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Is anyone happy they had shoulder surgery?

Posted , 15 users are following.

victoria13635
victoria13635

I've been diagnosed with impingement of my shoulder. I also have a hooked acromion.  PT helped some but not the arc or when I have to push or lift with my right arm. Those actions hurt but not horribly. I was given the steriod injection a week ago. It has eased the pain, but not taken it away totally. My sister said that shoulder surgery is extremely painful and that no one has recovered completely, that they all still have pain to some degree. I know my next step is surgery to decompress that area but after talking to her, I'm wondering if it would be better to just live with my pain.

thanks for your views and advice

Victoria

0 likes, 45 replies

45 Replies

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  • grammie48
    grammie48 victoria13635

    Posted

    i have not  found that to  be true.  After 3 months I had no pain.  Didn't have the strength yet, that takes some time but I had no pain.  I had 2 tendons that were totally 100% ruptured off the bone. The bicep tendon was unrepairable, so I lost that.  I took Oxy's for 2 days and then switched off to Tylenol or ice, but not constantly.  Yes it does hurt and it is a difficult road with trying to use only one hand for a while.  But in the end, I had  full  use of my arm and no pain or maybe just a twinge now and then.  

    • victoria13635
      victoria13635 grammie48

      Posted

      Thank you so much. I'm waving back and forth on getting the surgery or not. The steroid injection did help, but not totally. When I've used the arm, my dominant arm, it aches. It's kind of like a constant headache if my arm is used. I know that the steroid will eventually wear off I don't know if the pain will start up again or not. I'm thinking it will since it's not totally gone, but maybe that's the way it's supposed to work. Dr on vacation but I have an appointment in about 10 days. I just don't want to have surgery and find out it wasn't needed. I do have a hook on the acromion but I'm not sure if it's a spur or just type II or type III acromion. At the time I was told about it, I didn't know what it was all about. Had knee surgery last fall. It wasn't what was expected but it did help a lot.

  • jaycee1956
    jaycee1956 victoria13635

    Posted

    I would agree with your sister that the surgery is extremely painful; to the point that for a fair while afterwards I wondered if it was worth it.  However, having regained complete range of motion back and an odd twinge now and again - not just the repaired shoulder - a sad fact of getting older I fear, I am so glad that I did bite the bullet.  
    • victoria13635
      victoria13635 jaycee1956

      Posted

      Thank you so much. Can I ask how long you waited from first having pain to finally getting surgery?
    • jaycee1956
      jaycee1956 victoria13635

      Posted

      Probably a couple of years.  I tried other avenues first.  Physio, acupuncture, injection in GP surgery and then again using a scan so that it was more accurate, and although there was some relief from this it was short lived.  The surgeon who carried out the procedure also wanted to use open surgery rather than keyhole as he said he could do a better job.  In actual fact I did have a torn rotator cuff also and it could well have been damaged because of the need to have the surgery in the first place. This did not show up on x-ray or MRI.  Overall, despite the pain following the surgery, I could not be happier with the outcome.  This forum was great whilst I was in the throes of sleepless nights and ice packs, and I do agree with another poster who says you tend to hear the bad stories on here, which is why I try to put the positives on so that people can see the other side also.  
    • victoria13635
      victoria13635 jaycee1956

      Posted

      Thank you. I am leaning towards the surgery just for the reason of trying to avoid a tear in the rotator cuff.
  • st67005
    st67005 victoria13635

    Posted

    I have had two decompression surgeries (both shoulders) They were both done with a scope so there was just two little "bullet Hole" incisions. I was driving the next day after both operations. I did have some pain for a few months but nothing like the pain of the impingement. My surgeon was upset with me for waiting too long to get the surgery since the rubbing of the bone on the rotator cuff tendons caused them to be frayed and damaged. In my view just "living with it" is not an option. Eventually you will have rotator cuff damage and that IS hard to fix. Decompressions are minor surgery compared to cuff repairs, believe me. I have since had a skiing accident and had many shoulder surgeries including replacement so I know about pain.

    Get the surgery soon.

     

    • victoria13635
      victoria13635 st67005

      Posted

      Thank you so much. That was what I was thinking also. Better to do the small things to avoid the big ones. But, I'm wavering because the steroid injection did help alleviate some of the pain, but not totally. But, I do also know that it's a "bandaid" and not a cure. I truly appreciate your taking the time and effort to answer my question.

