Post rotator cuff surgery tips needed!

[Jeannie]

My DH will be having rotator cuff surgery next month. We have recommendations for an ice machine and a wedge pillow for sleeping from his doctor. I was wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks for his recovery time. What about clothing? I'm assuming sweatpants will be easiest, but what about shirts? Would it make sense to buy him some oversized zip front sweatshirts or flannel shirts that he can wear over his 'bad' arm? Just trying to have everything in place...

 

[bjscheel]

DH has had both done, most recently his right last February. I got him button down shirts (at the thrift) a size larger than his usual. Zip sweatshirts will work too. And he wore sweatpants. Make sure you bring one of the big shirts to surgery to wear home. There will be a massive bandage on his shoulder at first.

Put the shirts on starting with the bad arm. For outerwear, once he has his sling on, he'll probably just have to wear it on his good arm and let the coat drape over the other.

Get shampoo and body wash that come in a pump bottle so he can get some out with one hand.

We had an ice machine that they sent home with us the first time but he didn't use it much. For this latest one, it was just ice packs which was fine with us as the machine was unwieldy.

He slept in the recliner for the first few weeks rather than in bed.

Skechers slip-ins shoes.

 

[Dug720]

Biggest tip is DO THE PT both at PT and at home. My dad had had hip replacement and knee replacement, and because he is religious about his PT, he's "graduated" before schedule both times. The hip in particular, there was a guy who had been in PT for hip replacement about 2 weeks longer than my dad, and when they said it was going to be Daddy's last week, the other guy was like "How is he doing so much better?" and the PTs said "Are you doing your exercises at home?" to which the answer was "Um...not really." And the PTs said "That's how. He does his exercises at home."