Hi Helen! I helped my sister move yesterday & while I had the truck rented, my brother-in-law & I picked up 22 sheets of 4'x12'x1/2" sheetrock, 2 62 lb buckets of drywall mud, etc. A couple of different moves really didn't feel so good to my left arm, but you adjust. Same feeling, soreness & pulling, feels tight. You know, it's funny, I remember 6 months ago, I couldn't lift my right arm over my head to rinse the soap out of my arm pit in the shower because of right neck dissection! Did you have flap from left arm, same side as dissection? That would be tough for sure! Erik