Well, actually, the soothing stick came from a company that my brother invested in. I was just down at his place and cleaned out his last stash, as the company bellied up. It's just a big chapstick kind of thing that is primarily made of coconut oil. It's also got some palm oil, castor oil, and beeswax in it. I think the beeswax stabilizes it into the stick form - and that makes it easy for me to take it in my bag without leaking oils everywhere. However, if you are using coconut oil, that should have the same effect. The Vitamin E oils is a 4 oz. bottle from Trader Joe's. You can probably get that at any heath food store or where vitamins are sold.
I am also taking 2 Aleves every 12 hours - my doctor had me on Celebrex for the first 4 weeks, and then we discussed it and agreed I would go back to taking Aleve (which I took up to the week before surgery).
At 9 weeks out, I feel like I have entered a different phase of recovery - and it's not necessarily a better phase. It's the long, slow, slog now. My ROM changes minimally (if at all) from week to week. I am sore after exercise, but I'm sore anyway if don't keep taking the drugs - I'm taking up to 4Tramadol pills a day with the Aleve, and then Percocet for the days I have PT.
My next follow up with my doctor is Tuesday - and he brought up MUA 4 weeks ago. He wants to see "significant" improvement on the right by next Tuesday. I have moved the needle about 15 degrees in ROM in 4 weeks, but that is assisted. I can't comprehend taking a backward step in soreness, etc., by having to go through the MUA. Additionally (and I know this sounds ridiculous), I don't have time to fit it in. I am back at work and in grad school and I can't take any more days out between now and December without dropping some balls. But then, I think, my recovery has got to be the most important thing, right?
So, it all adds up to being more difficult now than it was a few weeks ago when all I had to do was rest, ice, and heal.