Rotatory Cuff and Cyst Surgery

[pc farmer]

breg polar care is the brand my dad has. He bought it through the Dr office. Search on Google. They come up.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Looks like Im having rotator cuff surgery end of this month, apparently I have a couple bone spurs chewing up my rotator cuff and have a cyst that has formed in some ruptured cartiledge in the same shoulder.

Those that may have gone thru it A) how long before you could start doing anything and B) how lobg was your total recovery.

Surgery is scheduled the Friday before Tgiving, will I be any help to my wife that week?

Not going to claim to be an expert, but I've had 4 rotator cuff repairs, 1 on my left and 3 on my right. Mine were all tears from falls. First one was from a fall snow skiing, second was chasing a dog, third and fourth were from falling out my boat (long story on both). I know, I need to quit falling. One thing I have learned is to slow down. If I climb on something, I climb off of it. Anyway, the first time I was going to be a macho man and not take the pain meds, ask me how that worked out. My advice, TAKE the pain meds from the start.

The rehab was 12 weeks each time and it sucks, but do exactly what they tell you and don't try to cut it short, you'll pay the price in the long run if you do.

Today my shoulders hurt most of the time. Not terrible pain, just annoying. I can not side load my shoulders at all. In other words, think of holding your elbow to your side with your hand out in front parallel to the ground. Rotate at the elbow left and right. I have no strength in those directions at all and it's painful.

Next movement I can't do anymore is lifting out in front of me. I can't pick up much weight at all trying to lift with my shoulder out front. Think of reaching in a truck bed and picking up a bag of groceries over the side. I can't do that if it weighs much over 5 lbs. As long as I keep things close to my body and low, I'm mostly ok lifting. Get it out away from my body or at shoulder height and I'm screwed.

I sleep on my side and favor sleeping on my right. I'll sleep until the pain wakes me up, roll over on my left and repeat...several times each night.

Not trying to scare you and what you're dealing with may be different than a tear, but the PT is critical. Do it as they prescribe. The most difficult movement to get back is reaching behind up the small of your back or higher towards your shoulder blades. Can take up to a year to get that back. I can tuck my shirt in, but that's about it.

As for time, after about 6 weeks I was able to do some stuff, but limited on the weight I could handle. My last surgery was 2 years ago and I'm still limited, but I just accept it and deal with it. Probably need another on my left now again from falling...you guessed it, out my boat, but I'll just deal with it.

If you have any questions, shoot me a PM. I'll be glad to discuss what I've been through and where I am now...

 

[nomoreusmc]

I second the recliner, get a bunch of pillows of different thickness and a towel to fold up so you can get comfortable. Take some stool softeners with your pain pills. Nothing worse than being in pain and not being able to poop. Trust me on this one. Have help on the shower, and take it as easy as humanly possible. Take as much time as you can to recover and follow the physical therapist advice even though it's going to hurt like hell sometimes. Don't plan on doing anything above nipple level for 6 months. And good luck. Feel free to PM me. Been thru it a few times

 

[Kevin DeShazo]

Thanks for the advice guys, Im trying to be optimistic when I can return to work but I don't foresee my timeline lining up with everyone is saying. Guess Ill have to get used to watching tv till the about the beginning of they year.

 

[mike243]

I had surgery in April, a small tear in the RC and bone spurs, when he got in there he decided the tear would heal on its own, ground down the spurs and inflamed stuff, said it would take a year before it felt 100 %, I am a lot better now but strength hasn't returned yet. On a ckup after 6 weeks I was told by his male nurse I could have stopped using the fancy sling the next day as they didn't do anything I could tear up , so started doing more and tweaked it, backslid a little but can shoot enough to deer hunt next Saturday . They called in pain meds and took 2 days before they agreed to fill it, said it was over the limit but I promised to reduce my intake, took very few and none after 3 days I think it was, the water/ice cooler helped but I only used for a week or so., therapy helped till I seen no more progress and quit. my other shoulder has stopped hurting as I have been able to use my right arm now. Hopefully you will heal quickly with little pain.

 

[sandyut]

May not be exactly the same...but I had a shoulder impingement surgery a few decades ago that involved shaving off some shoulder blade that had grown in a hook and caught the tendon causing inflammation and pain. the shoulder was fairly unusable for about a week, then it got better fairly quick. there was no tendon repairs done. If they are not repairing the tendon, I would say its not bad. if they are...then likely like others have stated.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Thanks for the advice guys, Im trying to be optimistic when I can return to work but I don't foresee my timeline lining up with everyone is saying. Guess Ill have to get used to watching tv till the about the beginning of they year.

