Need Advice RE: shoulder surgery -- Update

[First Shirt]

So after a year of cortisone shots (5), physical therapy, and taking naproxen sodium like it's going out of style, the plant nurse finally convinced me to get a second opinion on my left shoulder, which I trashed in Sept 07 in an amusing little incident involving a ladder, an eight-foot 2x4, and an electric drill.

Second doctor looks at x-rays and MRI, and says that the reason none of the other stuff is helping is because I have a torn rotator cuff, as well as some bone spurs, arthritis, and scar tissue from previous "incidents". After a little discussion, we've picked 21 Jan for the big day.

Problem arises in that The Boss is supposed to go to Hawaii to visit her daughter (Mrs. Gunny) and help with the kids for a month, while the Gunny is deployed, said Boss scheduled to depart on 27 Jan. Now she wants to cancel the trip for fear that I will die, starved and unwashed, in an unmade bed, while she's gone.

Could someone please give me something I can use (short of Valium and duct tape) to convince her that I'll be fine while she's gone? Doc says 6-10 weeks and I should be back to 100%, surely I can't wither away to nothing while she's gone, can I?

[Frankingun]

I do hope you recover quickly. My Mom is recovering very slowly from her back surgery. It takes us a while to heal....

Will you have some movement in your shoulder after surgery?

[drice]

It may depend on how old you are and how physically involved your job is. You're only giving yourself 6 days to be back on the job before the boss leaves. That should be fine provided you have a non-physical job, like staring at a computer all day. Anything more active than that and you will very likely not be ready for duty. As Frank says, the older you are the longer the healing takes.

[Fivetoes]

It may depend on how old you are and how physically involved your job is. You're only giving yourself 6 days to be back on the job before the boss leaves. That should be fine provided you have a non-physical job, like staring at a computer all day. Anything more active than that and you will very likely not be ready for duty. As Frank says, the older you are the longer the healing takes.

Since "The Boss" is capitalized I don't think he is refering to his employer.

First Shirt, tell her she can stay if you are not up and self-maintaning on the 27th. That will give you some motivation and make her feel at ease about leaving.

[First Shirt]

Fivetoes;

Yeah, you're right, I probably should have specified that, rather than being smartass about it. It's kind of a family joke, so I shouldn't expect everyone to be in on it.

That's pretty much the tack I'm going to take, making sure she sees that I can fend for myself while she's gone.

My other boss, the one who signs my timesheets every week so that I get paid, is just happy that A: My shift is covered, and B: I won't have to quit the rescue team, and C: It's not work-related, so it won't affect our department safety record.

[jetfxr69]

I had a rotator cuff repaired about five years ago. I was up and self-maintaining in two days. Of course there are things you can't do, but you'll find they are few.

Is it arthroscopic, or a big incision? That'll have some bearing on how long the healing process will take.

[308Mike]

More than likely it'll be scoped since there's less trauma all the way around, so it heals quicker and is less painful.

Depending on just what they find when they get in there, you could have some significant scar tissue buildup that's going to take some painful PT to break down to where it's not a problem (especially if the fibers aren't laying right and you've got some bunches/knots in there).

However, I suspect you'll be so thrilled with the change in amount of pain, even with movement, that things will appear downhill after the surgery and you'll be headed towards a full recovery in no time.

Do you scuba dive? If so and you can get under the water and down about 30 feet, the higher partial pressures of oxygen will REALLY speed your healing. When I was doing a lot of diving, my cuts and scrapes completely healed in days, not weeks. It's do-your-own hyperbaric chamber treatments. They WORK!

[Rich]

Since it is only a shoulder, and not anything real important, tell the Boss to go on the trip. Let her know if you run into difficulties, that the cute little nurse you met in the office will be glad to help out.

what do you mean "inappropriate"?

[First Shirt]

Thanks, guys! It's getting 'scoped, so there shouldn't be that much mess to heal up, except for the scar tissue that's already there. (You'd think evidence of a dislocation from almost 40 years ago would be gone by now, wouldn't you?)

Rich;

Thanks for the suggestion, but she knows where I sleep, and when, and I wouldn't want to wake up missing something I might need later!

[Denis]

I've had bone-doctors mess with a shoulder, and with the opposite wrist (thankfully, not both at once, though). I expect you will be self-sustaining, though somewhat handicapped, within 2-3 days of the op. If you're going to be on your own, get hold of some apparel you can get into one-handed (think loose and elasticated). Practice dressing yourself one-handed before you have to; not being able to dress myself for a few days was what annoyed me most (that, and the "don't get the dressings wet" injunction; you can be very creative with bin-liners, though).