My Turn Under the Knife

So for those of you who have been paying attention, you know I've been fighting with my shoulder pretty much all summer starting in late April, early May.

I though it was just a frozen shoulder like I went through on the left a year and a half ago because the odds are that you will develop one on the other side sooner or later. And I was partially right, it is a frozen shoulder.

Thing is that round about August when I couldn't take the pain anymore and it was doing things the other frozen shoulder never, ever did even at its worst, Tiekiatsu finally convinced me I should go see the doctor about it, and that's where it all started -- a couple of x-rays, a cortisone shot, and a prescription for PT later, and I thought I was on my way, but the PTs were suspicious (as was I) about the nerve symptoms and all the muscle spasms I had going on. We all felt there was more to the story.

And after two months of PT 3 x a week, I was back at the doctor and referred on the ortho who sent me for an MRI after confirming the frozen shoulder. Thing is that the MRI turned up SLAP tear + biceps involvement and surpascapular nerve compression too. And *that's* likely the irritation that caused the shoulder to freeze. So I had to make a choice ... the surgeon said at that point that they could unfreeze the shoulder and if I stopped doing what I was doing, there was a chance the shoulder would subside back to where it was before this all started.

Trouble is that all I was doing was starting to sort of knock the rust off in preparation to add some water aerobics or yoga or something to really start trying to get in some actual semblance of shape. Stopping what I was doing would mean giving up the few jumping jacks, situps, pushups, burpees, etc., I was doing with my kiddo in the morning while helping him toward his martial arts goals, and that was just maybe 10 minutes work all told ... so nothing really. Give that up, and I'm living a couch potato's life with a chancy shoulder hanging over my head on top of all the other risks of poor physical condition.

Not only that, but knowing I have those issues, I also know that this repair is one that's less and less effective the older you get, and I'm on the edge now.

So ... I figure the surgeon's going to be in there releasing the joint capsule anyhow, he may as well do the other work too.

So on Thursday, I'm getting arthroscopic shoulder surgery, and I'll be losing the use of my right arm for a period of time -- at least 10 days with no bending or twisting whatsoever, and after that, it will be very limited for a long time.

I won't be dropping completely off the face of the earth, but I will be limited to what I can do left-handed and typing solely with my left hand for at least the first few days out once I feel like life again. So I won't be around much for the next couple of weeks at least. Have fun without me in the meantime and play nice, folks.

a reply to: ketsuko

PT - If you're not in tears ... you're not doing it right.

You'll be in all of our prayers. Godspeed!!

originally posted by: Deplorable
a reply to: ketsuko

PT - If you're not in tears ... you're not doing it right.

You'll be in all of our prayers. Godspeed!!

With frozen shoulder absolutely. Most things they're trying not to break things that are fragile, but with a frozen shoulder, they're trying to break stuff on purpose.

originally posted by: ketsuko
So for those of you who have been paying attention, you know I've been fighting with my shoulder pretty much all summer starting in late April, early May.

I though it was just a frozen shoulder like I went through on the left a year and a half ago because the odds are that you will develop one on the other side sooner or later. And I was partially right, it is a frozen shoulder.

Thing is that round about August when I couldn't take the pain anymore and it was doing things the other frozen shoulder never, ever did even at its worst, Tiekiatsu finally convinced me I should go see the doctor about it, and that's where it all started -- a couple of x-rays, a cortisone shot, and a prescription for PT later, and I thought I was on my way, but the PTs were suspicious (as was I) about the nerve symptoms and all the muscle spasms I had going on. We all felt there was more to the story.

And after two months of PT 3 x a week, I was back at the doctor and referred on the ortho who sent me for an MRI after confirming the frozen shoulder. Thing is that the MRI turned up SLAP tear + biceps involvement and surpascapular nerve compression too. And *that's* likely the irritation that caused the shoulder to freeze. So I had to make a choice ... the surgeon said at that point that they could unfreeze the shoulder and if I stopped doing what I was doing, there was a chance the shoulder would subside back to where it was before this all started.

Trouble is that all I was doing was starting to sort of knock the rust off in preparation to add some water aerobics or yoga or something to really start trying to get in some actual semblance of shape. Stopping what I was doing would mean giving up the few jumping jacks, situps, pushups, burpees, etc., I was doing with my kiddo in the morning while helping him toward his martial arts goals, and that was just maybe 10 minutes work all told ... so nothing really. Give that up, and I'm living a couch potato's life with a chancy shoulder hanging over my head on top of all the other risks of poor physical condition.

Not only that, but knowing I have those issues, I also know that this repair is one that's less and less effective the older you get, and I'm on the edge now.

So ... I figure the surgeon's going to be in there releasing the joint capsule anyhow, he may as well do the other work too.

So on Thursday, I'm getting arthroscopic shoulder surgery, and I'll be losing the use of my right arm for a period of time -- at least 10 days with no bending or twisting whatsoever, and after that, it will be very limited for a long time.

I won't be dropping completely off the face of the earth, but I will be limited to what I can do left-handed and typing solely with my left hand for at least the first few days out once I feel like life again. So I won't be around much for the next couple of weeks at least. Have fun without me in the meantime and play nice, folks.

I heard you're not a fan of lefties anyway!!


Get well soon Kets!

a reply to: ketsuko

Sad to hear ketsuko.

I hope you can bounce back as soon as possible and get back to enjoying your days.

