Shoulder Surgery Questions

[powerboatr]

i had my rh rotator cuff done the 30th of march this year.
i am now 15 weeks out of surgery
they started weight training two weeks ago, arms feel like noodles now, but getting stronger every day
before my arm would scream me awake in the night, driving it had to hang down and range time got very limited
i was off pain meds by week two post op, they prescribed me a cool jet machine that i used at night, its a little cooler with a pump and a patch that snugs up around your shoulder, it pumps 42 45 degree water through the patch....takes all the pain away
they did steroid injection and then two weeks of pre operation therapy.
let me say I am a new man, now it only hurts from working out. i have therapy three days a week that started may 15th and will continue through end of july
if you do have it.....follow the orders ad no lifting or use of the arm until they clear you to...period.
Double check your doctors before you go. get second or third opinions and be ready if your on medicare to have therapy cut short.
i am in east texas and used East texas medical center pain management specialist
i will send the docs name if you pm me
he and his team are fantastic.

[SIGFan43]

The orthopedic surgeon I'm seeing in two weeks specializes in sports injuries and shoulders are his favorite thing. He also treated me ten years ago for a torn medial miniscus in my right knee after I fell. He wanted to clean out the torn pieces through laproscopy, but I declined that. After 3 steroid injections over two years, I'm still leery of kneeling on a hard floor, but no pain at all now. I do have arthritis in my leg and arm joints, so there's that. I walk for exercise about 3 miles a day, spreading it out in 20 minute sessions. When my right shoulder hurts, I can feel a small bump in the outside edge of the top of my bicep. That bump is sore when I lift something above face level, like putting dishes on a kitchen cabinet shelf. It does not hurt when I shoot my 9mm pistols, but does hurt a very little bit when I remove my gun from my Kydex holster. I'm hoping that I can delay surgery and try acupuncture, but I will take the surgeon's advice if he thinks I need to do it now instead of waiting. Thanks for all the info and advice, guys!

[SIGFan43]

UPDATE: About 2-1/2 weeks ago, I saw a local orthopedic surgeon in Tyler who specializes in shoulders and sports injuries, the same surgeon who treated my knee 8 years ago for a torn medial miniscus, which after 3 steroid injections in a 2-3 year time period, is completely functional now. I do not get on the floor with either knee, though, for fear of re-injury. He wanted to do laproscopic surgery to remove debris, but we never did that. On my most recent visit, I also complained of new pain in my left shoulder. He ordered three x-rays of both shoulders, and found no tendon, ligament, or muscle problems. He said I apparently had a little osteoarthritis similar to what he found in my knee when my miniscus was torn in a fall on concrete sidewalk. I asked him if my left shoulder pain could be caused by pain radiated from my right shoulder. He said it was possible, because I also had the beginnings of neck muscle pain the night before I saw him. I accepted his offer of a steroid injection in my right shoulder into the bursa (a fluid-filled area of the shoulder as I understand it). As I drove myself home that day, I noticed pain in my right shoulder was almost non-existent. Two days later, I did 1-2 of the exercises he recommended for my shoulders, and felt almost total lack of pain in either shoulder or neck. I would say that as of today, I have 95% recovered, but am aware that I may have limitations on what I can do with my shoulders. I think I got lucky. I did mention to him that I liked to shoot my 9mm pistols about twice a month for about 30 minutes each session. He said that was fine, but he recommended I avoid shotguns and high-powered rifles (which I quit using years ago). I see him for a follow-up the middle of this month, and if the pain returns, he will do an MRI. Right now, I am pleased with the steroid injection. Maybe I'll have the same good luck I had with my knee. Thanks again for all your personal stories about your own experiences with shoulder issues.