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Gold Member
Tuesday my doc told me my right shoulder joint is "worn out". He said there is no cartilege left. He showed me a huge bone spur on the x-ray, and pointed out what he called soft spots caused by arthritis on the ball part of the joint. He pointed out that there is no gap between the ball and the socket, indicating that there is no cartilege there.
He said anti-inflamatory drugs wouldn't help (I had already discovered that for myself), exercises and pt wouldn't help, and cortisone injections would not help. He basically said that my only options are to live with the pain and loss of motion, or have the joint replacement surgery. He described my shoulder joint as "two rocks rubbing together". I will have an MRI next week to determine the extent of soft-tissue deterioation, I guess.
My understanding of the surgery is that he will saw off the ball part of the joint at the top of the humerus, "ream out" the soft bone tissue at the top of the humerus, insert a long metal stem into the bone, and attach a new metal ball to the metal stem, which is cemented into the bone.
The socket will be cleaned up by some kind of glorified Dremel tool, holes drilled into the socket, glue squirted into the holes, and a new plastic socket installed with pegs glued into the holes to hold it in place.
OUCH.
He said recovery time is four to six months. I just had to give up nearly a year to back surgery in 2006. When you get my age, you become very aware of any time lost to something like this.
The pain has been there for several years (I first dislocated the shoulder forty years ago), but it has reached the point where it never lets up. I can't find a comfortable sleeping position. I walk around with my right hand in my pocket to keep it from swinging when I walk, and I can't shake hands with my right hand.
I guess I just need to be thankful that there is an option other than just living with the pain. The trouble is that I have a six-month-old Llewellin Setter pup to train, five acres I want to get ready for a plum orchard, and a bunch of privet, kudzu, briars, and other invasives to spray, mow, plow, and otherwise dispose of. I finally got in a good dove plot that should draw a lot of birds for a Thanksgiving or Christmas Day shoot, but I can't get a shotgun to my shoulder, much less shoot with any accuracy.
Oh well. As they say, Man proposes, God disposes.
He said anti-inflamatory drugs wouldn't help (I had already discovered that for myself), exercises and pt wouldn't help, and cortisone injections would not help. He basically said that my only options are to live with the pain and loss of motion, or have the joint replacement surgery. He described my shoulder joint as "two rocks rubbing together". I will have an MRI next week to determine the extent of soft-tissue deterioation, I guess.
My understanding of the surgery is that he will saw off the ball part of the joint at the top of the humerus, "ream out" the soft bone tissue at the top of the humerus, insert a long metal stem into the bone, and attach a new metal ball to the metal stem, which is cemented into the bone.
The socket will be cleaned up by some kind of glorified Dremel tool, holes drilled into the socket, glue squirted into the holes, and a new plastic socket installed with pegs glued into the holes to hold it in place.
OUCH.
He said recovery time is four to six months. I just had to give up nearly a year to back surgery in 2006. When you get my age, you become very aware of any time lost to something like this.
The pain has been there for several years (I first dislocated the shoulder forty years ago), but it has reached the point where it never lets up. I can't find a comfortable sleeping position. I walk around with my right hand in my pocket to keep it from swinging when I walk, and I can't shake hands with my right hand.
I guess I just need to be thankful that there is an option other than just living with the pain. The trouble is that I have a six-month-old Llewellin Setter pup to train, five acres I want to get ready for a plum orchard, and a bunch of privet, kudzu, briars, and other invasives to spray, mow, plow, and otherwise dispose of. I finally got in a good dove plot that should draw a lot of birds for a Thanksgiving or Christmas Day shoot, but I can't get a shotgun to my shoulder, much less shoot with any accuracy.
Oh well. As they say, Man proposes, God disposes.