  • bill49757
    bill49757 victoria13635

    Posted

    I would like to add to this discussion in regards to anyone being happy with the surgery. My situation at 64 years old is having a 50 percent tear. The pain and limited movement is driving me crazy. Still in therapy to try and treat a frozen shoulder and build strength around the tear. After nearly 2 months of therapy , do not notice much improvement. In fact, at times seem worse. I have seen so much doom and gloom on these sites, that i am really scared to move forward with the surgery. Has anyone here had success with an actual tear being repaired? 
    • victoria13635
      victoria13635 bill49757

      Posted

      I wish I could answer your question. At times my PT seemed worse too. But, it did help with some ROM but those areas were not really bothering me to begin with. The steroid injection has helped some, but not totally. I don't think there is rotator cuff damage, but an MRI hasn't been done yet.

    • scrapbooker56
      scrapbooker56 bill49757

      Posted

      Bill, what you see here is people having questions and yes some issues. What you don't see is all the surgery that worked. This is a great site to see if you are on the right road to recovery, I find it very helpful.

      Victoria, sometimes my shots take a few weeks to totally work.

  • mia98887
    mia98887 victoria13635

    Posted

    Hello Victoria!!

     First of all I had the same thing as you described . But my wording will be a little different than yours. I had a calcium deposit hook growing on the back of my shoulder and a 95%  tear of my rotator cuff. And on the contrary of what your friend said, I have known at least seven people that have had the surgery and they are pain-free after a year. Lifting weights, working out of the gym etc. I think it’s important  to not do too much too soon after the surgery but to follow your doctor‘s orders. Some doctors tell you to start moving it right after surgery... however a good surgeon will have you take your time as to not tear or undo what he/she has repaired.  I was told the shoulder heals about 15% a month...

     I have recently heard about Stem Cell repair. I’m not sure what that entails but if  I were to have to do another repair, whether it’s a shoulder, knee or hip... I would definitely look into it! This surgery is extremely painful and Inconvenient when it comes time to being able to wash your hair, brush your teeth, make dinner, take a shower etc. Saily stuff!

    You’re basically at the mercy of somebody taking care of you for a month. I am extremely self-sufficient, a very strong woman. With a lot of pride and that was the hardest thing for me of all. Of course not being able to sleep at night has also been a hinder. I’m seven weeks out today, and I start PT on Thursday. I think that’s going to help even more. Good luck with everything!!!   

    • victoria13635
      victoria13635 mia98887

      Posted

      Thank you so much. I see the Dr next week and I'll know more then. 

    • victoria13635
      victoria13635 mia98887

      Posted

      I saw the Dr yesterday.He ordered an MRI. I go on Monday for that and back to the Dr on Friday. He did not mention surgery. He said they would look for rotator cuff tear and look at the muscle. The order reads "Rule out Impingement". I guess that's the same thing. He also explained the hook IS bone growth, like a spur. He said it wasn't called a spur and he never really said if it were a calcium deposit or not. Just said it was something that happens to bones as they age. (?)

  • henpen1980
    henpen1980 victoria13635

    Posted

    I had to have surgery due to a goofy accident which resulted in dislocating my shoulder and tearing three of the rotator cuff muscle tendons.  Two ripped completely off the humeral head (ball) in complete full thickness retracted injuries.  The third was a 50% full thickness tear - which healed on its own.  The other two required surgery to reattach the tendons to the ball.  I had trouble after the original surgery.  It was due to the amount of damage done.  It sucked.  Painful and tearful.  My shoulder was not healing correctly.  PT would not speak to the surgeon.  It was crazy.  15 weeks into PT (3 times per week) the PT had me do something that I should not have done under the circumstances, and sutures ruptured on the supraspinatus resulting in the repair ripping completely off and retracting AGAIN.  I wailed for 45 minutes 3:00 a.m. until 3:45 a.m. as the tendon ripped off the anchors.  The sutures ruptured around 6:30 p.m. the evening before...  I did not have the intense wailing pain until 3:00 a.m.  I did immediately lose ROM while at PT.  I called, texted, and send emails to my surgeon immediately.  He called, and I had to go back in for a new MRI which confirmed the rupture, tear, and retraction.  I had to have a "revision" surgery to re-reattached the supraspinatus tendon to the humeral head.  My surgeon and the same surgical team worked for FIVE hours (should have been three hours) cleaning up the mess and giving me a "double row" of anchors aka "belt and suspenders" lol...  I went to a different PT who was AWESOME and relied on gentle massage and passive rom which was pain-free.  I was discharged from PT after my 10 weeks 20 visit (2x/wk) to work on my own.  My second PT was a bit nervous because we had just started strengthening, but I needed a break from PT.  My surgeon also believes that if the repairs are done correctly and PT restores/encourages smooth rom/full rom strength will return the more I use the arm.  For me, the surgeon has been correct.  I did miss 17 weeks of work.  I have the summers off on top of that (10 weeks).  The revision was 6/2/17, and I am happy as a clam at the moment.  I have pain-free full 180 plus rom every which direction. I am strengthening to the point of 75-80% pre-injury.  I am 55 years old and was an elite athlete (swimming) when I was younger.I did my fair share of complaining and sobbing during the first recovery.  So much damage...My surgeon would not have gone back in had I not had the incident during PT.  A strange blessing in disguise, I guess.  I've heard a lot of people express frustration and misery after their surgery.  All I can say is stand your ground and demand re-evaluations or second opinions.  I would have been miserable had i been left alone after the first one.I iced more the second time around and encourage everyone to ICE and ice some more.  I stopped the opioids after two weeks.  I did not like using them; often jerked alert feeling like I was not breathing....scary.  Maybe that is why I iced more.  Every body's story seems to have similarities and differences.  GOOD LUCK.  Do your research; remember in theory the surgery and recovery should be temporary 9-12 months or so....; keep your

