[bebop]

I am having shoulder surgery on Friday. gonna be a challenge for sure. I need advise on clothes post op. all my tops are pullover. I will be in some type of sling for up to 3 months. argh! advise on clothing would be much appreciated and also those "personal" things we do on a daily basis would be nice lol. right shoulder and right handed oh my! lol

hey, bebop - firstly, best of luck with the surgery. i hope you have a speeding and easy recovery.

i was scheduled for arm surgery this past summer that never happened when i lost my job. i did make a lot of preparations though since it would have been on my right arm and i am right handed. here are some precautions:
do you have slip on shoes?
get a toothbrush with spinning bristles
if you floss and won't be able to then get mouthwash or those pre-assembled floss picks
easy to put on clothes are a must including socks, pants, shirts and undies
rather than buy new clothes, modify old ones, e.g., slitting large openings into the right arms of old shirts and removing sleeves if necessary. i find polyester and fleece easier to get on than wool and cotton clothes because of their tendency to slide on. also, loose clothing is easier to get on rather than tight clothing.

i wish you all the best with the surgery!

[lynn P.]

I just wanted to wish you good luck with the surgery ((bebop)). Unhappyguy listed some great suggestions. Once you get the sling off, make sure you follow the physiotherapy suggestions - you don't want to end up stiff. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[bebop]

thanks guys! I am not too worried about the clothes too awful much. I will be home mostly and will sit around in my jammies lol I did go out and buy me to cheap button up shirts this afternoon for going out. kind of nervous about this one like I have never been before though. argh!

[kindachaotic]

Hope your surgery goes well.

Had full rotator cuff tear with bones spurs. Surgery went ok, physical therapy was tough.

Large t-shirts were a must as was sleeping in a recliner for 2 months. Yes 3 months in a sling but I got addicted to mine, was really comfortable!

This one is Hugh, be sure you have a rubber non-slip mat in your shower!!
I almost fell the first time I took shower after surgery...

Sending healing thoughts your way.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

[bebop]

thank you. they aren't sure if there is a tear in the cuff but doing alot of exploring in there. also they think there is a tear in the labram(sp) also looking at some kind of lining. if it is thick then they take that out. may or may not repair possible tears. depending on how severe. strange to me!
thanks for the tips!

[ECHOES]

bebop, just want to send good wishes with your surgery!

You also may want to buy foods that are easy to prepare and eat one-handed.

[bebop]

echoes yeah lol thank goodness I have others here that can and do alot of the cooking now. whew!

[missbelle]

Been there, done that...too! Years ago I had rotator cuff surgery and they put a pin in. I am right handed and I learned quick how to be left handed except for the writing. I can do so much with my left hand but not sign my name...!!

I don't know what kind of surgery you are having but you can take that arm out of the sling and wear reguar stuff. Don't hang too much in your p.j.'s as you will find that a little depressing. Its best after a week or so to get dressed like normal. You will feel so much better. Its easy to get depressed after surgery because we never heal as fast as we want.Take it from me I had a total hip replacement January 5th and for sure I am not healing as fast as I want!!!!!

Youll be just fine. The physical therapy is not so hot but you will get through it all and it will soon be a memory!!!

Many hugs;

p.s. my signature etc,,,e.g. the words were from a meditation book...this was done before my surgery and sort of served as my mantra for surgery.. Maybe it can be yours as well

I especially like "too strong for fear"

[kindachaotic]

Hello Bebop, Hope your surgery went well & the physical therapy isn't too tough.

When you feel like it let us know how you're doing.

Sending healing thoughts your way.

[notz]

Bebop, I meant to let you know I had rotator cuff surgery a few years back. My labrum was torn and required 2 staples. They trimmed up some ragged tissue, zapped bone spurs and scar tissue. This was the result of a water skiing wipe out years ago. Just kept putting it off. If I'd known how much relief the surgery was going to give me, I would've done it a whole lot sooner! But the surgery and recuperation is no picnic in the park! But you can do it!!

What everyone has said is right on the money. Yep, you learn how to do things left handed real quick! The first time I brushed my teeth left handed, I thought the brush was going to come out my ear!! It got better.

