Very upset...need advice...UPDATE..surgery is cancelled!

[luvintink7]

I just reread and saw what his injury was and have to tell you I know a lot of physical therapists and recently discussed this with 2 of them due to my mom being told something similar. Her dog took her down and she sustained a rotator cuff injury. The dr keeps telling her she needs surgery when speaking with the physical therapist who do different therapy than the chiropractor they said therapy should always be the first option that depending on age and situation surgery may never be necessary. Try switching from the chiro to a pt and that may make the difference maybe the surgery could even be avoided.

I totaly agree with you on the PT. My son is in school to become a PT, graduating in May. Unfortunately he is specializing in cardiac, not the shoulder. DS has given DH some rubberbands and stretches to do. DH's chiroprater does seem to be helping quit a bit. He also has him exercising it.

 

[luvintink7]

Well I suspect that after additional information was posted by the OP, this is not going to be possible.

Solo worker...perhaps his own company and no employees. My guess is he hasn't been paying into the disability fund, which means none is available unless a private disability policy was purchased.

OP...I realize too late for this now...but when your DH gets this resolved PLEASE find room in your budget for disability insurance. Its one of the single most important pieces of financial security a family can have in place, yet so many go without thinking they can't afford it. You can't afford NOT to have it.

You are very right. I already called our insurance guy and asked for an appointment to go in and discuss this....thanks. We have been so tight financially with business slowing down due to the ecomony. We stopped helping the kids in college and told them to take out loans. We still have two in private high school we are paying for.

 

[kleubanks]

I firmly believe there are enough Dr's in the world that you HAVE to find one you are comfortable with. As someone who changed primary care physicians after my first one had a very abrasive reaction to an abnormal test only to be later diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, I often ask myself ....what would have happened if I'd stayed with the first doc? Was the abnormal test the first sign of the cancer and he missed it? Thankfully, I'll never know. I also just had foot surgery. The 1st doc had an entirely different appoach than the 2nd....went with the 2nd doc. Something in my gut just didn't feel right about the 1st..
There is no harm in getting a second opinion. Trust your gut and make sure you and your husband are comfortable with the doctor and what he is telling you.

Best of luck.

 

[bear_mom]

There are very few joint sugeries where other options shouldn't be tried first to see if they help. I would seek a second opinion before jumping into surgery.

Emily

 

[ksjayhawkfan]

I just reread and saw what his injury was and have to tell you I know a lot of physical therapists and recently discussed this with 2 of them due to my mom being told something similar. Her dog took her down and she sustained a rotator cuff injury. The dr keeps telling her she needs surgery when speaking with the physical therapist who do different therapy than the chiropractor they said therapy should always be the first option that depending on age and situation surgery may never be necessary. Try switching from the chiro to a pt and that may make the difference maybe the surgery could even be avoided.

ITA. My DH works for an orthopaedic surgeon, and has for 12 years. They dont jump into decisions like that, always offer therapy first, especially for a rotator cuff.

 

[DMickey28]

I think that for a 90% chance of a minor tear that is not immobilzing your DH ... Surgery is NOT THE ONLY option.

I think you need to get a second opinion. Regardless of the time frame I think a second opinion is needed. There are times where surgery can make things WORSE not better. Given your DH's job, you do not want this to be the case. That's my thought.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Has your DH had any physical therapy yet at all? I had a rotator cuff injury in May. I was at the PT's office within a few days - as soon as the sling came off. It took some time (three days a week all summer), but I went from no use of my arm (couldn't lift it away from my body at all) to full range of motion. My arm is still weaker than the non-injured one, but I keep doing my exercises at home (I was discharged from the PT office a fw months ago and now do the same exercises at home). Rotator cuff surgery would have sidelined me for at least six weeks, but more like 10-12 if I had a physical job. The numbers are not out of line.

I would not get a second MRI right now (they are expensive) - I would get a second doctor to look at the MRI. If the MRI is inadequate, then get a second one. The MRI should indicate a tear or not - not "suggest" one. If your DH has range of motion and use of his arm, he would likely benefit from physical therapy to strengthen his shoulder.

Has he had a cortisone shot in his shoulder? It was not a pleasant experience, but it worked wonders for the pain and inflammation.

Best of luck! I'd search for a surgeon who did his fellowship on shoulder and go from there.

