How long after surgery? WWYD?

[cepmom]

Thanks!

Were you out for 10 weeks because of the nature of the job (having to use the arm, etc) or because of the surgery itself?

both, The surgery was hard for me and it was on my dominant arm which made doing my job difficult at best. I was in a lot of pain but had trouble with taking narcotic meds to help so I was relying on ibuprofen to deal with the discomfort (helped but probably not enough)

I also developed adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder) which definitely impeded my progress in PT...I couldn't move my arm very much at all for a long time. All that combined with my lack of being able to sleep more than a few hours a night kept me out for so long.

 

[piglet too]

The school should be able to put a temporary 504 Plan in place for him. This will allow him to leave class 5 (?) minutes early to avoid the crowded hallway, extra time for written work (if it is his writing arm) or verbally take tests, help with note taking, excuse him from PE, and things of that nature. Yes, all of these should be allowed without the 504, but having one requires his teachers to follow it.

 

[NotUrsula]

You also will not want to push for another reason: the pain meds. If he is trying to do too much too soon he is more likely to want to take the stronger pain meds for longer, and that age group is prime for developing addictions to Rx analgesics. He could always go to summer school if push came to shove; getting better is job one.

Talk to the school about letting him use technology to keep up as much as possible when he is home resting; he could even use Skype to "attend class" if the teachers will allow it.

 

[lsyorke]

If this isn't a critical surgery(as in he is in pain without it) I would wait until the summer. I can't imagine going back to school 5 days after this procedure.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

If this isn't a critical surgery(as in he is in pain without it) I would wait until the summer. I can't imagine going back to school 5 days after this procedure.

It is critical. He was injured last August, the week before school started. He couldn't use his arm for a month because of the pain, hasn't been able to lift even a backpack or open a jar, and missed his entire sophomore year of the Varsity sport he was supposed to be playing, will be missing his spring "off-season" sport, and can barely participate in gym class much less the weight room or any kind of conditioning. He went through 5 months of PT, and two cortizone shots in an attempt to NOT have the surgery. We should have just done it months ago. And if he doesn't do it now, he will continue to be in severe pain, continue to not be able to use his right arm much, and will have absolutely NO shot at playing his sport as a Junior. Kind of a lot to ask of a 15 year old kid to wait another 6 months and miss 2 out of 4 years of HS sports when he has already waited 8 months in pain, especially when his whole world used to revolve around being fit and healthy and active, not to mention the toll it has taken on his schoolwork because his arm hurts ALL the time when he tries to write and the cold winter weather makes it stiff and aching. We have already had to take him out of an AP Historyclass and give him a study hall to be able to catch up and stay caught up since it takes so much time for him to get his homework done. I am worried about him keeping up in school, but we emailed all his teachers and counselor this weekend to get the ball rolling for alternate arrangements for the next 4-6 weeks. Thanks for your thoughts but we have already decided to go with surgery this week.

 

[PlutoPony]

Kind of a lot to ask of a 15 year old kid to wait another 6 months and miss 2 out of 4 years of HS sports when he has already waited 8 months in pain, especially when his whole world used to revolve around being fit and healthy and active,

My son was a 3 season athlete with a ton of potential in HS but missed multiple seasons because of a variety of ailments and a surgery, most of them kinda strange things (and not preventable). In the end he was very much respected by the coaches and (some) teammates because of his perseverance and results that were quite good considering what he was dealing with. It really wore on him but it did strengthen him mentally - a lot. By the end of HS he was no longer identifying himself by his sport, it was just a small part of his life and that was probably better for him in the long run. Fortunately he was able to keep his grades up - it was kind of his solace to be a good student if not a good student AND outstanding athlete. Now that he's in college, it's in the "who cares" category and he's moved on with his life. In fact I think it helped him adjust to college quickly because he didn't yearn for the days of HS like a lot of his friends did. Best of luck to you all!

 

[Lilacs4Me]

My son was a 3 season athlete with a ton of potential in HS but missed multiple seasons because of a variety of ailments and a surgery, most of them kinda strange things (and not preventable). In the end he was very much respected by the coaches and (some) teammates because of his perseverance and results that were quite good considering what he was dealing with. It really wore on him but it did strengthen him mentally - a lot. By the end of HS he was no longer identifying himself by his sport, it was just a small part of his life and that was probably better for him in the long run. Fortunately he was able to keep his grades up - it was kind of his solace to be a good student if not a good student AND outstanding athlete. Now that he's in college, it's in the "who cares" category and he's moved on with his life. In fact I think it helped him adjust to college quickly because he didn't yearn for the days of HS like a lot of his friends did. Best of luck to you all!

Good for your son!

I anticipate mine will have a similar story when it's all said and done.

Being able to go to the park with his friends and shooting a basketball around again is on his wish list. As is being able to take out the garbage with his right had, or making his bed with both hands. Or carrying his backpack on both shoulders. I'm sure he is looking forward to these things just as much as getting back to his sport of choice.

 

[BumbleB]

I had my hip replaced in Sept. I was off work for a week, then P/T for 2 weeks. Pain levels were awful the first three days, then improved. Pain meds made me sick to my stomach, so I stopped taking them after a week. It took about 6 weeks to feel like myself again. My sleep schedule and appetite took longer to get back on track. Everyone's tolerance for pain is different, but since he's supposed to keep his arm immobilized, I'd keep him home from school longer than the week. My greatest concern was getting bumped by anything (both dogs were segregated from me for over a week because of their tails. Talk about an OUCH). In a school environment, that would be an even greater concern. Most of my co-workers gave me a wide berth for about a month, but I don't know if a group of teenagers will be as considerate.