Remember, I'm not trying to scare you, just tell you what I went through 4 times. Advice that others have mentioned that I agree with are sleeping in a recliner for the 1st couple of weeks. It relieves tension on the shoulder. As I said, I'm a side sleeper, can't sleep on my back or stomach. I still sleep with a big pillow to lay my arm on for the same reason, it relieves tension on my shoulder. So when you do get back in the bed, get a big thick pillow.

Do the prescribed PT and eventually they'll have you doing some stretching at home. Don't skip it, that'll only delay you getting to where they want to to be. The therapist will take measurements of your range of motion along the way and can tell you how you're progressing.

The most "memorable" part of therapy for me was taking pegs out of a bucket and putting them in holes on a pad stuck to the wall. First few days I had the bucket in front. Then they had me hold the bucket behind my back and reach in to get the pegs. Whew, that was fun. Then after a few days of that, they move the pad up the wall so I had to reach higher...even more fun!

My 1st surgery was in 2006. I was chomping at the bit to get back to work and my normal routine and definitely rushed it the first go-round. I think I paid the price and am still paying that "bill" today 18 years later. Anyway, do as they say and you'll be fine just don't rush it...

 

[sawhorseray]

I HAD FULL REVERSE SHOULDER REPLACEMENT SURGERY ON MY LEFT SIDE A YEAR AGO, SAME DOC DID THE RIGHT SIDE FIVE MONTHS BACK, BOTH WERE BONE ON BONE. BOTH TIMES IT TOOK LIVING IN A THEATRE SEAT RECLINER FOR SIX WEEKS, NICE TO BE IN FRONT OF A TV BECAUSE THAT'S ALL ONE CAN DO, NOTHING. MY FIRST ON THE LEFT CAME OUT GREAT, RIGHT SIDE NOT SO GOOD. AFTER HAVING TWO SHOULDERS AND TWO HIPS REPLACED ALONG WITH A TRIPLE BYPASS I CAN TELL YOU THAT ANY AND EVERY TIME ONE GOES INTO SURGERY THERE'S JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING LEFT BEHIND IN THE OPERATION ROOM. THE IDEA IS TO GET RID OF PAIN AND PROLONG LIFE THO ONE NEVER COMES BACK AS STRONG, GOES WITH THE YEARS. DO ALL THE PT BUT DO NOT OVERDO, HAVE PATIENCE, YOU'LL NEED IT, GOOD LUCK. RAY

 

[Inscrutable]

I’ve had both done. Major tears/defects in both.

Get a really nice recliner, will be your home for a couple weeks. PT is no fun but stick with it, I cut mine short and don’t have quite the ROM I could have achieved.

If your right shoulder, practice a lot of things left-handed … ESPECIALLY your zipper … don’t ask how I know.

 

[Kevin DeShazo]

Gonna Smoke , not looking at it that you are trying to scare me, you are providing the information I need and I appreciate it. My wife told me Ill probably be down and out longer than I would like but Im being a bit optimistic and stubborn.

As for the PT, I plan on doing it as much as I can, plan on listening to what the Dr tells me as well as the PT whomever I end up working with post surgery.

Both my dad and my brother had RC surgery on their right shoulder, dad's turned out great, my brother, probably 15-20 yrs later he still has issues with it. He thinks they shortened the ligament a lil too much.

Plan on also getting some post surgery shoulder shirts designed so they have snaps at the seam vs stitching, so the shirt can be unbuttoned for ease of putting on and off.

My wife will be home the week following surgery to help out and the first pre-op is already scheduled for the beginning of Dec.

Think I have a couple books I put on my Bday list, so maybe Ill get those sooner than later. If so, Ill hold onto those until after surgery.

 

[Inscrutable]

Gonna Smoke ,
Think I have a couple books I put on my Bday list, so maybe Ill get those sooner than later. If so, Ill hold onto those until after surgery.

Had my first just before Thanksgiving, and got sucked into Hallmark Christmas movies for a while (having never watched any). At this point its like Rocky Horror Picture Show where I could predict all the lines and endings.

We also got a few huge shirts at goodwill to go over the sling for a while.

 

[sawhorseray]

If your right shoulder, practice a lot of things left-handed … ESPECIALLY your zipper … don’t ask how I know.

THERE ARE SOME PERSONAL HYGENE MATTERS THAT YOU'LL WANT TO BE WELL VERSED ON BEFORE THE SURGERY COMES UP, THINK TOILET TISSUE. RAY

 

[Kevin DeShazo]

THERE ARE SOME PERSONAL HYGENE MATTERS THAT YOU'LL WANT TO BE WELL VERSED ON BEFORE THE SURGERY COMES UP, THINK TOILET TISSUE. RAY

My mom mentioned that to me and knew thats where Inscrutable was going. My dad had the surgery 20+ yrs ago and when I was talking to her about my surgery, she mentioned get used to using my left hand for many things including bathroom stuff

 

[poacherjoe]

Don't procrastinate ! Do all of your PT and then some . That's the key to full recovery . Plus get on a regular workout program or joining a gym is a good idea also . Most guy's I know that decided to start overdoing things to soon have had nothing but problems . Listen to the PT therapist .