Surgery was optional for me - I chose not to do it and I'm still working hard to get my arm back. But I made so much progress with PT that I didn't want to start all over. If he has the surgery, he will be back at the beginning and will have to do serious PT to get use of his arm back.

 

[TGEmpress]

You also might want to try a pain management physician. They are good at non-surgical management and will help with referrals to PT and injections to the rotator cuff. They generally use surgery as a last resort so, it may be worth a shot.

 

[kristinw3girls]

I guess the only one who can decide is your DH. It's his body and his decision. If he thinks he can wait, that's his choice. Keeping you in my prayers. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Jenny-momof3]

My dh has a tear in his rotater cuff and has had it for almost 15 years now. When he tore it we had just married for 2 weeks and had no insurance. We couldn't afford the surgery.

Through the years he's done different exercises on his own and has a job that involves alot of manual labor. He still doesn't have full range of that arm but he's gotten used to it over the years and refuses to have the surgery now due to the recovery time and no 100% guarantee that it would be completely better.

If he's not in pain I would wait until the fall and spend the next few months doing different PT and finding a different doctor!

 

[tina95]

They go to school and learn their trade. Different schools teach different things. Some teach use more drugs and pt, some might push the knife. They are human and make the same mistakes as everyone else.

I believe someone said that the only way to repair his shoulder was with surgery. Does it need to be repaired? Can he live with it? It sounds like it for now. Does that make the Dr a bad money hungry guy? Maybe he feels that his job is to fix and repair the body, good enough is not good enough for him. If he has a back log until April, maybe it is about fitting in someone who needs work done on Monday morning. Someone in pain who can not work.

Medicine is a service industry, just like anything else. If you took your car to the repair shop and the cost was to high or they would have it to long, what would you do? Take it some where else. So look around for someone your happy with. Look into PT.

My husband just have shoulder surgery the end of May, finished Pt in October, and still is not 100% and probably never will be. He was in horrible pain and had no arm movement for 3 weeks before he went in for the MRI he should have had in 3 Days. So this was far worst than your husband.

Good luck with your decision. Hope he was a great year.

 

[Colleen27]

The Dr said his MRI suggests a small tear in the rotater cuff. The scary thing for us is that he has a landscaping business and it gets really busy in the spring. He works alone, no empoyees. We figured six weeks would take us through Febuary and then he would be OK to go to work. Not so, Dr. said he can't work untill mid April. Had we known this the first time he saw the Dr. we could have planned better. He currently has full use of his arm and does not really have alot of pain. It has gotten MUCH better then when he first injured it. He has continued to be treated by a chiropractor for it and that seems to be helping. I do not like this Dr. at all. He was more worried about filling the surgery spot on Monday, then he was about our situation. If we seek a second opinion we definatley have to wait until the fall. We will lose alot of work if he can't work in March. It is so stressful. I know his health is the most important thing, but having a roof over myfamilies head is also. I have alot of financial obligations.

That sounds to me like a situation in which I'd DEFINITELY, 100% want a second opinion beore going ahead with surgery. We had a similar situation when DH injured his ankle a few years ago. The surgeon we initially saw said that reconstructive surgery was absolutely necessary, based on testing that "suggested" a tendon injury. This was in Nov, and since the heart and soul of DH's business is roofing and siding, we were feeling a lot of pressure to rush & get things done during the winter slow season, but I'm very glad we didn't. The second doctor we saw didn't feel the injury warranted surgery at all. DH spent the winter in a brace, had a couple sessions with a physical therapist and exercises to do at home after that, but he's been just fine for 5 years now.

Years ago, a doctor my mom saw regarding a back injury said of surgeons - when your only tool is a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail. I've definitely found that to be true of some doctors, and would never undergo surgery in any but the most clear-cut circumstances without seeking a second opinion.

 

[extraredstuff]

I just wanted to chime in and agree with the others who have mentioned PT. I partially tore my rotator cuff in August. Initially I couldn't move it away from my body at all and had no strength in it either. The surgeon suggested PT after checking out my MRI, he thought I may be able to heal it that way, and the meds helped with inflammation and pain.

So I'm still in PT twice a week, but I've found that I have full use of my arm now, much less discomfort and its getting stronger. A cortisone shot helped alot as well.

If your husband can see a good PT person, I think that would be the way to go. Maybe if he can work through some of that, things can be re-assessed again in the fall and then you guys can figure out what makes sense.

