quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
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What brand? Surgery is friday and I can have it here Friday. I've looked a lot of them from low price to very expensive.

Breg because it uses a pump. https://www.breg.com/products/.../polar-care-glacier/

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Originally posted by triggertreat:

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
]
What brand? Surgery is friday and I can have it here Friday. I've looked a lot of them from low price to very expensive.

Breg because it uses a pump. https://www.breg.com/products/.../polar-care-glacier/

Thank you for replying. Ortho's office just called for pre-everything. They will be dropping one off for me to use for duration of recovery, and insurance is paying.

I had one of those recirculating ice water machines after my knee surgery. It was hugely helpful. (I don't recall the brand.)

Like you, my insurance covered it. I was able to keep mine for a couple weeks after surgery, so it not only helped with the post-surgery pain and swelling, but also with the soreness from the initial PT sessions.

Good luck!

My labrum repair was years ago, took about 5 months to get back to 100%.
The PT sucked because it’s not like a knee replacement that you can flog if you can stand the pain.
Some of the muscles you’re working have sections that are the size of your thumb and don’t like abuse. Just do what your therapist says and you’ll be fine. Seems to take forever but the outcome is worth it.
My shoulder would be ok then flare up feeling like there was a red hot piece of iron inside. Not very conducive to sleep, work or life enjoyment.
Good luck!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Thank you for replying. Ortho's office just called for pre-everything. They will be dropping one off for me to use for duration of recovery, and insurance is paying.

You are welcome.Remember to do what they say when they say.They know what they are doing.More isnt better and may actually hurt your chance for full recovery..Above all be patient.Good luck.

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Originally posted by Gustofer:
The surgery itself will be a piece of cake. Post-op? Not so much.

After destroying my shoulder some years ago, I was advised by my orthopedist that the rule of thumb is six months to be pain free and one year to get to your new normal. And he was pretty much right on the money with me.

Shoulders suck.

This was my experience too.

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Originally posted by Prefontaine:

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Originally posted by limblessbiff:

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Originally posted by PD:
If your ortho doc is using the latest techniques the procedure won’t be anything like it was even a few years ago. Forget the scare stories. My shoulder was as bad as it gets. Doc recommended a replacement, which I declined. The PT may suck for those who never worked out in the first place but for someone who is healthy and in shape it’s no big deal. However, I do think you are a bit over optimistic if you think you’ll do two procedures in twelve months.

Ortho docs are still generous with the opiates. You’ll need them. And the trend now is for the ice machine - the miracle icing device you see in football and baseball. Good luck!

That ice machine is a miracle, I ran that thing damn near 24/7 for the first couple weeks and it really helped a lot. I think it woulda been much worse without it

What brand? Surgery is friday and I can have it here Friday. I've looked a lot of them from low price to very expensive.

I’m not sure what brand it is but it’s blue with a white lid. It’s just what they gave me and I got to keep it but it’s somewhere buried in my basement.
Better practice wiping your ass with the wrong hand because you’re gonna be doing that for a couple months. That was one of the worst things for me, also bring a button up shirt for the day of your surgery, it’s a bitch putting on a tee shirt until you get the hang of it

I dislocated my left shoulder back in the late 70's as a result of a tractor roll over accident.

They reset it but that didn't hold and I had surgery about a year later. It was nothing like surgery today. My scar was about eight inches long and I was in a sling for over a month. I went back to work after a week and did some PT but I really can't say that it helped all that much. It was over a year before I got full (almost) movement out of that shoulder.

Good luck with yours.

First day in the books. The nurses cackling like hens this morning was more annoying than surgery.

In a lot of pain but meds taking care of most.

Thanks gents.

Thanks for the update.Remember to do as your told!

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Originally posted by 9mm_shooter:
Labral tears usually don't heal well without surgery. I lived with it for over 20 years until my should was unstable to the point where it would fall out of the glenoid socket at just picking up a bag of groceries.

I had my labral tear repair surgery over here in Orlando in March of 2018. Dr Travis B Vandyke did it at Orlando Orthopedic Center. I had a very quick recovery (despite my being 52), and was good about going to almost all of my follow up PT sessions. It hurt, but not so much that I had to take narcotics. I may have taken one or two the first couple of days. I have almost complete mobility in it, but most of all, it is stable.

