What Looking Back on My Medical History Taught MeーJune 21, 2026 (Sunday)Reiwa8

When I look back, I have been through quite a few illnesses and surgeries.

Facial nerve paralysis, vocal cord polyps, surgery for vocal cord nodules, and stomach cancer.

Because of that, this shoulder fracture and the upcoming surgery do not feel entirely unfamiliar.

I have signed many consent forms before. I have listened to explanations of risks and complications. Of course, I feel anxious, but there is also a sense of, “Here we go again.”

What feels different this time is not the surgery itself.

It is the fact that I cannot move as I normally do.

With my previous health problems, whether they involved my face, throat, or stomach, I could still walk around and manage daily life.

And I was working.

There was little time to stop and think.

When I had surgery for vocal cord nodules, I was told not to speak for a month.

I knew that if I stayed in Japan, I would hear that people needed help at work and end up talking anyway.

So I went to Canada.

It was not because I wanted to travel.

It was because that was the only way I could truly rest my voice.

This time is different.

I am retired.

I have time.

My left arm does not work properly.

I have been told not to swim for three months.

Things I took for granted are suddenly difficult or impossible.

Perhaps that is why I keep writing notes every day.

Part of me wants to keep a record.

But more than that, I think I am trying to organize my thoughts.

By nature, I tend to imagine the worst.

Writing helps me step back and see things more objectively.

When I share my notes, people respond.

Some say, “I went through something similar.”

Others say, “Your words encouraged me.”

Those responses help me keep moving forward instead of sinking into discouragement.

This fracture has taught me more than the inconvenience of living with one arm.

It has taught me how to live with time, how to pause, and how to reflect.

Perhaps that is the lesson I am learning right now.

#FractureDiary
#UpperArmFracture
#BeforeSurgery
#HospitalPreparation
#LivingWithIllness
#LifeAfterRetirement
#WhyIWrite
#RecoveryJourney