Shoulder surgery, how long in this XXXX sling?

[wroughtn_harv]

Harvey, you must still be getting swelling when you move it that is why the ice and the pain. Some things cannot be rushed and require time to heal properly. Slow down. :thumbsup:

Easy for you to say. Things are happening here and in Haiti and I feel like the one legged cat covering stuff in the twelve cat litter box.

The pain is a constant. Every now and then it will spike and get my attention big time. But every day there are new victories. Today I scrubbed my right armpit with my left hand, scrubbed it. I don't think I've been able to do that since the injury.

I accept the pain as the price for getting better. I was talking to a friend to day that just had the shoulder joints machined to get rid of the bone spurs etc. He said the difference was huge. They did that while they were in there reattaching the tendons. I can't wait for the new shoulder for sure now.

Bird, we have the ice machine. It is amazing, fill it with ice and water and attach the pad to the place you want to ice. Plug it in and you have ice water circulating through the pad, good stuff.

 

[Bird]

Bird, we have the ice machine. It is amazing, fill it with ice and water and attach the pad to the place you want to ice. Plug it in and you have ice water circulating through the pad, good stuff.

You're really going big time with the ice. I never thought about you having that. The only time I've had anything like that was in the hospital when I had the knee replaced.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

You're really going big time with the ice. I never thought about you having that. The only time I've had anything like that was in the hospital when I had the knee replaced.

The doc said the icing would cut the need for the pain meds by at least 25%. I was really worried about that because I don't take anything unless I absolutely totally without question have to.

Right now my shoulder is throbbing. It's had a rough day. We will ice it down later. I will probably take a generic tylenol to cut the edge so I can be comfortable enough to sleep.

It looks like I will be in Haiti in two and half weeks. There will be no ice for the shoulder and it had better be well enough to carry on through long days. The pain now will mean an easier time then.

 

[Tollster]

How long for recovery?

This is the over view,anyone with the same issues?
I tooka shot when my dog chopped my legs out from the back when chipping ice last spring. I caught myself very well asmy forarm match the angle of the ground on the concrete, did not think much of it andactually i was rather impressed that i could still take a fall at 47.

Well as luck would have it, it started to hurt in the shoulder area about 2 months later. I recieved some sort of shot from the bone doctorand it seemed to help..for about 3 months, then it came back, got another shot, and that wore off in 2 weeks.

I have trouble lifting anything up and away from my body, pulling my belt though the loops on my britches, and adjusting my pillow overhead. It wakes me up in the night from time to time as well,and the sleeve issue as well.

I had an MRI last week of the should and reviewed the findings last week as well. It showed a spur on the end of my collar bone, when I fell the spur cut a tendon 50% thruwall, there is also some fluid under the two bones, but on top of the rotator cuff.
The doc has me scheduled for 5/11, out patient surgery. Sounds like he is going to chamfer the bone wit a dremal tool of some sort, then remove any scar tissue on the tendon,promoting it the attach itself..more or less.
He said its common in young anthetesand older people, lay up time will be 4-6 weeks, sling time 2 weeks....with 4 weeks of rehab.Ihad to schedule it late cause i am returning to work after being off since november, then I will be laid off in may..so thats the time line for me..

The scientific name for it is:
Subacromial decompression/clavicle resection.

If I do not get it fixed it could sever the tendon and lead to rotator cuff failure..

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXtF7FbIy5c]Subacromial Decompression & Distal Clavicle Resection - YouTube[/ame]

I think I am gonna be very grumpy when I wake up after surgery!

 

[rsewill]

Any thoughts?

I'll again pitch going for a walk. All around good for you. Let your arm swing naturally. Two or three miles four or five days a week.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

How long for recovery?

This is the over view,anyone with the same issues?
I tooka shot when my dog chopped my legs out from the back when chipping ice last spring. I caught myself very well asmy forarm match the angle of the ground on the concrete, did not think much of it andactually i was rather impressed that i could still take a fall at 47.

Well as luck would have it, it started to hurt in the shoulder area about 2 months later. I recieved some sort of shot from the bone doctorand it seemed to help..for about 3 months, then it came back, got another shot, and that wore off in 2 weeks.

I have trouble lifting anything up and away from my body, pulling my belt though the loops on my britches, and adjusting my pillow overhead. It wakes me up in the night from time to time as well,and the sleeve issue as well.

I had an MRI last week of the should and reviewed the findings last week as well. It showed a spur on the end of my collar bone, when I fell the spur cut a tendon 50% thruwall, there is also some fluid under the two bones, but on top of the rotator cuff.
The doc has me scheduled for 5/11, out patient surgery. Sounds like he is going to chamfer the bone wit a dremal tool of some sort, then remove any scar tissue on the tendon,promoting it the attach itself..more or less.
He said its common in young anthetesand older people, lay up time will be 4-6 weeks, sling time 2 weeks....with 4 weeks of rehab.Ihad to schedule it late cause i am returning to work after being off since november, then I will be laid off in may..so thats the time line for me..