This was just about the same as my experience. I had both shoulders done, one year apart. The surgery was not that bad and like someone else mentioned, I never used the pain meds....only ibuprofen. And the recovery was much quicker than I expected. My doc sent me home in a sling but said I could take it off after I got home. His only stipulation was that I didn't lift the arm. It was perfectly fine to walk and swing it normally....just don't lift it away from my body. PT wasn't that bad for me either. At the time I was dating a PT and that helped a lot. That was ~6/7 years ago and today I'm pretty much back to normal and can do most anything. I don't do pull ups, but almost any other full range of exercise. I'm 60 now.

Good luck and hope it goes well for you.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
First day in the books. The nurses cackling like hens this morning was more annoying than surgery.

In a lot of pain but meds taking care of most.

Thanks gents.

They kept you overnight for a shoulder?

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Originally posted by Gustofer:

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Originally posted by Prefontaine:
First day in the books. The nurses cackling like hens this morning was more annoying than surgery.

In a lot of pain but meds taking care of most.

Thanks gents.

They kept you overnight for a shoulder?

Oh hell no. My ortho is DA MAN here, top shelf. He also did stem cell injection to both shoulders while under.

He uses this one surgical hospital. That’s all the place does. He didn’t like the other hospital where we did my wrist after a nasty wrist break on track on motorcycle. They made him take call to work out of there and he is too baller for taking call.

So the surgical hospital, check in at 7:30 and I didn’t go into surgery almost until 10am. So I was in the bed for 1:45 listening the nurses cackle. Some Arabic man came in next to me and demanded his wife come in and “help me”. The wife brought n a baby in a stroller and it was hollering to holy hell. It was a Friday so the nurses between having to do anything were cackling and cackling and cackling. From check in the only people who had any bedside manners and were cordial was the nurse I dealt with coming out of anesthesia and my ortho. Well I must mention the lady who did the IV. Tatted up but she did a decent insertion. I loathe needles more than I can type in words. She did a decent insertion, 7/10. Some of them are fucking hacks will hurt your ass.

They knock you out so I was in surgery somewhere around 10am to 10:15am. Surgery and stem cell injections took one hour then an hour for me to come back to life. So I came to around 11:30am and left at 12:30pm. That place was a got damn puppy mill or assembly line. Reminded me of the Matrix, the quote about liquefying the dead intravenously to feed the living and the horrifying precision of it all. I just had real piss poor assembly line people. I trust my ortho and I don’t trust anybody so it was worth it.

I took that pain killer (oxycodone) all Friday and Saturday. I did not like how it feels at all. I do not understand how that drug is an epidemic because I fucking hate it. Hate how it makes me feel. Makes my thought process very very foggy, makes me irritable as fuck, and of course stops your digestive system from working properly. I skipped my first dose this morning and gonna try to go without it.

I could feel and slightly wiggle my fingers right after surgery. I went home, set up a make shift up right bed on the living room furniture. Took a nap. Woke up 3 hours later and my fingers and hand were completely numb. Couldn’t move anything. I could have taken a knife and cut myself and wouldn’t feel it. Panicked me a bit but decided that it must be the nerve block. Next day, Saturday, starting come back to life, can use my right hand now. Been mashing the ball on and off all day long.

Needing the forum member’s experience on this since I’m doing this solo is why I type all this. Let’s get to the bad part....
Haven’t taken the sling off yet as I’m pretty worried about being able to get it back on by myself. Been wiping my entire body down with those Kleenex wipes twice a day, especially underarms and sorry, my balls and genital area. But also from the bottom of my feet up. Everything I can reach one handed.

Yup, constipation is accurate. Been taking a strong stool softener once a day. They recommend just once a day. Working but it’s minimal on the throne. Once a day and quick. Great thing is not messy at all. Man that’s been a relief. Was definitely concerned about going to the left for the wipe and missing. Thankfully all good so far.

Should I try removing the sling today, taking a half bath because I want to change clothes bad, and shave. I’ve watched some videos. Stand up, lean forward, keep the arm dropped completely, zombie walking style, to change a shirt. I just haven’t seen what to do with the arm so I can bathe.

