ROTATOR CUFF VETERANS please help.

[DawnCt1]

in 4 days i will be one month postop from my cuff repair. i am STILL sleeping in the darned recliner, i have to wear that sling thing with the abduction pillow and i am not allowed to use my right arm. i started pt almost 2 weeks ago for range of motion only. i am progressing very slowly. that includes where i can lift my arm, the pulley and how far i can tolerate the therapist moving my arm. i was in decent shape prior to the injury. i could run 3 miles, did a lot of yard work, etc. now i know i am not young anymore. i guess if i was, this wouldn't have happened. the therapist saays i need topush it more, even if it hurts a lot. i don't like pain and i hate pain pills. anyone been here and done this that can give me suggestions.

 

[minkydog]

I never had this surgery, but I did tear my knee up last year and had to go through months of therapy. Then I herniated two discs More pain,More therapy.

You know what you have to do. It's been a month. Take a pain pill and get with it. Ice your shoulder when you're done. You can do this.

I hope Jude is giving you lots of little kisses for your efforts

 

[DawnCt1]

I never had this surgery, but I did tear my knee up last year and had to go through months of therapy. Then I herniated two discs More pain,More therapy.

You know what you have to do. It's been a month. Take a pain pill and get with it. Ice your shoulder when you're done. You can do this.

I hope Jude is giving you lots of little kisses for your efforts

i don't even want ice near me! she offers me ice and i take the heat pack and the electrical stimulation. if i take one more percocette i am going to throw up.
jude is a good boy. i would bet he would go to pt for me if he could.

 

[j's m]

I was thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were doing post op. Sorry to hear it's not that good.

I never had the surgery even though I had a small tear, so I really can't help you. Mine sort of healed, but not 100% but I was really more afraid of the rehab and time.

All I can offer is a and hope it gets better. When I did the PT for frozen shoulder (before the MRI and diagnoses of tear) I liked the ice better.

Good luck, keep us posted so we can continue to offer

 

[cosine4]

I had this surgery done a few years ago. I ended up sleeping in the recliner for about 2 months. I had to wear the pillow sling for about the same amount of time. The best advice I can give you is when you get the ok to take the sling off, ween yourself off it don't just set it aside (like I did). Even though I wasn't using the arm for much, just having to hold the weight of the arm all day caused a lot of muscle pain (whole arm, not just in the shoulder).

I know you said you don't like to ice it, but ice was my saviour during the first couple of months.

Once in a while the shoulder will still bother me, but not near as much as before the surgery. I think that I was feeling better than I was before surgery by 3 months.

 

[DawnCt1]

I had this surgery done a few years ago. I ended up sleeping in the recliner for about 2 months. I had to wear the pillow sling for about the same amount of time. The best advice I can give you is when you get the ok to take the sling off, ween yourself off it don't just set it aside (like I did). Even though I wasn't using the arm for much, just having to hold the weight of the arm all day caused a lot of muscle pain (whole arm, not just in the shoulder).

I know you said you don't like to ice it, but ice was my saviour during the first couple of months.

Once in a while the shoulder will still bother me, but not near as much as before the surgery. I think that I was feeling better than I was before surgery by 3 months.

thanks. i don't feel so out of my expectations.

 

[Shugardrawers]

Been there done that and am still wearing the T shirt 5 months later I wish my Dr. had been brutally honest and upfront about the amount of pain and slow recovery time involved from the very beginning but he wasn't. I expected to be back at work light duty in a week or 2 I'm still not.

PT was a slow, slow and painful process for me. I loved the heat but hated the ice. I only used ice to control the pain at night. I slept in the recliner for a good 2 months and even now am still a bit uncomfortable in bed on my right side. I could pick up a gallon of milk and place it on the counter but I couldn't hold it with my arm outstretched to pass it to you. I can reach over my head but can't hold anything more than 5# that way and not even that for more than 30 seconds. Reaching back to pull up my pants is still somewhat painful. My Dr. says they give it 6 months to see where they are. It looks like this is as good as I'm going to get and it's worse than BEFORE my surgery. I don't know if that means another surgery or just getting used to it

Of course, everyone heals at different rates, you know that. But you are nowhere near being abnormally slow yet. Just keep up the PT. The home exercises they give you really do help if you do them as directed as often as directed. I set my clock to go off every 4 hours to remind me to do them. I only did 2 months of PT before we got to the point that ROM wasn't the issue anymore and so there was no point in continuing that. Good luck to you, don't get discouraged and keep up the exercises, that will help!

 

[DawnCt1]

thanks sugardrawers; i need to be more structured with the exercises. if i can put them off i do, not good. i hope you get better soon. i am pulling for ya!

 

[wvjovifan]

I am 4 weeks post op today from surgery for a partial tear. It was agony for the first 2 weeks! I had no idea the pain would be so bad. I went in expecting arthroscopic and an easy recovery and when I came out, they ended up having to do the surgery to reattach. My doc told me it is a good 4 month recovery. I only used my sling for about 2 weeks full time, and now when I need it to relieve the pain. Percocet is my best friend!!! At PT, they are still doing passive stretches and ice/electro therapy and will probably start active PT next week. I go back to work on Dec 4 and my biggest problem is my bra strap!!! It hurts like crap!!! Most of the time I sit around with only one strap (it's not pretty)!! I am still on the couch, hurts too much to lie down flat, my therapist just said not to rush it, so me and my cat curl up out in the living room....my DH is getting lonely though. I still am not allowed to lift anything and I can't wait to get back to normal!!!!

