Rotator Cuff Surgery-4 weeks post-op

Wow, only 2 weeks in the sling? I am jealous! I also had the elbow down to fingers pain, it was getting better at 3 weeks but then I overdid it yesterday and that pain is back. Good luck at PT 😬. I am 3.5 weeks post op.

I too am 4 weeks postop. I started physical therapy one week after surgery which initially went well, although this week I am in terrible pain. I too have pain radiating through my elbow into my lower arm and threw out my hand. This has been a frustrating recovery so far, as I didn't realize or I guess take serious what people meant when they said what a long recovery this surgery requires. Something else I'm having a very difficult time with is my lack of energy. I'm someone that never sits down and I very seldom watch television. I find all I want to do now is lie in my bed or relax on the couch with hopes that maybe the following day I will find energy to do the smallest chores around the house. Does anyone else find their energy level is drained or am I just being a baby? Thanks everyone for your input and sharing your experiences throughout this process. Best of luck to everyone and Karen good luck at PT!

I was very low on energy the first month. I had to force myself to take walks and gradually increase the distance or go to the gym to ride the bike. I have been very unmotivated about doing anything around the house that does not need to be done. Thank goodness I live alone and my kids are grown and on their own so I don't have to cook and no one sees if the house is dirty. Just last week (now almost 6 weeks) I started feeling like doing more. I am actually bored stiff cause I can't work since I have a very active job...and I am not a big TV watcher. There is only so much time you can spend walking/hiking or riding a stationary bike and I do feel pretty exhausted after I have forced myself out to do something. I think it's important to try to balance rest and activity. Pain saps your energy. Be easy on yourself. Your body will let you know when it's ready to be more active. This truly is a difficult surgery to recover from...it's not for sissy's. I broke my neck 8 years ago and had neck fusion and facial surgery (bike accident) and I feel like this surgery has been more painful and difficult to recover from. 

I just hit 4 weeks. I still have a lot of pain, can't sleep and very low energy.

First PT apptmt yesterday. It wasn't bad at all. Some range of motions measurements weren't too bad, others, nothing! First exercises are pretty simple. It just wasn't a big deal........This morning I am so sore I should be in a hospital!! Holy cow. I barely moved yesterday and feel like I was chopping wood all day. Seriously sore muscles. I'm sure that will improve quickly as I keep doing the exercises.

Same. 4 weeks today, pain is definitely better but still significant and having much difficulty sleeping.

12 days post op. Only using 600 mg Advil every 6 hours. Using an ice machine which I highly recommend. Went for 1st checkup 2 days ago. Gave me a sling but having hard time getting it comfortable so still wearing immobilizer. Was given no exercises to do waiting on pt to start. I too was active but I'm not doing anything but sitting and sleeping in this recliner. I had no idea recovery time was so long. Determined to get up and start moving today! We love motorcycling so I'm hoping I'm able to get on soon. Glad I found this forum.

I'm 4 days post op. I am In alot of pain and low energy. Trying to take only tramadol for pain and keep percocet for when I start PT on July 3rd. SleepING is minimal about an hour at the time. I'm usually high energy and have a high tolerance for pain but this is kicking my tail. Much worse than my hysterectomy or gall bladder surgery. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed that this recovery will take so long.

HI Cindy. I am just 7 weeks out. It was surprisingly difficult for me as well. Just be careful and quiet and do what they say. It will get better. It seems like forever and is literally baby steps. I have a long way to go too.

HI,  I am 3 weeks post surgery and although I have times of discomfort, pain is not debilitating.  I was encouraged to purchase a machine that pumps continuous ice water through a shoulder pad and believe this has made a huge difference.  Used it non-stop the first 10 days.  Now, I leave it on all night and need no pain meds.  Started passive PT two weeks ago but my surgeon wants me in the immobilization sling 12 weeks.  There certainly are many different modes of treatment listed here.  I had 3 tears, a bone spur and bicep reattatchment.  Will see PT again in a couple of days.  My spouse has been amazing at working through the exercise routine. I am 74 and I am going to work my butt off to make this a success, however long it takes😘  Look up the ice machines.  You won't be sorry.  Be Well and take care of yourself...

Happy to hear you are doing well g.j.  that's awesome you are able to use the ice machine for so long. I think the cold is the best medicine. The machine definitely requires help of an additional person. I used mine the first 5 days then switched to cold packs. Cheers for your husband too! Good luck with the total journey!

 

Hi....I'm having my torn rotator cuff surgery tomorrow! Probably should've been watching funny movies today instead of reading this thread. ??😳

I've had 5 other types of surgeries in the past 7 years, and I was the one who NEVER had surgeries!

I'm going into it with eyes wide open. I know it's gonna be a bugger; and then some. 😩

I didn't know about this ice machine thing, so I'm going to be looking into that today!

Question: Because the surgery is oupatient, what will it be like for me tomorrow when I get home, and the first few days home. Will I need someone with me at all times, or only tomorrow?

HI. Good luck! If you have a nerve block it won't be too bad after the surgery, but do use ice and take the meds as they tell you. The block will wear off. Having someone to help depends on which hand. As you've probably gathered from reading this thread this surgery was a surprise to many of us. It's a comfort to know you're not alone. Let me know how it goes.

Hi Christine. Very encouraging words. I had rotator cuff, bicep tear and bone spur surgery this past Monday. The nerve block was a little weird for me but I guess a necessary evil. Not looking forward to PT. I had it for my right shoulder which I broke 5 years ago and I cried like a baby. At least I know what to expect, I think. This too shall pass.