The scientific name for it is:
Subacromial decompression/clavicle resection.

If I do not get it fixed it could sever the tendon and lead to rotator cuff failure..

Subacromial Decompression & Distal Clavicle Resection - YouTube

I think I am gonna be very grumpy when I wake up after surgery!

The photos they took before they started stapling things back together show that first photo with sections of what I would call gristle missing where the tendons ripped loose.

The first couple of days went by pretty much in a blur because my wife kept me iced down and I took the drugs. I was operated on a Tuesday, four hour out patient surgery and visited the doc on Friday. I got sick in the exam room, just very nauseous and weak. I suspect some of that was because when they ripped off the bandages the wounds and the bandages were a bloody mess. The combination of the pain and the mess pretty much put me over the edge. I sissified out, not passed out, but it was as close to a faint as I've ever had I do believe.

A bud of mine told me the other day that after he had the bone spurs removed from his shoulder he felt so good after recovery that he wanted to have it done to every joint in his body.

I'm off to rehab in a couple of hours. I don't look forward to it because I've been working the shoulder. Then this morning I stretched when I first woke up and it was a stretch that I shouldn't have done. For the first couple of minutes afterwards I was thinking I was going to wuss out on the rehab today. That would have meant them winning and we ain't going to let that happen, at least today.

It looks like right now I'm leaving for Haiti the 29th. That means I will be two visits short of full rehab. I will be wearing a sling through the airport and for a couple of days in Haiti. The last thing I want is a man hug or a shoulder punch at this point.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I'll again pitch going for a walk. All around good for you. Let your arm swing naturally. Two or three miles four or five days a week.

Since I've been out of the sling walking has been a lot more fun. Like you said, the natural swing motion helps a lot.

Yesterday as we were pushing it a bit I pointed out to my wife a flat on a neighbor's car. She looked, tripped and went down. She's only 68 but anytime an older person goes down your heart stops. We finished the walk but she has a sore hand and knee this morning. We are laughing about an old couple all bummed up to the point of making only half of a young person together.

 

[gilbertmsg]

I have not looked at this thread since I first posted a few weeks ago. Recovery has not went well. On 1 Jan 12, I was having little to no pain and went out and hooked a couple hydraulic lines on my tractor. Bad mistake, shoulder hurting since that day. Went back to surgeon a couple times and one day of physical therpy. Was in surgeons office yesterday and they think I have reinjured the good work that was performed. Have another appointment next Thursday that will probably end up with MRI and possible second repair. I really feel bad that everything was going so good and I screwed it up. Back on pain meds and ice for 20 min every 2 hours. Sunday will be 6 weeks since I reinjured and have been in constant pain since. Even the medication does not completly hide what I tore up. Did I say I hate what I did.

I will keep you guys posted how to stay out of pain with this type of surgery.

Eddie

 

[txdon]

Eddie thanks for posting. I know it is hard after a re-injury. Healing takes time and I think it is every ones tendency to rush it.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I have not looked at this thread since I first posted a few weeks ago. Recovery has not went well. On 1 Jan 12, I was having little to no pain and went out and hooked a couple hydraulic lines on my tractor. Bad mistake, shoulder hurting since that day. Went back to surgeon a couple times and one day of physical therpy. Was in surgeons office yesterday and they think I have reinjured the good work that was performed. Have another appointment next Thursday that will probably end up with MRI and possible second repair. I really feel bad that everything was going so good and I screwed it up. Back on pain meds and ice for 20 min every 2 hours. Sunday will be 6 weeks since I reinjured and have been in constant pain since. Even the medication does not completly hide what I tore up. Did I say I hate what I did.

I will keep you guys posted how to stay out of pain with this type of surgery.

Eddie

That sux something fierce.

End of July I broke three fingers going into my knuckles of my right hand. It's healed up fine except for the problem with the tendons and muscles not getting back to where they were before. I have the same issues now with my left hand, the same pain when I work to get the tendons and muscles to stretch back to where they once were. My right hand I understand. My left hand not so much. I have two of those squeeze balls they give you and I've worked the heck out of them. I have to believe that they don't offer the resistance required to keep the tendons and muscles stretched out.

The pain in my shoulder is a lot like the pain in my hands. Tendons and muscles have shrunk back because of inactivity and it hurts like heck to get them back to where they were supposed to be. It's part and parcel of the healing process.

There is only three things I fear at this point, falling, catching something I shouldn't just out of reflexes, and worst of all, good ole boy hug or shoulder punch.

I don't worry about overworking the shoulder now because the pain is my friend. It's not going to allow it.