3 weeks post-op today
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi everyone.. Today is exactly 3 weeks that I had my rotator cuff repaired...I had a minor tear. Thankfully it was on my left arm since I'm right handed. Saw my surgeon last week. She told me to continue with the sling for 2 more weeks and also gave me exercises to do at home until PT begins... I'm still in pain but not as much as last week...I only take my meds when I'm really in pain... Today was the first time I've taken my oxycodone in 4 days....I slept in a recliner at the beginning which was so uncomfortable. Now I'm sleeping on my back and right side which isn't too bad.... I'm still sleepy alot and therefore sleep alot but I do get out of the house. My husband takes me for car rides and we do go to the Casino lol.. I tire easily though.. In a way I'm looking forward to PT to expedite my progress.. So that's about it.. I'm hoping to update you all on my experience with PT... Good luck to you all and be well.
0 likes, 7 replies
mike1997 michele26035
Posted
Hello, Michelle:
Congratulations! For me, the anxiety pre-op was the hardest thing. I love exercise and therapy I hope you will too.
Regarding the pain, I hope you got an ice machine or can use some form of ice as it helps a great deal in reducing swelling and pain.
Do those at-home exercises, it will help prevent or keep the stiffness down. As you heal scar tissue forms. A therapist told me that people don't like to talk about it, but that's a big contributor to lack of ROM as you heal. Prepare ahead of time and ask for (or buy your own) set of pulleys to hang above your door or roof, make some wands, get some resistance bands, maybe an exercise ball. I found the exercise ball invaluable when it came to doing exercises they wanted me to do facing up or facing down on a table at therapy. Few people have one of those tables at home and the ball was a good substitute.
You're lucky it was a small repair you're on your way!
michele26035 mike1997
Posted
Thank you so much for the tips. I haven't started PT yet, but still doing at home exercises.
kelly28645 michele26035
Posted
that's awesome. i had a huge rotator cuff tear and a couple of other tears and had them repaired last year in May. fell at my daughters while taking care of her 5 kids while the parents went to Rome/Paris etc. had another tear. found out the others had not healed.now had a reversal replacement last month, 6 wks since surgery. have pt tomorrow. i have to say the recovery was faster with the replacement then the original surgery. its also on my dominant right arm. good luck with pt
michele26035
Posted
Wow. I'm sorry to hear that..I hope you're doing better... Thank you for the PT encouragement
henpen1980 michele26035
Posted
What type of repair did they do? Make sure that you are icing all day long!! icing will knock back the pain! People forget to ice!! Freeze soda cans or water bottles as your ice. Freeze wet hand towels-they are pliable, and you can bend them to ice the area. use five pillows in bed to prop yourself up and make a cradle for your shoulder/arm. use a pillow to cradle your arm on your hip when you sleep on your side. exercise ball or large beach ball is great for recovery exercise and stretching. broom stick/shower curtin rod help, towels, elastics, pulleys(amazon has them $6). your pt will give you instructions. look up Harvard Brigham's ARC recovery online document 39 pages- full of info and exercises with descriptions and pictures. good luck!
michele26035 henpen1980
Posted
Hi. I had a partial rotator cuff repair. Your tips are excellent. What I need to do is ice more. Thank you
RickCody michele26035
Posted
For what it’s worth, finding a comfortable pain free sleeping position took me a very long time. But it’s essential to getting good sleep in order to get you strength and energy back. I also slept only on my back for a while. Hated that. I eventually settled on sleeping on my good side with two pillows under my head at a fairly high elevation. Then I stuck a 3rd pillow under my arm in my armpit of my injured shoulder so that the shoulder doesn’t fall forward as I’m lying on my side and this also takes all the weight of the arm off the injured shoulder.
Sleeping in that position with the 3 pillows is bliss. No pain in the neck or the injured shoulder and not too much weight on top of the good shoulder since my head is pretty highly elevated from the two pillows. I am 13 months post surgery now and can sleep in pretty much any position again, but I still often sleep that way with the 3 pillows on my side, I now switch sides in fact, because it just feels so restful. best wishes with your recovery.