 

[Mkrop]

Last January DS18 had a torn labrum in his right shoulder repaired, he is left handed. He had the surgery done under anesthesia in Op surgery center on Thursday before MLK day. He missed Friday, Monday was the holiday and he was back to school on Tuesday with his arm in the big immobilizer sling. He took himself of pain pills by Sunday, he didnt like them. His friends carried his backpack to and from class for him. I drove him to school everyday, and his buddy drove him home. Junior year was too important and he had too many AP classes to miss too much class time. He did great a real trooper.

But with that said every patient, is different.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Last January DS18 had a torn labrum in his right shoulder repaired, he is left handed. He had the surgery done under anesthesia in Op surgery center on Thursday before MLK day. He missed Friday, Monday was the holiday and he was back to school on Tuesday with his arm in the big immobilizer sling. He took himself of pain pills by Sunday, he didnt like them. His friends carried his backpack to and from class for him. I drove him to school everyday, and his buddy drove him home. Junior year was too important and he had too many AP classes to miss too much class time. He did great a real trooper.

But with that said every patient, is different.

That's exactly what my son is having done, and I hope he WILL be back Tuesday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Thanks!

 

[annej]

My son had a bicep tear and shoulder repair done at the same time (basketball injury). 7 anchors around his shoulder and two in the bicep. He had his surgery on a Friday and missed the whole following week of school. He was back on the next Monday - so 5 days of school but 9 days after the surgery. It was very painful but he made it through. His friends helped him through the day with his backpack and stuff and he was able to get through the day with just Motrin and then took the heavy duty stuff if needed once he got home. The biggest lifesaver for us was an ice machine that the surgeon had us get. He does lots of work on professional athletes and it is what they use. He told us it helped with the healing process as well as pain management. Basically fill it with ice and water and it is filtered through a special sling that goes over the shoulder so constant cooling and relief. It was awesome. I recently had my shoulder repaired by the same surgeon and we again rented the machine. Ask your surgeon. We gave it to the nurses when we arrived for the surgery and it was on him and running when he came out of surgery. Some insurances cover it some don't but it was not a huge expenditure to rent and worth every penny. Used it when they repaired his knee as well

 

[Chelley00]

The school should be able to put a temporary 504 Plan in place for him. This will allow him to leave class 5 (?) minutes early to avoid the crowded hallway, extra time for written work (if it is his writing arm) or verbally take tests, help with note taking, excuse him from PE, and things of that nature. Yes, all of these should be allowed without the 504, but having one requires his teachers to follow it.

This. Our son was in a car accident and he was given a temporary 504. A few of things on it were concessions for his head injury but there were quite a few on the list for his broken and dislocated shoulder and elbow. He was allowed to leave classes 5 minutes early to avoid crowds, given an elevator pass so he didn't have to walk upstairs and carry books, left school 5 minutes early, no written work and oral tests. He was also assigned a person in each class who would copy their notes for him, but he asked if he could record class on his cell phone instead and they allowed it.

Our school was great to work with. It was one meeting to ask us what we wanted on his 504 and we just provided a note from his doctor. Easy peasy and it set expectations not just for the school and teachers but DS too.

 

[littleblackegg]

My son had a bicep tear and shoulder repair done at the same time (basketball injury). 7 anchors around his shoulder and two in the bicep. He had his surgery on a Friday and missed the whole following week of school. He was back on the next Monday - so 5 days of school but 9 days after the surgery. It was very painful but he made it through. His friends helped him through the day with his backpack and stuff and he was able to get through the day with just Motrin and then took the heavy duty stuff if needed once he got home. The biggest lifesaver for us was an ice machine that the surgeon had us get. He does lots of work on professional athletes and it is what they use. He told us it helped with the healing process as well as pain management. Basically fill it with ice and water and it is filtered through a special sling that goes over the shoulder so constant cooling and relief. It was awesome. I recently had my shoulder repaired by the same surgeon and we again rented the machine. Ask your surgeon. We gave it to the nurses when we arrived for the surgery and it was on him and running when he came out of surgery. Some insurances cover it some don't but it was not a huge expenditure to rent and worth every penny. Used it when they repaired his knee as well

We call that an Iceman. It's really helpful for just about any type of joint surgery. My experience with adolescents and these surgeries is they want to go back to school and athletics too soon, not that they stay home too long! I'm sure your surgeon with have a plan and it can be shared with the school. My experience with orthopedists is that they have a pretty definitive plan for aftercare. Fortunately, you won't have to make any of those plans yourself. The orthopedic team will guide you.

 

[barkley]

just a suggestion-if you haven't already, check with your ds's school on their meds policy upon his return so you will be prepared. I know at our high school if it's a scrip medication it has to go in the pharmacy bottle w/the directions on it (and god help you if the doctor's written instructions place some kind of date range on it like 'take for x number of days post surgery' while their oral directions are to take them as long as needed b/c then the school requires an updated bottle). and even if it's an otc a doctor's note prescribing it is still required -and the students can't transport it to or from school.

when our dd needed to have post surgical meds (scrip and otc) that would extend into her return to school we explained ahead of time to the surgeon so we could get the paperwork done, the scrip called in right-and we explained ahead of time to our regular pharmacy so they would know to make a duplicate bottle for the portion of the meds we took to the school.