Hang in there!

Atta boy, keep on truckin lol

Yeah, I remember that first shower was heavenly! You'll get used to sleeping sitting up. : )

Donna

Glad you are seeing progress!

Good to hear things are coming along.

Riley and I can attest that the recliner is the way to go. :-) If I wasn't in it, he was!

Chispa, nine months?! Egad. I'm getting close to three months; still quite a bit of soreness and pretty restricted movement. I hope it doesn't take six more months to get back to normal!

Donna

msmeow, he was a guy with young boys at that time, so feeling "normal" meant being able to throw a football properly and with no pain, that took 9 months. Make sure you do physical therapy to get the best outcome.

Thanks guys! Coming along ok I guess. It's only post-op day 3 for me. Been doing the small group of lower-arm & wrist movements exercises they gave me. 1st Dr appointment is May 3.

Faron

You're doing great, Faron!

Chispa, I'm doing PT 3 times a week for an hour each session, plus exercising at home on the non-PT days. I told someone the other day that I'll be able to throw a baseball in no time, which is really great because I couldn't throw a baseball before surgery! LOL

Donna

Msm- I spose my PT will start soon after (???) my 5/3 post-op appt. Day 4 going ok here. Some aching, some "stabbing" sensations. Was able to sleep half normally last night.

Faron

Faron, my doc cleared me to start passive ROM therapy two weeks after my surgery. The therapist was thrilled - she said many doctors want patients to wait four or even six week to start, and by then the joint is very stiff. Starting early is good!

I've had that "stabbing" sensation a lot, too, in the spot where the most work was done.

Donna

I hope I can start PT soon too, but I guess I have to wait until my 5/3 first appt.?!

**** If any of you guys are geeks like me, here's most of the Dr's surgery note:

ANESTHESIA: Block with sedation.

HISTORY: Faron is a 55-year-old male, well known to me as I have performed other orthopedic surgeries. He has bilateral shoulder problems. He has had documentation of rotator cuff tearing in both of his shoulders. His right shoulder is more involved. It is his dominant arm. He has been through appropriate conservative management including the use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatories, stretching and strengthening and injections, but based on the failure of conservative management and the persistent pain, I have recommended rotator cuff repair. The proposed procedure was reviewed with its risks, goals, and complications and consent for surgery has been given.

OPERATION/WHAT WAS DONE: The patient was taken to the operating room, given a supraclavicular block and sedation, placed in the lateral decubitus position and the right shoulder prepped and draped in a sterile fashion. Longitudinal traction was applied and time-out was taken. The skin was anesthetized with 1% Xylocaine with epinephrine and then using a posterolateral portal, the arthroscope was entered into the shoulder joint. The findings indicated no evidence of significant glenohumeral degenerative change. The tearing of the rotator cuff appeared to be at the supraspinatus-infraspinatus interval. There was a healthy-appearing subscapularis. The long head of the biceps in the joint had greater than 50% tearing of the fibers, and so by creating an anterior portal, the scissors was used to release the biceps tendon. A lateral portal was then created and the biceps

was captured using the Scorpion and a FiberWire. This was placed in the lateral portal. Next, the subacromial decompression was carried out and initially the 4.0 shaver was used to debride the inflammatory bursa tissue and to debride the margin of the rotator cuff tear of the supraspinatus. The CoolCut was then used to treat the periosteum on the underside of the acromion and the 5.5 bone cutter was used to remove the anteroinferior aspect of the acromion to eradicate any impingement. At that point, the footprint of the rotator cuff was repaired using the shaving tool to establish a healthy bed of bone.

The SpeedBridge kit was then utilized and two 5.5 fully-threaded anchors were used to place FiberTape in the medial aspect of the footprint. The Scorpion was used to place the FiberTape anteriorly and posteriorly within the torn aspect of the tendon. FiberLinks were placed anteriorly and posteriorly to our FiberTapes, and then by crisscrossing the FiberTape sutures, lateral stabilization of the 2 row repair was carried out and the FiberWire from the biceps tendon was used in the anterolateral anchor to accomplish a biceps tenodesis. All sutures were trimmed. Examination of the repair showed excellent apposition into the footprint. Final irrigation and debridement was followed by wound repair using 4-0 Monocryl and Steri-Strips. A sling was applied and the patient was returned to the recovery room in a stable condition.

************

I think it's interesting anyway! :-)

Faron

Gee.....a "muscular" shoulder-scan, taken exactly 1 wk ago, from when I got home. Now I've got 4 holes in my shoulder too! Wait........ ;-)

Is there some kinda soap that'll help remove that damn tape residue from the original dressings?! Sometimes I just "roll" off a little....

Ha, Faron! It took forever to get all the tape sticky off! And the orange stains from betadine. It will come off eventually. :)

Donna

Thanks Msm! I forgot my orange tint patches were from betadine!

Hey, Faron - how are you doing? I've been thinking about you a lot.

Donna

I think those operative reports are interesting too. That one makes me wonder what all you've got in there now. And how are you doing? I've been wondering too.

Hi Guys! Doing ok!

Worked last Fri, & this Mon & Tues. Then tomorrow, off Thursday, then 6 in a row....Uffda! Shoulder gets tired/sore, but to be expected I guess! I find out tomorrow about PT, & when I can drive.

Lol 3katz!

My Surgeon uses Arthrex repair stuff. I looked at a couple operations on their website, that shows the pieces normally used. As the Operative-note says, I've got 1 anchor holding the Bicep-tendon. Then 2 anchors holding down the Supraspinatus-tendon repair.

Surgeon took about 16 pics of the process that he gave me. I've got 3-color "string" in there, holding things down. Per Arthrex, it's called "Fibrewire". Looks like string to me.......;-)

I mentioned I was somewhat awake when I heard him tapping some anchors in! Listened to some Eagles, & Elton-John in the operating-theatre too! At least it wasn't "country". YUCK!!!!

Faron

You're working???? Wow!

Faron, sometimes a little olive oil (or any cooking oil) on a cotton pad will get that sticky stuff off your skin. Be careful around the stitches/wound area though.