Has anyone had shoulder surgery before?

I'm in my early 30's and am having arthroscopic shoulder surgery tomorrow to repair a torn rotator cuff. I am trying my best to not have to cancel my Thanksgiving Vegas trip in a couple weeks, even if I have to be in a sling the entire time. From what I've read the first week of recovery really is pretty miserable and after that it gets a little bit better. We're not planning on doing anything too crazy if we're able to keep the trip as planned, and I will probably spend a lot of time in the room resting or plopped down in front of a slot or video poker machine. Am I being completely unrealistic or can i hold out hope?

 

Different procedures, none arthro: I blew apart a humerus eons ago. They sliced through the muscle to clean it up, and also went in from above the shoulder blade to get a rod in the bone. Somewhat serious stuff. A few weeks later, in a sling, I went to Disneyland. In the 90s I was walking around about four days after a laparotomy to suck out what was left of my appendix.

 

Go for it.Don't see any difference from being home and dealing with recovery there?.I'd say though don't get too excited and using the arm after a good win. GL have a great trip.

 

Rob-
I do orthopaedic surgery for a living, so I think I might be able to help. Each patient is different, of course. Each surgeon also has their own protocol. Most likely, your surgeon will recommend that you stay in a sling at all times, except for bathing, for 6 weeks after surgery. The pain tends to be fairly significant the first week or so after surgery, but improve progressively after that. Most people are no longer requiring narcotics and such after a week or two. I think you can definitely go, realizing that you may have some limitations. I would avoid the slotzilla zip line

 

I have not had shoulder surgery, but, my wife has had both shoulders done for similar situations to yours.

I texted her just now, she said she would probably not go.

But.......a caveat from me, she is a total pain wimp. She also more or less refuses to take the opiate pain meds so that does not help.

From my observation of her post surgery the limited range of motion was almost more of a pain than the actual pain.

Personally......I would go, but I am a degen sports bettor and I don't mind pain pills and martinis

You will be so happy with the outcome, my wife has total range of motion and no pain any longer. Be patient though, it takes a while.

 

I appreciate all the input. My biggest issues are going to be the drive there and sleeping comfortably, which will probably be a little easier at home given that I have a lot more options to make myself comfortable compared to a hotel room. I'm hoping to be off all pain meds as soon as possible as well but we'll have to wait and see what happens. I just want to get the surgery over with and get a jump start on the healing process but I know it's going to be a long journey to get back to 100%. Any other tips would be much appreciated...I think I'm just getting anxious for tomorrow morning because I'm not looking forward to having to live with only 1 good arm for a while

 

Hello Rob, I am a mature gal and have had many surgeries and I have always recovered with NO PAIN after my surgeries. Since you are a young guy in your 30's you will be fine with NO PAIN. All you will need to take will be ALEVE over the counter pain pills. I have never had to take strong pain pills that can make you sleepy. But take your strong pain pills just in case.

I have a senior friend that had major surgery on her shoulder and a few weeks later she took a trip to Europe for 30 days. So that tells me that you can also have a great time in Vegas for the time you will be there.

Also ask for a Special Needs room at the hotel so you will have extra space to take your bath/shower. You will be able to sit down and wash your self.
Plus, there will be a telephone to use in case of an emergency. You will need a large plastic bag and tape to cover your shoulder when you wash up.

I just remember that a friend had a surgery on her arm and she taped a plastic bag on her shower so she could wash herself when we went on a cruise for 7 days.

When flying on the plane just ask for a wheel chair so you can be relaxed and enjoy the wheelie ride. You will be treated like a VIP if you do that. Most people will not care that you just had surgery so take it easy by using a wheel chair. People will bump into you and not care if they are hitting your arm so be careful in crowds when walking around Vegas.

Please report back to us and let us know how much fun you had in Vegas. LucyR.

 

I just noticed that you are driving to Vegas. Let a friend do the driving so you can relax and take it easy. Why get stressed out with all the traffic.

