Sunday, October 25, 2009

Week 5 - Rotator Cuff Surgery Recovery

This is a chronicle of my recovery, because no one told me what it would really be like trying to recover from intensive rotator cuff surgery.  Or maybe, I just wanted to be ignorant.  I heard several times that it was a "long recovery," but did I know I wouldn't be able to use my arm for three months?  Yes, I guess I did know that, but what I didn't know is what that meant.


I didn't know I wouldn't be able to pull up my own pants the first week, or tie my own shoes for two weeks, or put on a bra.  I just didn't think about the daily details that would be so different.  So I thought, maybe someone else will want to know, and it won't be so difficult coping for them.  I'll have to work backwards, because today is the first day I've had the strength/endurance in my arm and the motivation to type this much.

Week 5 has had some ups and some downs.  I am getting totally off the pain killers (including Ibuprofen and Tylenol), but because of that, I'm experiencing more pain.  Typing is still tiring and somewhat painful.  I've extended the hours I can sleep in my bed (with a wedge to prop me up 7 inches) to five hours, then I move down to the den and the recliner for the rest of the night.

Mind you, I've only had two 5-hour nights in bed this week; the others were two, three, and four hours at a time.  Part of me just wants to give up trying to sleep in my own bed, but Don likes to have me there, at least at the beginning of the night.  (He doesn't wake up when I move to the den.)  The other thing that keeps me trying is that I remember how much I was loathing sleeping by myself in the den after three weeks.  (Part of that is because I'm afraid of the wind, and there's a huge willow tree right outside the den... I kept envisioning it breaking through the roof of the den.) 


New Week 5 accomplishments: 30 minutes of aerobics (bike and treadmill) at the gym (twice this week), down to two times a week for physical therapy, can almost wipe with my right hand, able to update my blog :) ,  able to put on almost any kind of shirt (taking them off is more difficult), could put on tights without too much pain, have gotten 8 hours of sleep twice this week (with short wakeful times to change sleep locations), handwriting is almost normal if the writing surface is low,  thinking and emotions more stable with the decrease in pain meds.  I think that's about it.

Things I still can't do with my right arm/hand: lift it (PT people said "no, no"), brush my teeth or hair, put cream on my face, blow my nose (have to do that one-handed), wash my hair, dry off, wipe (just try wiping with your other hand! TMI), nothing behind my back, can't carry anything heavier than a cup of coffee (that hasn't changed), chores (yipee!) (actually, I did vacuum with my left hand yesterday, and I take out the trash, do my own laundry, dishes, cook and pick up dog poo, but all with one arm, so it takes about twice as long).  Can't open doors, or put on my own seatbelt when I'm in the driver's seat, grading student papers is hard, ... blah, blah, blah... and of course I can't draw my bow.

I haven't tried to draw my bow, of course, big no, no.  But my husband put it together yesterday and hung it back up on the wall (it is a take-down, 3-piece DAS recurve).  I almost cried.  I haven't seen it since we went to the 2009 Traditional Championships in Erie, PA (I earned fourth place).  Two days after we got back, I was in surgery.

So, do you suppose he put it back up for some psychological motivation to heal faster?!?  I won't be able to even try to pull it until January.  Maybe it will keep me looking forward towards the goal of being able to shoot again.

This surgery recovery is more difficult than when I had disk-replacement surgery 13 years ago.  After that surgery, I felt immediately better (no more pinched nerves).  This time, after 5 weeks, my arm/shoulder still hurts more than before the surgery.  Mentally, it is hard for me to grasp.  I just don't understand. I should have "bounced back" by now.  But I have to hang on to the belief that it will be better some day.  Weird.   When I saw the x-ray, it looked like Frankenstein.  There are six-3/5ths inch screws in my shoulder, all womp-a-jog.  And you could see the metal plate in my neck and the four screws there in the picture, too.  Really Frankenstein!

10 comments:

  1. Oh Missi! Your poor shoulder! You are so stoic, I did not realise how big an incision and all the hardware.... All in the cause of archery???

    Hang in there baby sister! I'm sending healing vibes your way (if only I could!)

    Not a great time to start a diet, by the way..... sorry. I love you!

