# shoulder surgery wows



## littrella (Aug 28, 2010)

Has anyone else be through a shoulder surgery recently? I tore the cartridge in my right shoulder, 4 sutures & 2 anchors, bone spur removed, bone spur has caused a partial thickness tear in the rotater cuff & they cleaned out a bunch of arthritis, according to my surgeon. 
Today is 3 weeks since surgery. It has been complete misery! I didn't hurt like this before the surgery! Physical therapy is a nightmare. Even with my pain pills, I cry through the entire appointment. I'm still in the sling 95% of the time. Getting comfortable enough to sleep is almost impossible.
Any advice from those who have been through this? Will it get better soon????
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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Should get better soon.

I had shoulder surgery two years ago. Had a bone spur that was pinching my rotator cuff, had a ton of scar tissue and had severe edema in my AC joint. When they got in there, they found a bone chip that had popped off the end of my collar bone.

I was in a sling for two weeks, then went back to work. Insurance wouldn't pay for physical therapy. I still have serious issues with that shoulder and have very limited range of motion. I took Vicodin for three days, then just switched to ibuprofen cuz the Vicodin wasn't doing anything but making me loopy. Walked a mile to a horse show and a mile back two days after my surgery (wasn't allowed to drive). Four days after my surgery, I had to hold my gelding for the farrier who took almost two hours to trim him and he was a schmuck the whole time (he'd been trimmed twice before and didn't trust farriers for other reasons.
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## littrella (Aug 28, 2010)

Holy Cow! OK now I feel like a total wimp! I just went back to work this week. My wonderful (& allergic to horse hair & hay dust) hubby has been doing all my barn chores. The saving grace in all this is it's a documented work accident & my employer is paying for all of it
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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I ended up owing $3200 in hospital facilities fees and another $500 to my surgeon. Might as well not have had insurance for all the good it did me.

Just try to power through your PT. Think of how you'll be back to normal when it's over and you'll be pain-free. 

My shoulder snap, crackles and pops most of the time. I go to reach for something (I'm left-handed and it was my left shoulder) and hear popping and cracking right next to my ear. Most nights I have to alternate between Tylenol one night and 600mg ibuprofen the next, just so that I can sleep.
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## Sony (May 10, 2014)

My husband had a torn rotator cuff and a smashed ac joint. After the first couple of nights on pain pills, it gradually started to get better. He's pretty tough though, he went through 9 months of doctors guessing before they finally decided to get in there and look to see what was wrong! I think he was out of work for 4 or 6 months? I can't remember now.

My mother in law had surgery Thursday. She had a tear on one part, another part was separated, and she had a bone spur in there. She's taking it a day at a time, and they will have her back to work in 6 months.

The most important thing is do the therapy. If you don't, you can cause scar tissue to form and range of motion to disappear. Grit your teeth and do it, otherwise the surgery will be for nothing...


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## littrella (Aug 28, 2010)

I'm going to PT like a good girl. I HATE it & am in tears by the time I'm done, but still I go. Mostly because I really trust the therapist I'm working with. She does as much as she can to keep me comfortable. Massage the muscles first, work the shoulder, then E-stem & a game day ( it applies cold and pressure). I know I'm whinny but I didn't expect this to hurt this much
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