I am going to be having major shoulder surgery. I need to know how the recovery and pain was.
Posted , 5 users are following.
I am scheduled for surgery on 9/21/17. The surgery is to drain my bursa, to get rid of bone spurs, and to repair a partial thickness tear of my rotator cuff. I have 3 children ages 11, 8, and almost 7 (9/29/10). I am the only driver in my house as we have been working on getting my husband his license since January. I also have to drive him to and from work which is 1 hr and 30 minutes each way. I am trying to see if this will be possible to do after having surgery and I also want to know how other peoples recovery after this type of surgery was. Also I am on NC state Medicaid and they only approve 3 pt apps after surgery, how is that gonna help me get my arm right?? Please any info would help as my Dr want helpful in explaining the recovery process to me yet. Thanks in advance for any help!! Love to you all!!
1 like, 5 replies
Volleyballmom lauren3483
Posted
Lauren,
I sympathize with you. In 2015 I had almost the same procedure on my right shoulder/right handed.
Through out the years I have had a totall knee replacement, right foot fusion. Shoulder surgery. I can tell you shoulder surgery was the worst. The pain level if I could give it a number will be 20+
I have never insure this type of pain not even with addition 2 c- sections.
Lauren.
You will not be able to drive especially 1.5 hours each way. It is very dangerous and Illegal. You need to have full control of the steering wheel. Do you want to have legal issues and the possibility of loosing your liscense or worst jail time/prison.
My sling came off 4 weeks and I only drove 5 miles for 2 months.
PT
I was fortunate that I did not have to do PT after 2 appointments. I did all my PT at home and by four months almost had full range of motion.
One of things that was almost impossible for me to do was to put on pants and was very hard asking my husband to help me get dress (I am very independent) yes I do have our grandson now 4 living with us pain or no pain will I allow anything to get in my way carying for him.
I am glad that your children are older and hopefully they can help you with your recovery (I hope)
There are two things you shoul get.
1. Graver will help you pick up things off the floors and countertops or shelves.
Be prepare to sleep sitting up on a coush or recliner. My surgeon told me because of the amount of nerves we have on our shoulder is going to hurt and his comment "In other words you are going to hate me" he sure was right.
On Thursday I am having low back surgery from a car accident I was in and on October 6th😭😫😣😖
shoulder surgery on my left. Back I will be able to tolerate but shoulder pain post-op will be unbearable. (Deer Accident)
Finally
DO NOT DRIVE
Take care and I which you a speedy recovery.
Ana
Volleyballmom lauren3483
Posted
Lauren,
I sympathize with you. In 2015 I had almost the same procedure on my right shoulder/right handed.
Through out the years I have had a totall knee replacement, right foot fusion. Shoulder surgery. I can tell you shoulder surgery was the worst. The pain level if I could give it a number will be 20+
I have never insure this type of pain not even with addition 2 c- sections.
Lauren.
You will not be able to drive especially 1.5 hours each way. It is very dangerous and Illegal. You need to have full control of the steering wheel. Do you want to have legal issues and the possibility of loosing your liscense or worst jail time/prison.
My sling came off 4 weeks and I only drove 5 miles for 2 months.
PT
I was fortunate that I did not have to do PT after 2 appointments. I did all my PT at home and by four months almost had full range of motion.
One of things that was almost impossible for me to do was to put on pants and was very hard asking my husband to help me get dress (I am very independent) yes I do have our grandson now 4 living with us pain or no pain will I allow anything to get in my way carying for him.
I am glad that your children are older and hopefully they can help you with your recovery (I hope)
There are two things you shoul get.
1. Graver will help you pick up things off the floors and countertops or shelves.
Be prepare to sleep sitting up on a coush or recliner. My surgeon told me because of the amount of nerves we have on our shoulder is going to hurt and his comment "In other words you are going to hate me" he sure was right.
On Thursday I am having low back surgery from a car accident I was in and on October 6th😭😫😣😖
shoulder surgery on my left. Back I will be able to tolerate but shoulder pain post-op will be unbearable. (Deer Accident)
Finally
DO NOT DRIVE
Take care and I which you a speedy recovery.
Ana
lauren3483 Volleyballmom
Posted
Ok. I will not drive then. I guess he will be getting a ride from his coworkers or boss. I have had 3 sections and in 2014 I passed out from low blood pressure and woke up on the floor and couldn't move my ankle. Went to the Er and I broke two bones in my ankle. I had to have emergency surgery the next day to put a,metal plate and 11 screws in my ankle. Its has,been almost 3 years and I still have pain. I am going to get the grabber and the ice machine and recliner to help with this recovery. I will definitely not drive because I do not want to get into a accident or in trouble. He wants me to push my surgery back, but I am in so much pain and when I drive it hurts worse. My youngest sons birthday 8 days after surgery, do you think I will be ok to celebrate with him? I have been reading the stories on here and it seems this is one of the most painful recoveries. I am praying for a speedy recovery for you and for me. Thank you for answering my question. I hope everything goes well and keep me updated and I will keep you updated also!! Good day to you!!
scrapbooker56 lauren3483
Posted
I have to agree,this surgery is the worst. I was not told by my doctor how this would impact my life for many many months. I am at 3.5 months after sugery and still have pain daily. There is really no way you can drive. I'm glad you've gotten the ice machine and a recliner . I was I the recliner for about 6 weeks. I started my PT at four weeks and only have 1 appointment left. The rest I have to do on my own.
One thing my PT did tell me last week is that your recovery really doesn't start until after 6 weeks, because your arm is immobile until then. So surgery wise I'm 3.5 months, recover wise I am about 7 weeks. I hope you have some one who can drive you places and help you at home. Don't rush your recovery as you don't want to injure yourself again. Be patient, one day at a time. Good luck.
maryhadalamb lauren3483
Posted
From 2010 until 2013, I lived in North Carolina. I had 2 surgeries while there: (1) ACDF C4-C6 and (2) Rotator Cuff Surgery. With the rotator cuff surgery, I was in a sling for probably 6 weeks, I did not initially drive due to [u]pain [/u]but after my pain reduced, I did drive to PT with my sling on. There were no laws in NC that stated a person could not drive while wearing a sling. I just looked at NC BMV rules and I saw nothing that forbids a person with a sling from driving. As almost everyone knows, driving while taking any medications that impair your driving is against the law; that is specifically described in the NC laws. There is nothing about slings or casts on the arm (or legs but I am personally against driving with a cast on your leg). I've worked as a claims adjuster for over 23+ years and NC was one of the states that I handled. I NEVER had a claim where the police report ever mentioned a sling or cast. Our investigation never delved into whether or not someone had a sling on. The lawsuits that I handled include a legal document called Interrogatories and attorneys never ask "Were you wearing a sling?"
If you were in an accident, an insurance company [u]may[/u] try to apply some fault to you for wearing a sling [u]if[/u] wearing the sling obviously contributed to or was the proximate cause of the accident.
Driving your husband that far to work seems like a bad idea for a couple of reasons: (1) it will be a strain on your shoulder healing/incision and you'll be fatigued very easily (2) you'll be driving without the pain control given by medications and (3) if another driver is at fault for an accident or you simply/instinctively react to avoid a collision, you will likely re-injure yourself.
While NC does not specifically make driving with a sling illegal, it is not the best of ideas.