Good luck with it

 

[cats mom]

Your DH currently has full use of his arm, isn't feeling a lot of pain, and his condition is continuing to improve. I certainly wouldn't feel pressured to jump into surgery right now, especially given the lengthy recovery predicted and your DH's business demands.

Good Luck with your decision.

 

[CantWaitToGo2007]

I work for a large practice of Ortho doctors, here's what I suggest (for what it's worth). I agree you should get a second opinion. You do not necessarily need to get a second MRI at this point. You can bring the MRI he already had, along with any x-rays to the new doctor. If the MRI is more than 4 months old or if the original one was not done with contrast they may suggest you have a new one. I would also talk to the new doctor about having an injection and possibly physical therapy. I was kicked hard by one of our horses and ripped apart my shoulder. One of the doctors injected cortisone and the first day it felt a lot better, by the second day I wanted to kill him, and by the third I felt great! I'm not saying that will be the answer for your husband, but for my tear the injection and physical therapy worked for me.

 

[gillenkl]

Hold off and get a 2nd opinion - maybe even a 3rd opinion.

 

[Abbie]

The Dr said his MRI suggests a small tear in the rotater cuff. The scary thing for us is that he has a landscaping business and it gets really busy in the spring. He works alone, no empoyees. We figured six weeks would take us through Febuary and then he would be OK to go to work. Not so, Dr. said he can't work untill mid April. Had we known this the first time he saw the Dr. we could have planned better. He currently has full use of his arm and does not really have alot of pain. It has gotten MUCH better then when he first injured it. He has continued to be treated by a chiropractor for it and that seems to be helping. I do not like this Dr. at all. He was more worried about filling the surgery spot on Monday, then he was about our situation. If we seek a second opinion we definatley have to wait until the fall. We will lose alot of work if he can't work in March. It is so stressful. I know his health is the most important thing, but having a roof over myfamilies head is also. I have alot of financial obligations.

I didn't get any further in the thread than this. The fact that his pain has improved and range of motion is better since his injury makes it clear that you can easily afford to wait for surgery. Surgeons have a natural bent towards surgery, that's what they do, so of course he is saying it needs to be done NOW. If you were a patient in our office, we would encourage further chiropractic if that seems to help and definitely physical therapy before submitting to surgery. There are times when a rotator cuff injury will progress beyond repair but you are usually talking years. And you really need to listen to your gut on this....if you don't like the surgeon, don't do this now. You have time, get through the spring season, check into PT, use NSAIDs as needed, and see someone you trust.

One of the nurse-practitioners in our office has said "Medicine is what happens while we're waiting for nature to take its course". I think this is true to some extent, sometimes the body repairs itself given time.

 

[Callie]

I had a tear in my shoulder from a dislocation and it was over a year until I ever had surgery. I went through physical therapy that helped, but after having to bench press an insane amount for school, and another pop, I had it. Try physical therapy first. Unless he has no use of his arm, and a complete torn cuff, surgery can wait. Especially if he is getting better.

 

[NVDisMom]

My DH tore his rotator cuff over Memorial Day weekend. After doing some online research and consulting with a few medically knowledgable friends, he chose to rest it for three or four weeks and then slowly work through stretching exercises and then strengthening exercises. It will still occassionally bother him, but certainly not enough to even consider surgery. He is incredibly active, works out almost dily, skiis, drums, blah, blah, blah...I can't tell you how me people we have know who have had the surgery and ended up in a worse situation pain and use of arm wise. I would defintely recommend a second opinion, preferrably from somebody that does not have a reputation for pushing surgery. Be honest with them as to your DH's occupation and your financial status. I bet they recommend PT!

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I think that for a 90% chance of a minor tear that is not immobilzing your DH ... Surgery is NOT THE ONLY option.

I think you need to get a second opinion. Regardless of the time frame I think a second opinion is needed. There are times where surgery can make things WORSE not better. Given your DH's job, you do not want this to be the case. That's my thought.

Couldn't agree more! That surgery is notorious for making matters worse. Both my MIL and good friend had that surgery and regretted it. I would look into therapy and a second doctor.

Doctors are really pushing procedures now. My bf's husband is a doctor. I constantly hear that doctors are ordering extra lab tests, MRIs, surgeries, etc because they get a bonus for every procedure. Her husband "fought the system" for many years, cancelling unnecessary procedures from other doctors when they came to the hospital. He was up against so much resistance from the administrators that he does it himself now. My friend just boosted about the huge bonus he received this fall.