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  2. Hi Miss, I just found your blog and hope that by now you are back to your old self. I just head major rotator cuff surgery 2 weeks ago, and I am going out of my mind. Extremely depressed. I used to work out 4 to 6 times per week, have always been extremely independent, and right now I can barely whash my hair by myself. I am in desperate need of a feed back of someone like you who hopefully has seen the light at the end of the tunnel. So please write me and let me know that you got your life back and that it was worth it having the surgery because I keep asking myself what have I done? Would it be better to stay with the pain but being able to hold my daughter and lift light weights versus none for another 6 months to a year? Thanks, Rose, Newton, MA

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    1. Hi Rose, I'm so sorry I didn't see your post earlier. I've been "away" from this for awhile. And you have too, since you wrote this back in August. I bet you are on the upside now, starting to feel like yourself again? There are certainly depressing times we have to go through to come out the other side. Yes, my life is pretty much back to normal. It's been three years since I had my surgery. My right shoulder (where I had the surgery) is not the same as my left, but it works, and it is not painful most of the time. The lingering issues I have are that I get a stiff neck when I get too stressed out now. It's like all the stress goes into my neck. And I don't have as much flexibility in that shoulder. But I am able to shoot archery again just fine. Last summer I won a national competition. So, if you give it time, and do the physical therapy your doctor recommends, you'll be fine, and exercising four to six times a week again soon. I can totally relate to the washing the hair thing. Each week, I could wash a little more of my head with my right hand. Since it's been three months for you, you may not bea able to use your arm very much yet. Wait about six months, and then you will probably have your full range of motion. For me, it was about a year until I felt "like my old self." But it gets better each week! Hang in there! It will be worth it in the long run.

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  3. oh my God I am 3 1/2 months and still so much pain I don't know what to do........insurance has stopped physical therapy after 20 visits and now I feel I am losing ground......dr tells me to get a lawyer and fight the insurance co for more therapy........yes and in the mean time my arm gets more and more painful don't know what to do........so depressed, cry all the time while exercising because of the pain

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  4. Hi "Anonymous," I'm so sorry you are still in so much pain! Maybe something went wrong in your surgery? Have you talkedto the doctor about that? Does he say, "It's normal"? I know my recovery was slower than many person's, but my doctor kept saying, "Your surgery was more complex," so my recovery was going to take longer.

    After my physical therapy ran out, I still tried to do the exercises at home, but you're right, it's not really the same as having someone to help you at the PT office.

    It does seemn strange that you still have so much pain. Might you be able to go back to PT after the first of the year? Are you still wearing your arm brace? Are you using an ice pack every night? I couldn't lay flat in my bed until three and a half months. I slept in a recliner until then. Are you sleeping in a recliner?

    I'm so sorry you still feel so badly. You will recover, but sometimes it seems so slow, I can relate to your depression. I was very depressed, too! I hope you have someone you can talk to who is close to you, although no one understands who hasn't been through a difficult shoulder surgery. Simple things like opening doors and carrying groceries are just not simple anymore... for quite some time.

    It may seem like forever, but in another three months you should be significantly better. If you are not, I would recommend going to a different doctor to get a second opinion.

    Hang in there! You will get better!

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  5. Rotatory cuff surgery is no joke. It requires a long, slow recovery. My surgery was over 2 years ago and was the hardest thing I'v ever done. Now, my wife just had the same surgery on January 3rd and will be wearing her sling for a total of 6 weeks. The physical therapy is the most critical step after allowing time for healing. It is painful and I wanted to quit each and every time I was "scheduled" to do the exercises. I didn't quit, though, because I wanted to follow the path to recovery to the letter. I have about 95 percent "back to normal" status and am so glad it's behind me. (Although I need to do more exercises to stay limber.) The whole thing is serious and mentally difficult. Sleep, rest, eating, and getting back to normal is the challenge. I have approached strangers in public when I see the sling...to connect with the person who is going through the tunnel of recovery.

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  6. I think I am glad I didn't read this two weeks ago! M surgery was 1 week ago. I very seriously prepared as much as I could. My Dr simply called my problem a significant tear of my rotator cuff. I was finding it difficult to work. We gave up using our sail boat because I was a useless crew member except navigation. I have earned my mess with 67 full years of living. The shoulder comes first because my ankle also is torn and shredding and I couldn't bear using a cane, crutch or walker with the pain.
    I am off of the pain meds except the diclophenac I have taken for years. I spent time practicing using my left hand.. I can even use chop sticks left handed, I cant get my sling completely connected by myself.
    My biggest problem was severe depression the first few days, I think that was the drugs. I have been on my computer from day one. Sleeping has been hell! I also hate not sleeping with my husband. Just does not work. Other than that I am doing great. Today I picked peas, did some dishes, dressed myself, and...... knitted!
    I am thinking my injury was much less than yours.. guess we will see.. Doc says I can do whhatever doesn't hurt.


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  7. Sounds like your recovery is going very well! Great! My shoulder is fine now, three years later. Not quite as flexible, but I'm always working on that. :)

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  8. I'm approaching week 5 post op.
    I appreciate the posts because I realize that the frustration and depression are normal.
    I'm a gym rat and look forward to returning to my home away from home.
    I walk a lot and on days it's raining I use my stationary bike.
    I thought I'd miss driving the most.
    It's an inconvenience but I miss putting my hair in a ponytail more.
    And being able to blow out my hair.
    I'm so grateful I had my surgery in the summer.
    It makes dressing soooooo much easier.

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  9. Hope you can ponytail your hair soon! It gets a little better every day!

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