Ok, no one told me when I signed up for this stupid shoulder surgery that I would actually have to obey the surgeon's rules. I never had to before..why should I now, right? WRONG! Ok, so I knew it would be about 3 months before I get up to speed again, about 6-8 weeks in a sling (maybe more) but no one told me those were hard fast rules. My knee reconstruction had some "rules" attached but I didn't exactly obey them and my surgeon didn't have a cow when I didn't. He was actually willing to allow me to "push" thru some tuff stuff to speed the process along.
Not this one. Nope. Not the shoulder. It seems to be the only stinkin joint in the entire body that has these stupid rules that "must" be adhered to. All right...so I am not the most patient person in the entire world. I will clue you in to how much so. It was the morning of surgery and the nurse came out to get me. They led me into a room and gave me simple instructions....disrobe completely (less underwear) and put the robe on, opening in front. Check. I got changed and went out and the nurse said "boy, you don't waste any time". "you told me to get dressed. I did. Now I'm done". HHHHMMMM....I wondered what kind of a comment that was. How long could it possibly take to change clothes?!? Post note: post surgery it takes nearly 20 minutes! Then, I go to the pre surgical room to be hooked up to monitors and the like and to discuss anesthesia with the doc. Done. Another nurse comes in and says, "boy, you are FAST. Most people are still in the dressing room and you are already hooked up and cleared for surgery". More pondering. Maybe it IS me. I am thinking I go at a normal pace. Well, normal for New Jersey anyway. Ok, where was I? Oh yes, these stupid rules.
So, my surgeon said no using the arm at all (his direct quote was "passive movement only") for 6-8 weeks. Now in my humble opinion he should have made more clear the definition of "passive". I took that to mean no weight bearing, no stress or resistence, right? Of course he meant that. So, on the fourth day when I retuned to have the stitches removed I asked if I could deep six the sling. Not exactly he advised, but I could take the arm out and rest it on my lap while sitting or standing if I was so inclined. And so I was. My therapy started week two. The therapists were shocked as most people with rotator cuff repairs don't start therapy until about the four week marker. I wanted to get the show on the road. As a matter of fact, the therapist, on the first day, just took information from me and advised that until she actually spoke to the surgeon to confirm that it was OK to start, we really couldn't do anything. More pondering. Did she actually think I faked the "admit slip" like I did in high school? The following Monday I got the green light to go...on the tenth day post surgery. Great...let's get this show on the road.
Now by this time, I am spending most of my days out of the sling and still taking pain meds but shoulder in pretty good shape. OK, I can tolerate some pain and pain there was, but that is why they make meds. I took them as I needed and continued to "exercise" my shoulder as I could with the opinion that the more the better, right? Who wants a stiff joint or muscle atrophy? Not me. Nope, not this chick. Nearing the third week when I was finally able to wash my hair with two hands in the shower, I could barely contain myself. When I got to therapy I was so excited I blurted out to my therapist Lisa, "Lis, guess what! I washed my own hair with BOTH hands today"...as I watched the color drain from her face and the look turn somber. Uh, not exactly the reaction I had hoped for. "Arrie!" she nearly yelled then regrouped and lowered her voice and said, "you don't mean you raised your hand over your head and actually did this (as she made frantic motions with her hands like she was car washing her head!)?"...I wanted to say no. Everything in me was saying, "say no....say no" but I couldn't. I muttered "uh huh". She took the chart and began writing. Now I have gone to enough therapists and doctors in my days to know when they get quiet and grab a chart and frantically start writing it is NEVER good. When she was done she said, "Passive movements means you do NOT engage the muscle at all. NO movement unless someone else is doing it for you". "oh" I muttered. I went on to explain what I took "passive" to mean. Needless to say, our therapy session was over before it began. She was unwilling to do anything until I saw my surgeon again, which coincidentally was the next day.
I got to the doctor's office and he walked in. "Hey, R. How's it going?" "Great, or so I thought" I said. He looked me square in the eye and said, "go ahead. Tell me what you did". (This coming from the doctor who told my sisters when they took me for surgery that I was not to drive for minimum four weeks and followed up with, "I know she will cheat"). I told him what I did and how crushed I was when I found out I was naughty. Who knew? Well, apparently everyone but me as I later found out in Bible study. He then advised SLING 24/7 for three more weeks and a possible MRI then as an MRI that day would only show inflamation and he could not see a new tear even if there was one. UGH. So, back in the sling I go for three more weeks. PS, I got hell at bible study (oops...see the irony in that statement) from several friends who knew the protocol for rehabbing a rotator cuff and saw me writing, eating and the like. I thought all this WAS passive and all this AFTER the last doc visit.
Ok, so they were NOT kidding me. I HAVE to rely on someone to do EVERYTHING for me. NO carrying anything. No getting dressed alone. No washing hair alone. No gardening. No hammering...sweeping, writing, eating right handed....NOTHING. And this is killing me. I have gained 10 pounds I am sure from the stress of having to sit around and watch everyone else do all the things I am supposed to be doing. Some day I will get it but it wasn't today. I lifted 2 twenty five pound bags of horse feed today before I felt that "ouch" and searched out some help for the other two bags. The phrase that rings in my head all day long is "you have to be kidding me"....
Nope, they aren't kidding me. Not at all. So two more weeks in the sling (oh, don't tell anyone that my arm is out of the sling to type this blog) and then we will hopefully get the green light to drive and move on to "partial assist" therapy.
