Rotator Cuff Surgery
 

OK, My doc and I have danced around this and we are now at the point where I need to decide when I want to have the surgery done, basically all day outpatient procedure followed by 6 weeks of marvelous pain and no arm usage. Remembering what it was like when I injured it, I'm guessing it probably can't hurt much more than that and it will be as unusable as before.

Now that I need to make the choice I am kind of stalling a bit, the choice of not getting the surgery is there, but the PT really did nothing for me so it is either surgery and probably recover strength and lose pain, or not have surgery and live with the pain and the lack of strength.

Put that way, it's a no brainer, but still, who wants to get anesthetized and surged?

Then, if all goes well and I still have insurance next year, I can do it all over again on the other side. FUN!

They just pull it out, and install a new rubber band through to the other shoulder, right? ;)

The media is all saying maybe the 95 mph fastball isn't going to be your first pitch any longer.

Yeah, well as long as my son stays out of the bus station...

No brainer. Focus on the long term benefits.

Yeah but he's a lefty with a heartbeat so...

Make sure you go somewhere that they will offer you an interscalene nerve block or something similar along with the general anesthetic. It will give you hours of pain relief the first day or so. Don't neglect the post op PT or you will never regain the complete use of your shoulder. If you have any questions about it let me know.

Ugh. Good luck with that, man. I'm sure the long term benefits will outweigh the PIA of having surgery, but it's still not fun.

you'll get pain meds! See? Silver lining!

Thanks folks,
and Merc: YES on the nerve block, the doc was all "I strongly recommend it" I was all "Well, yeah. 'course."

It sounds like the PT doesn't come for a few weeks and I have heard it must become my new god or, as you say, my shoulder won't be so good.

I'll see how I like the painkillers, I've never cared for that particular type of high-- I am disconnected from my body enough as it is, though I understand painkillers have a dedicated and often resourceful fan base.

I loved my painkillers when I had a herniated disc in my neck. I lived for them. My life revolved around them, and especially when I ran out before my next prescription was due. The whole household revolved around them then, let me tell you. My pain was that bad. And the hell I went through when the doc wouldn't renew my prescription just three days early.

I kiss the feet of those drugs. They were my lifesaver until I could get the neck surgery done. Which by the way, worked like a fucking miracle.

I hate painkillers

Vicodin never worked for my double compound arm fracture. I don't get the hype. Never felt much off it, and it didn't help the pain. Everyone is different though.

I've only had Percocet, and I didn't like them. I preferred the pain to the spinning room.

Vicodin didnt work for my pain either. When my problem was finally correctly diagnosed, they gave me OxyCodine. I was taking 10mg every 6 hours. I scheduled everything around that 6 hour timetable. It was tough. I would wake up in the morning with crippling pain, take a pill and wait about an hour or more for it to kick in. Then blissful relief for about two more hours. Then the pain would start creeping back in and get progressively worse until the time I could take another pill. Then the wait for the relief again. I did this for 5 months.