Shoulder surgery postop follow-up

I'm almost 6 weeks out from my arthroscopic right rotator cuff surgery. Here's my post about the first part of the journey.

I'm feeling much better. I can now remove the sling while I am sitting. It has to be on when I'm walking, and I still have to sleep in it. It's a bulky thing that prevents me from moving and possibly damaging the healing tendon repairs.

Sling selfie

You can see that I can't raise my arm or move it too close or too far from my body.

Tendons are not as sturdy as ligaments, fascia, or even skin, so they must be given a lot of time to heal. Excess active motion could disrupt the repair. That would be bad.

The problem is that the immobilization causes the shoulder to "freeze." It quickly becomes very stiff. At my physical therapy sessions, the therapist passively moves the arm into places the shoulder does not want it to go. Passive motion does not stress the repair. We go for more range of motion at every visit. It hurts. I'm also doing some carefully selected exercises at home every day.

Some funny things have happened. The other night I dreamed I was playing tennis. I was hitting the ball really well, but I kept thinking, "Mary (my wife) is going to kill me if she finds out."

Last night's dream was about me standing in a large group and explaining over and over how I hurt myself, what the surgery was like, how long the recovery will take and on and on.

I don't need Dr. Freud to help me interpret those dreams.

Later on this week, I'll be able to discard the sling and even starting driving again. The physical therapy will continue for a few more months. I hope to be back to full activity by February.

On the wrong side of the knife

Two weeks ago, I underwent surgery for what proved to be an extensive tear of my right rotator cuff. 

I have never had a major operation before. Here is how it went down.

Back in July, I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder while playing tennis. Of course, I continued to play that day and for two more weeks. When the pain finally prevented me from playing, I saw an orthopedist who agreed with my guess that it might be a rotator cuff injury. An MRI showed a partial tear of one of the tendons. I was given the option to try conservative treatment or have surgery. I chose the former.

I rested for three weeks and took ibuprofen. I started playing again and was feeling only occasional sharp pain until I fell on my outstretched arm. From that moment, I was unable to raise my right arm above my waist. The pain was intense and unrelieved by medication.

After a week, surgery was inevitable.

The procedure was done arthroscopically through five small incisions. Two completely disrupted tendons were repaired. The anesthesia method was a brachial plexus block which took place after I was sedated.

I woke up with the recovery room feeling fine because the block had not worn off. Even after it did, the pain was tolerable. I stopped taking Percocet after three days. At my first follow-up visit, the surgeon was pleased. That's the good news.

The bad news is I will be in a sling for six weeks and under activity restrictions for 4 months in total.

You have no idea how important your right arm is until you can't use it.

Here are just a few previously simple things that have become much more complicated—typing, shaving, brushing teeth, getting dressed, eating, opening a jar, and most of all, sleeping.

Because the sling must be worn at all times, I have to sleep on my back, which I have never done in my entire life. I have discovered that I am apparently resistant to Ambien. Words can't describe how tired I was those first few days. It was like when I was a resident.

I understand that my situation could have been much worse. It's not a fatal disease, and with physical therapy, I should be OK in a few months.

But my postoperative experience up to now is beginning to affect my usually sunny disposition.

My wife, who is a nurse, has had to call upon all of her skills to get me this far.

But the other day, she said to a friend that as part of the postop care after rotator cuff surgery, the insurance company should include coverage for marriage counseling.