and push and prod the knots that have accumulated – relaxing the muscles.  You can use the other knobbly bits the same way, but that hook part is the star of the show.

And it hurts.  It hurts so good.

I have my very own therapy cane coming from Amazon and for $40, I think it is money well spent.