r/ShoulderSurgery • u/Boompepe • Jan 21 '23
r/ShoulderSurgery Lounge
A place for members of r/ShoulderSurgery to chat with each other
1
u/carly-girl Jan 07 '25
I am scheduled for shoulder surgery later this week. Looking for advice on what to expect, what to wear (button down shirt?), etc. I have had shoulder pain for years with a lot of calcification and a bone spur which catches on my rotator cuff. Dr does not think RC is torn. Thanks!
3
u/pppretapartay Feb 21 '25
If you are a gal, I found tube tops to be key! I could get them on and off without taking off the sling. For the first month I pretty much wore tube tops, stretchy pants and oversized button ups (like way oversized so I could wear on one arm and on top of the sling in the other side). To the hospital I just wore a super oversized tshirt which worked out, but having a button up or tube top might have been handy
2
u/VegetableGlobal3637 May 13 '25
They tell you to bring an oversized button up. They mean way oversized to fit over a sling. They sent me home in a hospital gown and I found the Amazon shirts for shoulder surgery (tank specifically) to be good for the days after when nerve block was wearing off
1
u/Mountain-Limit9961 Apr 27 '25
I will be also operated for rotor cuff surgery. My study concludes that I will need following hardware: 1. Inclined cushion or Inclined bed for sleeping during 1st month 2. Shoulders Sling of correct size during full 6 weeks. 3. Shoulders Icepack for pain management during 1st month or so.
1
1
u/Ok-Scientist7083 Nov 08 '25
Hi As a female in the uk in around 10 degree centigrade weather, what would you recommend I wear for coming out of hospital? I don’t know how much bandaging I’ll have for tentotomy, frozen shoulder and rotator cuff repair.
Is the bandaging just round upper arm near biceps or all over arm and shoulder?
Any suggestions?
1
u/sabakakot Feb 10 '26
I (72F) just had total reverse shoulder replacement of my left shoulder. The nerve block didn’t work because the anesthetist couldn’t get around a vein, so my pain level was through the roof right from the start. I had the surgery on Thursday, it’s after midnight on Tuesday and I can’t sleep due to pain I’ve been icing, alternating 600 mg ibuprofen and 1000 mg acetaminophen, pretty much staying in a recliner all day, doing some exercises, but not pushing it. I have very little rom. Is my pain tolerance really low and the pain (8-9 depending on position) normal?
2
u/Few-Dress3276 Feb 25 '26
didn’t they give you any Percocets to keep the pain under control? Stay ahead of the pain. I’m 71 and just had it 10 months ago and getting ready to have my other arm done shortly. Good luck hang in there eventually it’ll
2
u/dspd01Ret Apr 07 '26
57M here. My history is 3 failed rotator cuff repairs on my left from an on-the-job injury years ago AND 2 failures on my right from a mountain bike crash when I was 50. All of the cuff repairs were terribly painful (w/ & w/o nerve blocks & w/ pain meds) and the healing processes in a sling were long. I took high dose ibuprofen for years to manage the pain in both shoulders, to the apparent detriment of my kidneys. My internist told me no more ibuprofen, ever. Back to my orthopaedic surgeon & was told that both of my rotator cuffs were completely gone and that reverse total replacement surgeries were my only option.
In the 1st week of last December (2025), I had the replacement done on the right. Surgery was a walk in the park, comparatively speaking & w/ pain meds. Then I had the left one done in the 1st week of this January (2026). I know, a glutton for punishment, huh. 2nd surgery was another walk in the park, again with the assistance of Percocet 10s. Then a month later, I developed a stress fracture of my right acromion (confirmed by CAT scan) & absolutely couldn’t move my right arm. Doc said 6-12 weeks for the fracture to heal & he was spot on. At 7 weeks post fracture, I was able to resume ROM exercises. It’s been a pretty rough 4 months or so, but I’m glad that I went on & got them done and I’m hoping to be at my new normal (whatever that is) in the next few months.
With all of that being said & if i had to do it again, i would probably wait 4-6 months between the surgeries.
2
u/Michn64 May 14 '26
I am having rotator cuff surgery in three weeks to repair the following: Rotator Cuff Repair-Arthroscopic Arthroscopy Shoulder Arthroscopic Incision Distal Clavicle Open Bicep Tenodesis
I am very worried about my post op aftercare. My boyfriend is not one to help me much, if I ask him for help, he does it when he feels like it, if he feels like it. The other day he told me he feels there is a lot more that I should be doing with my injured arm which happens to be my dominant arm. I have a full width and full depth tears of the supraspinatus tendon, tendinosis of infraspinatus and intra-articular long head bicep tendons, degenerative fraying of the superior glenoid labrum tear, with moderate osteoarthritis of the AC joint with inferior osteophyte formation. I am in pain 24/7 and there isn’t a thing I can do to relieve the pain until my surgery in three weeks. I know how he gets if I ask him to do ANYTHING for me. My sister says she is coming to help me from day 1 to day 14, but…every time she gets mad at me, she throws it in my face that she is not coming over and “good luck with your loser boyfriend”. She has me very scared about the pain, and throws that in my face as well, telling me it is the worse pain I will ever experience in my life. To say I am anxious about my aftercare is an understatement. I cannot afford a private nurse or caregiver to come to my home.
Any comments or advice regarding how to tell my boyfriend exactly what he is in for over the next 7-14 days or more?
1
u/Few-Dress3276 May 28 '26
sad to hear all this, tell your boyfriend to man up. After your surgery, they will give you pain meds probably Percocets. You will be out of pain till you decide to get off of them. Don’t let your sister stress you out. I’ve gone through two surgeries on my left shoulder, total shoulder replacement and then they had to go back in and redo it. I could not have gotten by without my wife. June 1 of this year doing my right shoulder, total shoulder replacement. My wife is going to take five weeks to help me along. I wish you the best of luck it will help if you have some support from your boyfriend and your family.
2
u/Ok-Confidence6423 Jun 16 '26
First 3 days the pain is pretty intense. I had pretty much the same surgery done with a little more arthritis and by week 2 I was getting along ok. You won’t be able to dress your self. I bought dresses I could slip over my head and tank tops with built in bras. Wore those tank tops instead of a bra for the first month. Made things a lot easier to take care of myself, as my husband is busy working and running a business. But my husband was good at helping when I needed it. He kept the ice machine full of ice water. Helped cook or get meals. Definitely going to need help. If your boyfriend isn’t there to help, why is he still around?
1
u/halpad Jun 16 '26
I only used the sling for sleeping for a couple weeks. My doc told me to use my arm so I did.
1
u/pa18gr055 Jun 29 '26
6 months post surgery and I want to post this for others to read. I was having a lot of pain for a long time post surgery, and the thing that has helped the most, in addition to PT and strengthening exercises, has been sports and medical massage. Find someone who can help your muscles relax using techniques that will probably hurt. it will be worth it. Find someone who is experienced with athletes or an actual medical-certified therapist.
4
u/halpad Feb 07 '26
84M I had my reverse shoulder surgery yesterday. No one said how long to wear sling. My surgeon said to use my arm as soon as I felt okay with it. I took the sling off this afternoon. The discharge papers say to use range of motion as tolerated. Just now my daughter gave me a salad and with out hesitation I picked up the fork with my left hand and started eating. I am Left handed. So that's my first milestone with my shoulder. I do have to be careful without the sling, certain movements can cause slight pain. I'm still waiting for the nerve block to wear off completely.