Do your PT faithfully. Do exactly what they tell you to do. They know what they're doing. Yes, it's going to hurt but do what they tell you to do.

Ice was my friend. I used it to get everything as numb as I could so I didn't feel any pain. I stayed wrapped in a blanket with a warm hat on my head. I had the remote control and stayed mentally occupied with movies.

One handed typing is slow but you'll let us know how you're doing, right?

[Blondboy44]

Hi Bebop,
Hope the surgery went well. I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder in '97, then I had a total shoulder replacement in '07. Shoulder replacement was very successful and I was back to playing golf in four and one half months. I always was able to wear my regular clothing, although I required help at first in putting on shirts. You must be very careful to avoid bumping into things or letting people bump into you. Be conscientious about your rehab as that will expedite healing. I was told my replacement rehab would be six months; I worked my fanny off and finished it six weeks early! One of the biggest problems I have had was learning how to do toilet-clean up with my left hand. I still lack some flexibility in my right shoulder so I now use my left hand almost exclusively. You very likely are on Percocet or some other pain-killer, so make sure you are taking metamucil or something similar as that stuff can make one very constipated. Good luck!

[bebop]

surgery went o.k. not sure yet what all they did yet but the rt cuff was torn as well as the labram but no idea the extent. my time here is limited right now though lol

[notz]

Thinking of you...

[bebop]

I wish I had known it would be this bad. still one handed here. gonna be a long long recovery still

i am sorry to hear the recovery is going so slowly. i know from my surgeries that a lot of MDs underestimate the pain and the recovery period. i hope things turn around soon.

[kindachaotic]

Oh Bebop, had hoped it wouldn't be this difficult & painful by now but mine was..
About 4 months before I could say pain was tolerable with just Tylenol. Three months of PT at hosp & 3or4 more months at home.
Try & be patient, flexibility & range of motion took about a year.

My ortho doc tried to prepare me for the recovery but was still shocked at how painful exercises were. Would do exercises at home then ice, felt like I had just finished the last set & was time to do them again. I swear if it hadn't been for my husband I would have just settled for a frozen shoulder. He took 2wks off from work, would wake me up from a drugged haze to help me with exercises.

So feel free to whine cause this surgery is no joke. Was lucky that I don't work & didn't have to rush back to a job. Also learned to do everything left handed except write, still do a lot left handed & surgery was Nov of 2007.

Keep up the hard work, for me it has been worth it.

[Blondboy44]

Originally Posted by bebop

I wish I had known it would be this bad. still one handed here. gonna be a long long recovery still

Bebop, I cannot stress enough the importance of doing your rehab exercises on your own, conscientiously. Keep at it and be patient. You will start seeing real progress soon! Stretch,stretch and stretch! Start very light resistance exercises as soon as you can--maybe just with a heavy book. Good luck.

[bebop]

therapist told me today that she looked at my surgery chart and it was pretty extensive. dr still won't let her allow me to lift the arm on my own yet but did add one thing i can do at home for now. she said 8 weeks before he will allow me to do it on my own power. errrrrrrrrr

[googley]

(((((((((((Bebop))))))))))))))

I hope this period of pain passes quickly!

[bebop]

hahaha I have to laugh at myself. 2 or 3 nights this week somehow during my sleep my nightgown was off and so was my sling. now mind you the gowns do not button up so have to go over my head. getting them on is hard enough and even harder to take off. don't know how I did that! hahaha but hurt my arm once. it was over my head. oops paid dearly for that the next couple of days

[bebop]

6 week checkup today! dr says I am doing very well. for the most part I got rid of the sling! woo hoo! he said I only have to wear it now when I go out. come back in another 6 weeks! still quite a bit of pain but he said that is about right. at least 4 to 6 months of pain left waaaaaaaa

[ECHOES]

I'm glad you are mending well, bebop!

[bebop]

shoulder is improving! still not suppose to use it by itself but am doing it anyway. today's therapy has made it hurt like crazy though. be glad for all this to be over with!

[ECHOES]

Be careful . Don't go 'undoing' anything. You are given good advice to help you heal as fast as possible and as completely as possible.

But still glad you're feeling better!