After much 'wear&tear'... (rotator cuff)

hollydolly said:
If I remember correctly @Pecos had shoulder surgery...

I had rotator cuff issues last year..couldn't even brush my hair with my right arm.. it was horribly painful... so I can't imagine how painful a replacement would be
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The day after that surgery was one of the most painful things that I have ever experienced. Once the initial pain killer wears off, it was incredible. If the Doctor offers one of the really strong 24-hour pain pills, I advise taking it. I didn't and regretted that decision. It took a couple of days for me to work my way down to a more moderate pill.

They will probably outfit you with a stabilizing lash-up that you will have to learn to sleep with. I got a wedge to help me get comfortable at night and I used it for about six weeks. As I recall, it raised my upper body up by about 25 degrees. I got it on Amazon. Some people sleep in their recliners.

My surgery was on my right shoulder, and since I am right-handed, I had to learn how to brush my teeth with my left hand. That was far more difficult than I ever imagined. Tying my shoes was another challenge. I was unable to drive for weeks as I could not stretch my arm out far enough to reach things. @Jace
 

That sounds really rough, @Pecos
Did it get better after you went through all of that?
Does it seem to you, like it was worth it, after all?
I do know that rotator cuff pain is terrible, so perhaps you were desperate and had to do something?
 
Kaila said:
That sounds really rough, @Pecos
Did it get better after you went through all of that?
Does it seem to you, like it was worth it, after all?
I do know that rotator cuff pain is terrible, so perhaps you were desperate and had to do something?
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My shoulder is pretty close to being back to normal. I donā€™t sleep on that side as much anymore and I cannot lift as much weight as I used to. (LOL, then again I will be 80) in a few days.
But without a doubt it was absolutely worth it, my right arm would be almost useless.
 
My primary doctor thought I had a rotator cuff problem. She sent me to an orthopedic doctor. Turns out I have arthritis on the left side of my neck, which was causing the same type of pain in my left shoulder that a rotator cuff problem would do. So after physical therapy last year, I continue to do exercises and use a mechanical traction device that generally keeps the pain at bay most of the time.
 
Pecos said:
My shoulder is pretty close to being back to normal. I donā€™t sleep on that side as much anymore and I cannot lift as much weight as I used to. (LOL, then again I will be 80) in a few days.
But without a doubt it was absolutely worth it, my right arm would be almost useless.
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Another surgery that was definitely worth it was a total hip replacement. I was down to the point of ā€œbone on boneā€ and was having a lot of pain. Now I am back to fast walking 3 to 3.5 miles every including one hill that is a quarter mile. I also do about two hours of strength training every week and an hour of stretching. I would not be able to do any of that without having those two surgeries.
I have a physical yesterday. My weight is one pound more than when I retired from the Navy 31 years ago. My resting pulse is 62 and my total cholesterol was 160 with triglyceride at 43. I donā€™t/canā€™t run anymore and I had to stop doing pull-ups.
I am glad that I had those two surgeries and of the two, the hip replacement was much, much easier.
 
Jace said:
Has anyone had/have to...have a shoulder replacement?

I think it's rotator cuff?
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No but I came close. About 2 or 3 years ago I had a lot of shoulder pain and the orthopedist said it was a rotator cuff problem. First I tried a cortisone shot, it did little to nothing. Then the orthopedist said I probably needed a replacement, but should try physical therapy and exercise first.

I did the physical therapy and learned shoulder strengthening exercises. It took a few months to get things under control, and probably a year for the pain to go away completely. I have kept the exercises up and the shoulder is fine now. So obviously I suggest you consider this. I saw a number of people in physical therapy who had the replacements, they were in more pain and worse than I was. Happy with that decision.

Unfortunately my other shoulder has started giving me problems. Just went to the orthopedist for the first time on this one. He did x-rays and a pretty good exam, decided its not likely a rotator cuff but probably osteoarthritis causing some bursitis. Not yet sure what I can or will do about this one, he gave me a few exercise suggestions, mostly take it easy. Will see how it goes. Don't even know if the replacement surgery is an option for this shoulder.

Getting old ain't always fun...
 
I've heard that the physical therapy is the worst, over the surgery. I have had PT many times over the years and find that it works WHILE you're doing PT, but once you stop, forget it. I won't have surgery until it's ABSOLUTELY necessary.
 
shedevil7953 said:
I have had PT many times over the years and find that it works WHILE you're doing PT, but once you stop, forget it.
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I think in many cases that is true. However you can learn the PT exercises and do them yourself at home. That is what I do for my shoulder, and I suspect its a choice, do the exercises forever or let the pain return. The exercises are not that bad.
 
Pecos said:
My shoulder is pretty close to being back to normal. I donā€™t sleep on that side as much anymore and I cannot lift as much weight as I used to. (LOL, then again I will be 80) in a few days.
But without a doubt it was absolutely worth it, my right arm would be almost useless.
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I am very glad to read this! :)
And your later post, that the 2 hip replacement surgeries had such good later results for you!

And also @spectratg
excellent to know about the arthritis mimicking rotator cuff symptoms.

Other posts in this thread are very informative and helpful, as well! Thanks to all of you!
 

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