 

[DawnCt1]

I am 4 weeks post op today from surgery for a partial tear. It was agony for the first 2 weeks! I had no idea the pain would be so bad. I went in expecting arthroscopic and an easy recovery and when I came out, they ended up having to do the surgery to reattach. My doc told me it is a good 4 month recovery. I only used my sling for about 2 weeks full time, and now when I need it to relieve the pain. Percocet is my best friend!!! At PT, they are still doing passive stretches and ice/electro therapy and will probably start active PT next week. I go back to work on Dec 4 and my biggest problem is my bra strap!!! It hurts like crap!!! Most of the time I sit around with only one strap (it's not pretty)!! I am still on the couch, hurts too much to lie down flat, my therapist just said not to rush it, so me and my cat curl up out in the living room....my DH is getting lonely though. I still am not allowed to lift anything and I can't wait to get back to normal!!!!

i can help you with your bra strap!!!! sugardrawers told me pre op to get a front fastening bra. i think its the vanity fair bra that has an athletic back and the strap doesn't get near my shoulder. i have it on so i can't look. that was a top notch suggestion.
i ended up with a complete tear of my supraspinatus tendon, a partial of th infra spinatus and a partial of the subscapularis. in addition, my clavical was impinging on the joint so they cut 8 mm off from that. i am on passive excersises for 6 weeks. good luck going back to work. my cruise was in january and i cancelled it.

 

[wvjovifan]

Thanks for that suggestion!! I haven't been out too much, but I will definately look for one of those bras to try--especially when I go back to work!!! Sounds like your poor shoulder was in pretty bad shape, good luck with your therapy, I am scared to start the active therapy, I know it's going to hurt!! Those wall-walkers hurt bad enough!!!

 

[poohbear627]

in 4 days i will be one month postop from my cuff repair. i am STILL sleeping in the darned recliner, i have to wear that sling thing with the abduction pillow and i am not allowed to use my right arm. i started pt almost 2 weeks ago for range of motion only. i am progressing very slowly. that includes where i can lift my arm, the pulley and how far i can tolerate the therapist moving my arm. i was in decent shape prior to the injury. i could run 3 miles, did a lot of yard work, etc. now i know i am not young anymore. i guess if i was, this wouldn't have happened. the therapist saays i need topush it more, even if it hurts a lot. i don't like pain and i hate pain pills. anyone been here and done this that can give me suggestions.

My mom tore hers back in february & is still having a really hard time. She is still going for therapy but her last appointment showed that the surgery didn't hold and she will most likely not have more surgery because there is no guarantee. My poor mom can't even blow dry her hair & she doesn't feel comfortable driving because she still doesnt have the range of motion.

The therapy did help and she has come a long way, but it does take time. hang in there and I'll keep you in my thoughts.

My dad also tore his a few years back & he is 100%

 

[Callie]

I had a tear repaired and all my muscles tightened about 2 months ago... I never slept in the recliner becuase my feet would hang off. Get a bunch of pillows and try puting your arm on them. My range of motion isnt very good either. What sucks is I missed out on Swim Season . The doctor made it seem like i wouldnt be in pain very long

 

[yeartolate]

Have you considered something other than percocet? Vicodin or codiene?

Are you allowed NSAIDS? I actually switched over to regular old aspirin and it really helped when they ramped up my therapy. My usual tried and true nsaids were not helpful.

I didn't like the ice , but it made the biggest difference. I almost teared up when they made me give back the machine. At home I had a bag of lima beans that was better than most ice packs.

 

[DawnCt1]

Have you considered something other than percocet? Vicodin or codiene?

Are you allowed NSAIDS? I actually switched over to regular old aspirin and it really helped when they ramped up my therapy. My usual tried and true nsaids were not helpful.

I didn't like the ice , but it made the biggest difference. I almost teared up when they made me give back the machine. At home I had a bag of lima beans that was better than most ice packs.

i actually like NSAIDS but i can't use them because according to the ortho. they and ASA impede healing. i don't know if one needs a certain amount of inflamation to spur healing or not. i didn't ask. pt said the same thing but didn't know why. percocette, vicodan,or codeine, i don't think it matters. i just hate taking medication that is sedating. thanks for coming to my pity party though.

 

[macraven]

i had both shoulders with tears and had surgery 4 months apart .

first surgery was for a complete tear and there was more to it than just the rotator cuff surgery, ended up having to have some bone in the shoulder also removed. had tendons resewn besides shoulder mucsles.

it took 6 months for that to heal with complete range of motion. i was put on a special chair that did the movement for me 12 hours after surgery.
i had my surgery 11 years ago and maybe this is outdated for how they do the surgery and recovery treatment now.
the ins. co rented the same physical therapy motorized chair and had it delievered to my home before i was released from the hospital. the therapist set the dials and programmed the position and pace of movement for the arm. my arm was velcroed on top of the mechanical arm. used this machine for 5 times a day for 15 minutes at a time. after a month of that, drove to physical therapy for sessions 2x's a week. out patient sessions lasted for 4 months as i did not have full range of motion in that arm.

for 2.5 months i was in a elastic type of immobilizer/strap that held my arm against my body so no movement was possible except when i had to use the chair or physical therapy. try washing your hair with one hand.......


second rotator cuff was a piece of cake. recovery was only one month with physical therapy. maybe i took more pain pills after this surgery and just didn't feel the intense pain during recovery.......

i feel your pain on the surgery and recovery.
i ended up with full shoulder surgery with the complete tear r. cuff surgery.
most people don't.

even if you have arhtroscopic surgery, it still hurts as bad.

good luck on your recovery. docs only can predict how long it will take to get your full range of motion back. one month out of surgery you will still have pain and trouble sleeping. another month from now you should be feeling better.