I've had had similar, but not nearly as bad injuries that certainly disrupted life and caused great pain. My thoughts are with ya.

Something tells me you're not easy to slow down though, this will hopefully just be a speed bump.

a reply to: ketsuko

Hi ketsuko,

I don't post often but whenever I see fellow ATSers go through any sort of procedure, I send my positive thoughts and say a prayer for them (whatever their belief is).

So good luck on your surgery and hopefully everything goes well!

I, too, am saddened by the prospect of an other's immobility and pain... but gladdened that it will transform into mobility and painlessness.

Just remember... it can always be much, much worse... and IS worse for many, many people.

Misery may not love company, but it will use company repeatably before misplacing it's phone number the next morning.

May good fortune decide to visit again.

a reply to: ketsuko

Just heal up and take your time. Your only concern right now is to heal. We'll still all be here waiting for your return.
Drink lots of bone broth and sleep when tired.

I'll be praying for you.

a reply to: ketsuko

Hope you have a speedy and full recovery. Shoulder pain is the worst!

a reply to: ketsuko

It's good you're getting it taken care of. It would only get worse the longer you put it off. Good luck on your surgery. Keep us updated.

Be safe. Positive thoughts to you.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and hopes that all goes well for you.

Good luck with your operation, I hope they can fix it so it isn't so much of a problem anymore. I know people who got the surgery after it not healing after a long period of time. They got improvement but not one of them said it was all better, it was better but not as good as it was before.

I just did something to my left shoulder, it has been a week now, usually when I did this it was pretty much better by a week, weak and easily hurt again but If I took it easy it wasn't bad. In the week so far I have reinjured it twice and once got a big hairy bruise on my arm. I am not young anymore, things take a lot longer to heal.

When I first had this the doctor said to take it easy, a problem in the cartilage around the joint cracking or something like that. I never went to the doctor the second and third time, same exact thing. This is a tad different, but basically the same, I just have to let the cartilage bond back to the bone or something. I made beef soup with cartilageous bone that day, it helped a tad bit but not enough. I had jello today and that helps a lot to lessen the discomfort, it always seems to work. I am not sure why, maybe it contains chemistry that boosts synovial fluid or something. But it works, I do not care how it helps relieve the joint pain as long as it works. It usually takes about an hour to two hours to take a full effect. It is not a cure or miracle drug, it just helps for some reason. I suppose collagen powder might help too but I have never tried that so do not know. You also need some vitamin c from my research, that can come from the jello though, it usually has vitamin c in it or just eat some grapefruit....but not orange juice or tomatoes because they both seem to make it worse.

I do not know if any of this stuff I have learned and experienced will help in your case, but it doesn't hurt. You do not need a real lot of jello, a box made once a week works well. You gotta eat anyway. Oh by the way, I use a box of Jello...no aspartame...plus an envelope of knox so there is not too much sugar in it. Sugar is an adjuvant, aspertame is not. Sugar boosts absorption into the system. But you should not go overboard on it and sugar also boosts absorption of bad chemistry too.

a reply to: ketsuko

Take the time you need to heal up Ketsuko. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

a reply to: ketsuko

ketsuko, good luck old friend

I had to get cartilage cleaned up a few years back, and the pain of the surgery was nothing when you look at the pain of day-in day-out irritation and aching

Getting old is hell on the body It is a shame when the body does not want to keep up with where you are at

a reply to: ketsuko

try to enjoy the break. I'm sure it wont' be like a vacation, but if you lie to yourself, who knows?
Just know that there will be an end to the pain, so it's a good thing. Good luck, and you might want to type up some canned responses you can cut and paste.

a reply to: ketsuko

Good luck and speedy recovery, the woo will be anxiously awaiting your return.


ETA: Oh, and when you say you were 'fighting with your shoulder', was this kind of an Ash from Evil Dead II fighting with yourself and busting plates on your head?

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: ketsuko

Good luck and speedy recovery, the woo will be anxiously awaiting your return.


ETA: Oh, and when you say you were 'fighting with your shoulder', was this kind of an Ash from Evil Dead II fighting with yourself and busting plates on your head?

Not quite that, but when you have your nerves involved, it kind of feels like it's possessed because things you should be able to do, your arm suddenly doesn't do what you tell it to from one moment to the next. So it's like it's operating a bit with a mind of its own.

I grant that it would be a whole other kind of cool if it was trying to stab me with my own dinner knife so I had to hack it off and replace it with a chainsaw though.

a reply to: rickymouse

Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. I'm right on the edge of being too old for this type of thing to take well.

I'm banking on being just young enough to slide under the line. Plus, the surgeon I have is supposed to be very good at this kind of thing. I checked on it. Plus, they're doing the tenodesis which has the best results in older patients.

I don't need to get back to a high performance athletic career like a pro; I just need to be able to realize most of my range of motion, not hurt doing it, and be able to work out on it to a decent degree.

But right now, I can't even drive comfortably because my arm holds itself at an awkward angle and refuses to rotate properly. Plus, my biceps is involved enough that it feels like super-tight string running all the way down and across the back of my hand. It's interfering with my work enough that I've been working left-handed.

So all of it has to stop one way or another. In short, I have to try.

a reply to: ketsuko

Best of luck to you.

Shoulders are complicated beasts, and when they get messed up they can be hard to fix. I was just glad to read (or more precisely, NOT to read) the words "rotator cuff" anywhere in your post! Whew! Those can be really problematic!

Anyway, good luck! You'll be missed.