All good. Bath, shave, feel 100% better after stopping prescription pain meds. Feel like a different person. Fuck that oxy man. I don’t get the folks getting addicted to that stuff. Made me feel like shit. Shoulder is painful but I’d rather deal with the pain than be on that oxycodone bullshit.

Fear is the unknown. Was able to take the sling on and off, and get an oversized t-shirt on. Did some mild PT. Hunch over forwards, let the arm dangle and shift your weight back and forth with your legs and do small circles. Think I am good now boys. Maybe I’m too optimistic but I think this will go quick(er). Been squeezing the ball like a mofo and can hold a cup of coffee in it already. Ready for PT.

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Originally posted by Prefontaine:
feel 100% better after stopping prescription pain meds. Feel like a different person. Fuck that oxy man. I don’t get the folks getting addicted to that stuff. Made me feel like shit. Shoulder is painful but I’d rather deal with the pain than be on that oxycodone bullshit.

Word. I don't tolerate opiates well. Found that out when I was 12 years old and had my appendix surgically removed. Hated the fuzzy mental state, constipation, mood swings, and borderline hallucinations.

When I had my knee surgery ~10 years ago, I explained to my doc that I didn't want any serious painkillers, since I'd rather deal with some pain than the mental/physical side effects of the pills.

He prescribed me a few Tramadol just in case it got too bad, and we worked out the maximum short-term safe dose of Ibuprofen. I never needed to resort to the Tramadol, and just dealt with it using several bottles of Advil, a recirculating ice machine, and gritting my teeth. Luckily, the only truly bad pain was in the first day.

Did the same with a few broken toes over the years too. Ibuprofen, ice, and suck it up.

The oxy was so bad today, just coming off it. Last dose was 3am or so. Today very edgy just getting off it, like withdrawal. That shit is going in the trash.

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The oxy was so bad today, just coming off it. Last dose was 3am or so. Today very edgy just getting off it, like withdrawal. That shit is going in the trash.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
There are quite a few folks who have reactions to Oxycodone. There are plenty of other alternatives if there is a next time.

Will definitely go to ibuprofen or something else.

Sleep has been the biggest challenge. So hard to get comfortable on the couch or in a recliner. Damn sling. Will update once I've done some PT.

One month 10 days post op. Full range of motion almost back, probably 85% of motion back. I can use shoulder/arm and touch my back overhead. Some pain day to day but it’s very light. Started PT last week on Monday the 8th. Was told I was way ahead of the game by PT Dr. and staff. They said that was due to being in excellent shape with muscle prior. Just reinforced me always staying in shape and lifting. Strength is definitely going to take time to come back. Starting back at the gym tomorrow night doing legs and cardio. They cleared me today to do light bicep and tricep work. Excited to get back in the gym and start working out again. Had enough of this sitting around bullshit. Making sure to get 6 small meals a day in with 30 grams or more of protein so close to 200 grams of protein a day. Drinking massive amounts of water since op. Probably 4-5 liters a day. Turmeric and Glucosimine religiously. At this rate if I had to do surgery on the other shoulder I could have surgery in 2 months.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
First day in the books. The nurses cackling like hens this morning was more annoying than surgery.

In a lot of pain but meds taking care of most.

Thanks gents.

Reminds me of my knee surgery. I was the very first one at 0530 on a Monday. Pre surgery everyone came in and verified it was my right knee they were going to operate on, so they put marker marks up and down my right leg. So in Recovery, I hear the two nurses gripping about the coffee not working for them that morning. They see me stirring, come over fluff the pillow, give me something to drink and ask how I am feeling. So I replied "I feel a bit woozy. Hey why is my knee propped up, they were suppose to operate on my left knee." The looks on their faces for about 15 seconds.......I thought they both were going to hyperventilate and pass out. So I told them I was joking. One nurse said, "You asshole!!!!!!!" I replied "Yeah but now you are awake." They told everyone in the hospital what I did.

Take your pain meds as directed. Follow your PT schedule, don't overdo it or you will set yourself back weeks if not months. I had a bad right (my strong side) shoulder injury when I was an Air Force Security Police and it took a year before it was back to near normal. During that year, I qualified and carried left handed. Only reason I was able to do that is before I went in, I had a Kenpo Instructor who insisted our weak side wasn't and it was as good as our strong side techniques.