Until next time...(oh...and that thing on the guys shoulder is a cryo cuff and yes, I lived with that thing for 7 days solid...that is EXACTLY what I looked like for the first week. And I lived in that chair as well!)
Not this one. Nope. Not the shoulder. It seems to be the only stinkin joint in the entire body that has these stupid rules that "must" be adhered to. All right...so I am not the most patient person in the entire world. I will clue you in to how much so. It was the morning of surgery and the nurse came out to get me. They led me into a room and gave me simple instructions....disrobe completely (less underwear) and put the robe on, opening in front. Check. I got changed and went out and the nurse said "boy, you don't waste any time". "you told me to get dressed. I did. Now I'm done". HHHHMMMM....I wondered what kind of a comment that was. How long could it possibly take to change clothes?!? Post note: post surgery it takes nearly 20 minutes! Then, I go to the pre surgical room to be hooked up to monitors and the like and to discuss anesthesia with the doc. Done. Another nurse comes in and says, "boy, you are FAST. Most people are still in the dressing room and you are already hooked up and cleared for surgery". More pondering. Maybe it IS me. I am thinking I go at a normal pace. Well, normal for New Jersey anyway. Ok, where was I? Oh yes, these stupid rules.
So, my surgeon said no using the arm at all (his direct quote was "passive movement only") for 6-8 weeks. Now in my humble opinion he should have made more clear the definition of "passive". I took that to mean no weight bearing, no stress or resistence, right? Of course he meant that. So, on the fourth day when I retuned to have the stitches removed I asked if I could deep six the sling. Not exactly he advised, but I could take the arm out and rest it on my lap while sitting or standing if I was so inclined. And so I was. My therapy started week two. The therapists were shocked as most people with rotator cuff repairs don't start therapy until about the four week marker. I wanted to get the show on the road. As a matter of fact, the therapist, on the first day, just took information from me and advised that until she actually spoke to the surgeon to confirm that it was OK to start, we really couldn't do anything. More pondering. Did she actually think I faked the "admit slip" like I did in high school? The following Monday I got the green light to go...on the tenth day post surgery. Great...let's get this show on the road.
Now by this time, I am spending most of my days out of the sling and still taking pain meds but shoulder in pretty good shape. OK, I can tolerate some pain and pain there was, but that is why they make meds. I took them as I needed and continued to "exercise" my shoulder as I could with the opinion that the more the better, right? Who wants a stiff joint or muscle atrophy? Not me. Nope, not this chick. Nearing the third week when I was finally able to wash my hair with two hands in the shower, I could barely contain myself. When I got to therapy I was so excited I blurted out to my therapist Lisa, "Lis, guess what! I washed my own hair with BOTH hands today"...as I watched the color drain from her face and the look turn somber. Uh, not exactly the reaction I had hoped for. "Arrie!" she nearly yelled then regrouped and lowered her voice and said, "you don't mean you raised your hand over your head and actually did this (as she made frantic motions with her hands like she was car washing her head!)?"...I wanted to say no. Everything in me was saying, "say no....say no" but I couldn't. I muttered "uh huh". She took the chart and began writing. Now I have gone to enough therapists and doctors in my days to know when they get quiet and grab a chart and frantically start writing it is NEVER good. When she was done she said, "Passive movements means you do NOT engage the muscle at all. NO movement unless someone else is doing it for you". "oh" I muttered. I went on to explain what I took "passive" to mean. Needless to say, our therapy session was over before it began. She was unwilling to do anything until I saw my surgeon again, which coincidentally was the next day.
I got to the doctor's office and he walked in. "Hey, R. How's it going?" "Great, or so I thought" I said. He looked me square in the eye and said, "go ahead. Tell me what you did". (This coming from the doctor who told my sisters when they took me for surgery that I was not to drive for minimum four weeks and followed up with, "I know she will cheat"). I told him what I did and how crushed I was when I found out I was naughty. Who knew? Well, apparently everyone but me as I later found out in Bible study. He then advised SLING 24/7 for three more weeks and a possible MRI then as an MRI that day would only show inflamation and he could not see a new tear even if there was one. UGH. So, back in the sling I go for three more weeks. PS, I got hell at bible study (oops...see the irony in that statement) from several friends who knew the protocol for rehabbing a rotator cuff and saw me writing, eating and the like. I thought all this WAS passive and all this AFTER the last doc visit.
Ok, so they were NOT kidding me. I HAVE to rely on someone to do EVERYTHING for me. NO carrying anything. No getting dressed alone. No washing hair alone. No gardening. No hammering...sweeping, writing, eating right handed....NOTHING. And this is killing me. I have gained 10 pounds I am sure from the stress of having to sit around and watch everyone else do all the things I am supposed to be doing. Some day I will get it but it wasn't today. I lifted 2 twenty five pound bags of horse feed today before I felt that "ouch" and searched out some help for the other two bags. The phrase that rings in my head all day long is "you have to be kidding me"....
Nope, they aren't kidding me. Not at all. So two more weeks in the sling (oh, don't tell anyone that my arm is out of the sling to type this blog) and then we will hopefully get the green light to drive and move on to "partial assist" therapy.
Until next time...(oh...and that thing on the guys shoulder is a cryo cuff and yes, I lived with that thing for 7 days solid...that is EXACTLY what I looked like for the first week. And I lived in that chair as well!)
