A Day at the Outpatient Clinic Full of Questions - Yet It Felt Like I Took One Step Forward - July 16, 2026 (Thu) Reiwa8

## Introduction

Today, I had a follow-up appointment at the orthopedic department of the Japanese Red Cross Hospital.

My original appointment was scheduled for next week, but the side effects of my pain medication had become so severe that I called the hospital and was able to move my appointment forward by one week.

I was so nervous about leaving early in the morning that I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and could not fall back asleep.

## Struggling with My Pain Medication

After my surgery, I was prescribed Tracet Combination Tablets for pain relief.

Although the medication helped with the pain, the side effects were simply too strong for me.

During the day, I felt extremely sleepy and exhausted, and I also suffered from severe constipation.

Even after changing my routine and taking the medicine only at night, I sometimes woke up in the middle of the night because of shoulder pain.

I finally realized,

"This medication is not right for me."

The night before my appointment, I reviewed my ten-year diary and summarized only the important points in large letters on my iPad so my doctor could quickly understand what I had been experiencing.

## One Sentence After Looking at the X-rays

Before seeing the doctor, I had several X-rays taken.

After reading my notes and examining the X-rays, the doctor simply said,

"Let's stop Tracet."

Instead, he prescribed Loxonin.

To be honest, I wondered whether such a common pain reliever would really be enough.

## Words I Never Expected to Hear

The biggest surprise came next.

"You no longer need the arm sling or the chest band."

I had fractured my shoulder on June 18.

My surgery was performed on June 25.

Today, it had been only two weeks since the operation.

My shoulder was still painful, and I still could not move my arm normally.

I never imagined that all of the support devices would be removed and that rehabilitation would begin this early.

The doctor asked me to move my arm in several directions, checked my range of motion, and then said simply,

"Now it's time for rehabilitation."

He showed me a few basic exercises, and the appointment was over surprisingly quickly.

I was filled with surprise and uncertainty.

But in the doctor's mind, he had probably already determined that it was time to move on to the next stage of recovery.

## Doctors and Patients See Different Worlds

My doctor is about forty years younger than I am, and about ten years younger than my son.

Perhaps because of that, I sometimes find myself listening to him with the same feeling I might have when watching over one of my own children.

During the appointment, we even shared a brief, lighthearted conversation about a T-shirt he liked to wear.

I'm sure the treatment plan was perfectly clear in his mind as he looked at my X-rays.

But sometimes, patients simply cannot keep up with what doctors already know.

More than once today, I found myself thinking,

"Really?"

What is completely routine for a doctor may be a patient's very first experience.

The world of medicine is truly profound.

## Finding Reassurance Back at Eden

After returning to Matsuyama Eden no Sono, I told the rehabilitation therapist about my appointment.

He kindly prepared a rehabilitation program designed specifically for me using my own exercise stick and even gave me illustrated instructions.

"Let's start with these."

Those simple words helped me relax.

The hospital determines the medical treatment.

Eden teaches me how to continue that treatment in everyday life.

I realized that I need both in order to recover.

## Closing Thoughts

Today was a very unusual day.

During the appointment, there were many moments when I honestly had no idea what was happening.

But looking back now, I can see that today marked a turning point.

My medication changed.

My support devices were removed.

My rehabilitation began.

I truly took one step forward.

Once I returned home and the tension disappeared, overwhelming sleepiness finally caught up with me.

For now, I think I will get some rest.

Tomorrow, I will begin taking the next step in my recovery.

#Fracture #Rehabilitation #JapaneseRedCrossHospital #Orthopedics #Loxonin #Tracet #MatsuyamaEdenNoSono #LearningAt68 #DailyLife