I jammed my shoulder about a month ago and after x-rays, sonogram and an MRI it looks like I may need to get it operated on. It has been a problem for maybe 20 years but now it is worse. I would like to know anyones experience with surgery on the shoulder. My first appointment with the doctor/surgeon is the 17th of July and we are fulltimers so my main concerns are how long was the recovery period as we will be leaving here the end of August and maybe mid-september if need be and was the surgery successful?
Ned: After a skiing accident about 6 years ago, I had my left shoulder replaced with a prothesis. Thus, I am now "part metal." I don't know what level of surgery you are anticipating; but expect a lot of trouble sleeping (it is hard to find and maintain a comfortable position). You also will have a lot of physical therapy (we are talking several hours per day) if you expect a full comeback. The PT is usually done at a Rehab Center, as well as at home. It was over a year before I began to feel that I was back to normal. E-mail me if you have more specific questions. MaineDon
I guess MaineDon and I are the doom and gloom twins. I personally don't have any experience with shoulder injury but my neighbor fell and totally shattered her shoulder about 3 years ago. She had at least two operations--one to fix the shoulder and the other to fix the first surgery. Her injury was probably much worse than yours, but she had the same recovery problems that MaineDon mentioned--lots of PT and could not get comfortable at night. She actually slept in a recliner for several months. Unfortunately she lost a lot of range of motion; she cannot raise her arm above shoulder level and will probably never be able to. But I say again, her injury was severe. Also age could be a factor. I don't know how old you are, but she was in her mid 60's when it happened. And we all know the older you get the longer it takes to heal. Also this is not quite the same thing, but a friend had to have surgery on his back (actually his neck) for a herniated disk. His doctor would not let him drive his MH for 6 months. I don't want to discourage you, but you did ask. Hopefully you will bounce right back with no trouble at all. I do wish you good luck and a speedy recovery--even if it isn't as speedy as you would like.
Where we are: Well, this trip was different from all others. We started out a day later than originally planned due to an unexpected death in the family. We went up on Sunday, dropped the two boys off at camp, so it was me, the missus, the daughter, and big dumb dog. Usually we wait a couple days when we are at this particular CG before we spend a day at a friend of mine's mountain property, where we cam let our dog can run free. I told him at the funeral that we would be going there on Tuesday - he said go Monday because they would be there. So on Monday, we made our lunches and headed on over. Our dog and his dog were playing in the stream, and my wife and daughter were down there also, while he and his wife showed me what they had done with their cabin. After about 20 minutes, I went down to join my wife, who then changed from her tennis shoes into some sandals - big mistake. Not more than 5 minutes after that, she slipped on the wet rocks - and her left hand (one consolation since she is right handed) landed first - with a loud crack. Yep, broke her wrist nice and clean through. Wrapping a towel with ice around it, we then proceeded to hike the 1/4 mile straight uphill out of there. Now we make the 30 minute ride to the nearest emergency room. Fortunately, I can park in a garage, and leave the windows cracked for the dog (temp was only about 75, so he was fine in the shade - plus he was tired from playing with the young puppy earlier). 5 hours later, they finally told my wife that she would need to see an orthopedist the next morning (she's shivering cold by now - her pants have been wet this whole time from when she fell in the water). They gave her a shot of something that took away the pain (plus made her head happy), wrapped up the arm and told us to call the doctor first thing in the morning. As we left the garage (around 5:30), we noticed the specialist's office across the street still had someone in there - so I ran in and made her appointment for the next morning. 30 minutes to the CG turned into about an hour as I stopped to fill her prescription and get some dinner. Next morning went to the orthopedist, and they immediately said she needed surgery. They said they could do it at the hospital the next day, or they could wrap it up and she could get it done back home the next week. My wife opted to go ahead and do it there, so they scheduled for 11:30 the next morning (be there by 9:30 for prep). 6 year old daughter has behaved well during all this, as well as big dumb dog who spent a lot of time in parking garage. Back at the CG, we got a call - be there 2 hours earlier cause they had a cancellation. Got up the next morning, checked the wife in, daughter and I had breakfast in the cafeteria, then went back to CG. Went back to hospital about time they said she would be coming out, got her out and went back to CG. Oh, they had to give her a pregnancy test. It was negative Now I asked my wife before the surgery if she wanted to go back home, or be put up in a hotel, and she said no. I asked if it would have been a different story if we had been in a tent instead of the trailer, and she said yes. Could have been a lot worse - she could have broken an ankle, where we would have to carry her out, she could of split her head open, etc. Every trip is an adventure - some more than others.
