Dislocated Shoulder

As Emily's post below indicates, we've had a lot of rain in the DFW area, so if you've got a pool like we do, you try to get in it when the opportunity presents itself. Emily and I took Sam into the pool around 5 PM on Independence Day. The sun was out and we were going to play with Sam in the pool for about 30 minutes and then go inside for dinner with Stanley.

I had Sam on a pool float with me on the shallow end of the pool. We had been on it for a few minutes and Emily and I decided that we need to call it a day and go in. I was holding Sam and started to slip off of the float. Not wanting Sam to go under, I held him out with my left arm as far as I could to keep him above water. I knew the bottom of the pool was within reach of my right arm so I extended my right arm as far as I could to push back out of the water. That's when it happened.

Below is what a normal shoulder looks like:


Here's what a dislocated shoulder looks like:


As you might suspect, the red arrows point to the separation, and the source of the severe pain that comes with the separation. This happened to my right shoulder, not the left as pictured above. My x-rays show about the same result.

Thankfully, Sam was only surprised about the whole fall and Emily quickly took him. We were also lucky that Stanley was visiting with us and took me to the emergency room in Allen. There we spent the next three hours getting x-rays, waiting, and ultimately having my shoulder relocated by the staff and painkillers. What a way to spend the holiday!

I was sore for the next few days and I have a follow up appointment with an orthopaedist tomorrow. I expect that physical therapy will be in my future, but hopefully no permanent damage.