Being forewarned about the slowness of shoulder surgery recovery and actually experiencing it, are two entirely different matters. Prior to surgery, any council I received about pain or slowness of recovery was tempered by comparison to other injuries or surgeries. Sure there would be pain, and yes, recovery would take time, but 6-8 months? No way. Well, 6-8 months seems a bit optimistic right now. I had a followup appointment with my surgeon last week and was expecting to hear that everything was progressing normally. Well, that’s not what I heard. The doctor raised my arm, looked at me matter-of-factly, and then proceeded to tell me that I needed to take a week off from therapy and begin a course of steroids. That’s not what I wanted to hear. What I wanted to hear was that I was making a miraculous recovery, that my healing was ahead of schedule, and that I’d have full use of my arm again within weeks rather than months. Unfortunately, that ‘s not the case. So, I’ll slow the pace, readjust my expectations, and accept the fact that I’ve still got a ways to go. That’s OK. Things could always be worse.