I keep telling myself this too shall pass. I haven't been taking pain med school before PT until last time she was worried about frozen shoulder. So yesterday I did. She really worked me over and today I am really paying for it. I understand my ROM is improving but it's hard sometimes. I am almost 11 weeks. I never took the phrase "baby steps" so literally. Keep in touch. Good luck!

Not school! Just meds!

Am at 11 weeks here. Rotator cuff is fine but have frozen shoulder.A result of waiting too long for surgery. 2 weeks of mega anti inflammatory meds. If no better manipulation under anesthesia

Oh dear. It was 6 mos before my surgery. Not all my fault entirely. I'll hope for the best for you and me!

Hi Christine & all...my surgery on Tuesday went really well. There must've been a cancellation as they had one spot open within a week's time of my scheduling it...versus well into August. I was glad to snap it up! I ended up having a bigger rotator cuff tear than he saw on the MRI, and he also found a bicep tear....so a two-fer. 🙃

I got the block before coming home...helped sooo much with pain & ability to sleep that first night!

I have to be in the immobilizer for 4 weeks before

starting phase 1 of PT.

I'm already sick of the immobilizer, but I have to keep myself in check remembering that this is gonna be healing for hopefully a lifetime. It'll help when I have another week under my belt so I can feel like going into the real world! Right now I just don't have the stamina to do that. I tell people my particular healing is NOT linear (today is better than yesterday, etc.) but more like each day I could be feeling good for a few hours, then feel a little unsteady, then somewhat painfree, then some pain...kind of all over the map.

I didn't need pain meds today, but can tell some pain is coming on now at 6:30pm, so I'll take some soon. On 4 weeks of Keflex to prevent any infections also.

Hello.  Good to hear you are moving along!  DON'T FORGET to ice your shoulder throughout the day especially when you start reducing or stop your pain meds Rx or OTC!!  Hang in there!!

 

Yes. The unloved immobilizer. We all need something to look forward to ie: it comes off! This website has been of enormous comfort to me. I check all progress just to know it's not just me. Now it's the pain from PT and knowing the doctor will be reluctant to prescribe pain meds. OTC just don't work so I try to do without. And I ice a lot. Keep in touch..

Thanks for the needed reminder about keeps the icing going throughout the day/evening! It's so easy to forget it when the shoulder isn't horrible. Gonna do that again when I hop off here.

Had my first AWFUL night not sleeping/not comfortable, and the weirdest dreams!!! I think it's because it was my first night without the block and any pain meds. And I'm a big time stomach sleeper and always have an arm over my head when I sleep....so this whole thing is cramping my style!!! Haha 😂 (yet not haha.)

When I came out to the livingroom this morning like a zombie, I got an ice pack on my shoulder and immediately fell asleep in a chair! Then later fell asleep on the couch!

We're borrowing a recliner from a couple we know...getting it tomorrow. That should really help, right?

You are so right about needing something to look forward to! And a highlight will be getting this immobilizer off! Starting PT in a month will be an unlikely highlight...not cuz it'll be fun, but knowing I'm in that next step of the process.

Last night was the absolute pits regarding sleeping!!! Those nighttime hours just dragged on and my oh my the weird dreams! Has anyone else had those?! It was my first night off all pain meds, so maybe somewhat of a withdrawal or something?

We're borrowing some friends' recliner tomorrow. I'm sure hoping that helps with sleeping and having an easier way to prop up my arm/shoulder with pillows.

I may have to send a runner to get me cookie dough at Papa Murphy's! 😜

I'm glad to hear someone else had weird dreams. I did from the muscle relaxers they gave me. I avoid those. I tried sleeping on everything including an outside lounge. I gave it up and slept on the bed with a lot of pillows. We're lucky to have an extra room. One has to keep looking ahead! My husband has been making chocolate pudding! I thought baseball season would make this tolerable but the Giants are having their worst year in a 100. Oh well. Keep telling us how it's going.

Well dang...now I want chocolate pudding!!! Or any kind of pudding! That really sounds good!

Send the Giants' PR person a note about your horrible surgery & recovery & that they had a responsibility to be good this year for you! Maybe they'll use it for good PR and have all of the fans rooting for you, put a pic of you in your immobilizer on the JumboTron, and give you some free game tickets for down the line!

Good idea! I drove carefully for the 2nd time today. Decided I'd best not buy the 20lb bag of cat food! Now I'm down with ice. You really have to pace yourself. Next I can look forward to my PT exercises! Keep laughing. I've watched Harry Potter 4 times since surgery. Envying everytime they moved their arms to wave a wand!

YES to recliner!   YES to ice!

 

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I had our college son go to the store to get me 2 boxes of pudding! One chocolate and one vanilla. Made it immediately and just had some...chocolate of course! Ahhh...

My husband rearranged the livingroom furniture before he went to work today, so tomorrow we're all set for them to bring the recliner over.

I laughed about the Harry Potter wand waving! So far I started this completely lame 1979 movie where a bear attacks campers. Cinematography was hilarious at best. Then the British Open, and now the California Tough Mudder. I think I need to get some Netflix going. After a nap!

Harry Potter is on all next weekend on Freeform. This site is so good. You're not alone. Keep it up. And, hen pen, I'm doing the shoulder squeeze more often. Thanks for the reminder.

I m in no mans land: four months out. No pain if i dont do stretching etc. Ordinary stuff ok. Not sure whether I need to just be patient for more healing before more PT or whether a problem. Help!

That sounds like you need docs or PTS advice. Seems as though if you have pain when stretching you still need to work at it. People on here will have good advice as they've been through it longer than I. I still hurt all the time, though different degrees of pain - day to day. I'm curious what others will say. Luck!

Remember everything you do with your good arm still affects the muscles in the immobilzed arm. I just carried a small bag of dirt and now I'm icing.