 

Good luck man. Hope the surgery goes well and you recover smoothly. Enjoy your holidays make it a best one despite your surgery, even maybe, due to it.

 

Thanks Rusty. My gf is similar to your wife in terms of her pain tolerance and hating the opiate pain meds. I like to think my pain tolerance is pretty good and I'm pretty stubborn so if I set my mind to doing something I know I can accomplish it. That said, I'm not really planning on pushing myself too much it should be a fairly laid back trip where we do as much or as little as we please.

Lucy - Thanks for the input. Yeah we're driving so we won't have to worry about any flight issues. As for people bumping into me, my gf will definitely keep everyone near me in check she's a fiesty protective little thing

 

Good luck, hope for a quick recovery

 

Every trip so far whenever we've had something bad happen it's been a good trip...last trip we had a little issue at the house prior to leaving and we also hit really bad traffic and arrived late and didn't get the room we wanted. Got my first royal that trip and had just switched from .25 to .50...so I'm hoping that tradition carries on

 

It is normal to worry about surgeries but then after it is over I think WHAT? I worried for nothing. lol.

Rob, you will be okay so go for it and get your surgery done. LucyR.

 

A little different than yours, but still shoulder. I had a (apparently very large) calcium deposit, some micro-tears, frozen shoulder and bursitis in mine. Waited a good year of escalating pain before surgery, so I climbed the pain killer ladder in order to control the pain prior to surgery. Ended up on pretty high dose oxys by the time of the surgery. Within a week after surgery, I thought "I'm great, no pain anymore, can move my shoulder now, no need for pain meds!". Stopped taking the oxys, and within 24 hours, went through the worst feeling of my LIFE! Withdrawal from the oxys was like the worst thing I think I've been through! Sweating, shaking, every nerve in my body firing...worst anxiety ever! Dr had to put me back on them, weening me off slowly. I was thankfully completely off within 6 weeks. But 2 years later, my shoulder is excellent, and for those of you wondering, zero drug issues - have never looked back. They kept me working and functioning right up until my surgery, but I wish I knew what to expect going off them...

 

Everyone handles pain differently. I have had 4 major shoulder reconstruction (3+hour) surgeries. Major damage due to athletics, a cross check in hockey destroyed it. Every 10 + years or so I needed a rebuild. After 40 years of that I couldn't handle it anymore after continuing with sports and working heavy construction. One year ago last Sunday I had my 4th shoulder cut. It was a total replacement. I have had over 10 cuts from sports. This replacement was the easiest cut I ever had. 40 years of pain, now I'm pain free. My only suggestion is stay away from major crowds. If anything happens (someone bumps into you ) that your not expecting you may feel it for a while. Being only a scope you may feel 85% + in only a week or 2. It all depends on your pain tolerance & doctors limitations. I'm surprised your doc hasn't already advised you on it already. Good luck. Medical technology now is great. You will be fine.

 

one-armed rob889 vs. the one-armed bandits. I hope you get the best of 'em.

 

See how you feel a few days before you go.
I had an open rotator cuff repair 18 months ago plus a humeral resurfacing.
That was a more invasive operation than an arthroscopic repair.
The first week or so will suck and you will hate your sling by week six!

I went to Las Vegas four weeks after that surgery.It was uncomfortable but still had fun.
I was fortunate that I was able to sleep in bed after a couple nights.Most people cannot.
Several friends slept in recliners for a month after the surgery.
To be honest,I have had knee and back surgery but the shoulder was the worst.
Take your Meds and do the PT.
Hope you have a fast recovery.

 

Best wishes for a successful procedure and a speedy recovery, Rob!

RICHARD

 

Good luck with the surgery .... on the bright side your fastball should pickup 10mph

 

I am going in for arthroscopic shoulder surgery myself on the 22nd this month and I am also 34 years old. Hope all goes well for you! Report back and let me know how it is and what to expect.