 

[chopsaw]

Get a 3 ' dowel rod . It helps with the home rehab . Use it to push the surgery shoulder above your head when the time comes .

 

[Fueling Around]

Well you and Inscrutable and sawhorseray beat me to it.
No shoulder surgery, but broke my left hand skiing around 35 years ago. I thought writing was my only issue to deal with (yes left handed) until that first trip to the loo. Luckily everything else was pretty easy as I'm mostly ambidextrous except for that personal preference on wiping.
I was so happy to be right handed with a computer mouse. (Yes, computers had a mouse 35 years ago.)

If you don't have a hand held shower attachment, get one.
A handrail clamped on the tub is a godsend to prevent slip and fall. Learned that after knee surgery.

If you don't have children or grandchildren get your meds without childproof caps or have them put the unlocked side down on those fancy dual caps. Other option is getting one of those pill containers for ... forgetful people. Get your wife to reload so they are a one hand option.

Eat something before taking most meds. They are tough on your stomach

This is advice from friends.

Set an alarm to awaken you at night or during the daily napping for the next round of pain (or any) meds so you keep a level dosing. Once you fall behind it is very hard to catch up.

...Take some stool softeners with your pain pills. Nothing worse than being in pain and not being able to poop. Trust me on this one. ...

Yes yes yes
I don't get stopped up by narcs, but I'm rarely on them long enough to deal with the sluggish bowl. Many friends have said that stool softeners are their best friend.

 

[MickVick]

I am six weeks post surgery and the "ice box" is a game changer!!! I had the bicep tendon and rotator cuff repaired on my left in 2018 with no ice box and it sucked. Doc said he had to be conservative, I had no PT for six weeks and was in a sling for ten. Had my right rotator cuff repaired and AC joint cleaned up on 10/3 and my first PT was on 10/5. Different doc and different protocols but this is so much better. It still sucks as PT hurts and range of motion is limited. The worst part was surgery early Thursday morning, around six that evening I started having shortness of breath and O2 saturation was only 82%. Wife drove me to the ED, doc said my right lung was "quiet". He said it was fairly common that the nerve block used will also partlially block the Phrenic Nerve which will affect the diaphram so the lung on the affected side will not function properly. Admitted over night and was home by noon the next day.

 

[Kevin DeShazo]

I am six weeks post surgery and the "ice box" is a game changer!!! I had the bicep tendon and rotator cuff repaired on my left in 2018 with no ice box and it sucked. Doc said he had to be conservative, I had no PT for six weeks and was in a sling for ten. Had my right rotator cuff repaired and AC joint cleaned up on 10/3 and my first PT was on 10/5. Different doc and different protocols but this is so much better. It still sucks as PT hurts and range of motion is limited. The worst part was surgery early Thursday morning, around six that evening I started having shortness of breath and O2 saturation was only 82%. Wife drove me to the ED, doc said my right lung was "quiet". He said it was fairly common that the nerve block used will also partlially block the Phrenic Nerve which will affect the diaphram so the lung on the affected side will not function properly. Admitted over night and was home by noon the next day.

Glad you are on the mend, Ill see how things go for me on Friday. I know my doctor mentioned he will not be using a nerve block during surgery. I didnt get an ice box but did get two ice packs designed for the shoulder, have them in the freezer now. Also have some post shoulder surgery shirts on order, should arrive tomorrow that just have snaps on the seams so I dont have to worry about fitting my arm into anything. Recliner is in place, be ready for football Saturday and Sunday :D

 

[pineywoods]

Good luck Kev I hope it all goes good and your rehab and recovery go smooth and as quick as possible

 

[Fueling Around]

Wishing the best for you.

...
I didnt get an ice box but did get two ice packs designed for the shoulder, have them in the freezer now. Also have some post shoulder surgery shirts on order, should arrive tomorrow that just have snaps on the seams so I dont have to worry about fitting my arm into anything. Recliner is in place, be ready for football Saturday and Sunday :D

Be careful of frostbite (burns) using frozen packs.
I had to garbage bag wrap my casted hand (forearm) and plunge into a kitchen garbage can filled with ice a few times due to stupidity and get the swelling down. Luckily, I could jam the can into the couch cushions to prevent the melt water from spilling and get a decent night sleep. My exposed thumb and fingers got a touch of frost burn until I learned to wrap them in a hand towel (ok pun intended) to insulate from direct ice contact.