     chin up.  GOOD LUCK

    • grammie48
      grammie48 henpen1980

      Posted

      Your story sounds so much like mine.  I fell and tore 2 tendons 100% off the bone.  They were unable to repair the bicep tendon sad   but put in 3 anchors and repaired the supraspinitus.   Unfortunately I had a crappy therapist.  I would stand there with tears running down my face during therapy.  It hurt so bad.  I went back to my surgeon who said the tendon had 100% ruptured again and gave me about a 50% chance of repair being successful. I went through the surgery again and  I went to a different PT who was gentle and kind and is always hands on with massage and assisted ROM.  Despite his hard work, the tendon ruptured and retracted and atrophied into a pile of fatty tissue.  No repairing this time.   5 weeks ago I had a reconstruction of the whole joint.  They used cadavar tissue to make the repairs.  I am hopeful it will work.  Sounds kinda like what you had.  My therapy starts this week and he has me scheduled for 20 weeks.  Yikes.   Glad to hear you are doing well.  You've come the closest to what I am going  through so you just gave me lots of hope

    • henpen1980
      henpen1980 grammie48

      Posted

      Holy smokes!  Well, surgeons can do wonders with cadaver tissue and rebuilding/reconstructing.  Remember they look for the best tissue to harvest.  Thank God for people who donate their remains to help others!

      5 weeks is still very early in the recovery.  You have the knowledge this time around.  If it feels off DO NOT proceed with particular PT activities.  Communicate with your PT.  Insist that your PT communicate with your surgeon.  My second PT and surgeon communicated via progress/treatment notes which were connected to the health companies software.  So odd that the surgery center used the first PT company which was not connected via software.  The second PT was kind and encouraging.  I was her only patient for 45 minutes.  The first PT was required to have 2-3 patients concurrently which was problematic.

      I was nervous for many of the visit with the second PT.  When I finally realized that the revision was going to hold I got a bit bored with PT especially when I had to start with the bike/arm ergometer YUCK... to me that was a waste of time.  When I progressed to the point of having to use that to start that is when I felt like okay, my time is too valuable for this contraption.  That was around my 18th visit.  My PT was bewildered, but I explained that I spent 15 weeks (3x per week) with the first PT in that goofy PT mill and now 8 more weeks I need a break.  After I said I needed a break, I felt a bit unsure of myself at times and returned to the PT for visit 19 and 20 with specific questions.  The PT worked with me on the specifics which encouraged me.  I did not make it to any weights with the PT.  I was nervous thinking uh oh what will happen when I try to put the kayak on car's roof rack?  What will happen when I pick up/carry/dump (7-8) 50 lbs bags of birdseed into the containers at one time for my 88-year-old mom?  You know goofy stuff, my mom loves feeding the wildlife (another story for another time)...well I proceeded with caution and kept thinking do not push it, let it heal.  So here we are today about 75-80% it isn't a race.  Just let it heal.  Use it.  Be mindful.  I think you will be okay.  Own it this time around.  GOOD LUCK

    • grammie48
      grammie48 henpen1980

      Posted

      Thanks again for the  encouraging words.   My first PT was the PT mill too.  Never saw the actual therapist, just the aids.   The place I went to last spring and will start this Wednesday sounds like yours.  He has a doctorate and is very knowledgable. It helps that he is also very personable.   My whole appointment time will be with him.  He never ever says....go over there and do  those exercises.   He watches me all the time, talking to  me and counting on his fingers how many reps I am doing.  He does lots and lots of massage and passive/assistive ROM.  Also he tells me PT should not hurt and if anything I am doing causes pain, to tell him and he  will back down and work  our way back.  Well except when he tells me it will hurt a little, like massage.  It will  be a slow slow recovery, but I am committed to it.  My surgeon warned me before the procedure that it will be a long recovery but well worth it as I will have  no pain and be able to do most everything I want.  
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