Reverse Total shoulder Replacement soon

Atkinson8

member
Joined
Sep 12, 2018
Messages
241
Age
71
Country
United States United States
Gender
Female
Greetings, I start this new thread because I’m not pre-op status. . . .yet! My left shoulder is compromised due to osteoarthritis which has deteriorated the cartilage in the humeral joint.

I’ve had knee and hip replacement on the same side (8 weeks post hip surgery). The first cortisone shot was effective, the second not at all. I plan on calling the OS tomorrow to see if a third is feasible.

Even if he proposed surgery right now, I’d rather not due to work (I just missed 6weeks because I’d the hip). Summer would be the soonest, but I’ll likely need the other hip done then. So if anyone has hints on how to manage, I’m all ears.

Right now I can raise my arm a little, about shoulder high with effort and a lot of creaking. I don’t lift with it or carry anything. It’s sort of a helper appendage. Sometimes it’s hard to put in earrings, contacts and wash my hair due to the angle but it’s my left arm and I’m a right, so thank goodness for that!
 
@Atkinson8 Thanks for starting your shoulder thread. I moved your post to the shoulder area so other members with shoulder issue can find you. Shoulder pre-op doesn't mean you are heading for surgery - just dealing with shoulder issues at this time.
 
Right now I can raise my arm a little, about shoulder high with effort and a lot of creaking. Sometimes it’s hard to put in earrings, contacts and wash my hair due to the angle but it’s my left arm and I’m a right, so thank goodness for that!
I completely understand your situation as I have this problem in both shoulders! Most of the light switches in my house are just above shoulder level to putting lights on is often quite a struggle! As it all the things you mention including showering/drying, fastening my bra, reaching into high kitchen cupboards with items in my hand and so on.
The first cortisone shot was effective, the second not at all. I plan on calling the OS tomorrow to see if a third is feasible.
I've been having cortisone in both shoulders for around 10 years but usually about 4-6 months apart. Generally, they work well.
So if anyone has hints on how to manage, I’m all ears.
My plan to cope is
I never found ordinary pain killers to be much help except for mild aching, so I use a TENS machine for pain relief
when attempting to put things away or get them from higher cupboards, keep the load as small as you can​
 
Update, now that my second hip is replaced, time to think about the shoulder. My plan is one more shot of cortisone then learn my option (s) for a more permanent solution to be scheduled in June. Let’s see if the surgeon agrees with my timeline.
 
Best wishes as you move forward!
 
Good luck! I'm glad you were able to work around the bad shoulder. I'm headed off to finally get my left shoulder replaced on February 22. I had to put my surgery off for about 3 years and the surgeon has told me that will likely make my full recovery more difficult because of muscle shortening. Yuk! But sometimes we have to do these things as the time just isn't right for the replacement. In my case, I was caring for my husband and could not be "out of commission" for shoulder recovery.
 
Thanks all. I go see the OS on Thursday, 3/6 so will have a more definitive plan then. I’ll let you know!
 
Greetings! The good news is, I’m not imagining things. The shoulder is totally gone on bone and needs replacement. Monday we’ll schedule the surgery for June (my choice to delay; I don’t want to miss any more work this year). Day to day this seems manageable as I really don’t /can’t use my left arm at all. It’s tricky going some times, but I’ve adapted somewhat. I’m just glad there’s something that can be done to improve the situation, although I know there’s really no solution to osteoarthritis. I’m just grateful it’s my left shoulder that’s affected, and that I’m right handed! :praying:
 
Best wishes for a good recovery!
 
You'll be joining our growing ranks of TSR members! We're getting quite a club together here. I don't think it will make any difference for you to have the surgery now or delay it until June. Like you, I had reasons to put mine off for a couple of years (I was caring for my husband) and I was lucky enough that it was my left arm and I didn't have a lot of pain. On the other hand, some patients do experience significant pain when their shoulders go bad, so I consider us lucky. This is great surgery that can restore most, if not all, of your range of motion.

So, just baby it until your surgery day and you should do fine.
 
I’m taking the advice to “just baby”the shoulder to heart. The pain isn’t too bad, which is good, given everything else. Thanks so much!
 
Hang in there.....it will be June before you know it. And if our current round of shoulder replacement BoneSmarties is any indication, the recovery is not as bad as a hip or knee replacement....especially in terms of pain. It just requires some patience.
 
June 12th is scheduled for surgery - so now it's real! Are there any pre-op preparations that people recommend? Exercises? How to prepared for 5-6 weeks immobilization? Thanks!
 
Well done on getting your surgery date! Do some reading in the shoulder pre-op area for hints on preparing. I think @Jamie and @SportHog are our latest members to get to the other side of this surgery. I'm sure they will come and chat with you here.
 
I haven't had time yet to put together some articles for pre-op for shoulders yet. But here are some things I learned from my surgery on February 22nd.

My surgeon made it sound like I would have my left arm totally immobilized for a full 6 weeks in a special sling that keeps the arm strapped close to my body. I was terrified of how I would survive like that for weeks on end as I live alone and did not want to burden my friends with coming over daily to help me. In reality, from the very first I was able to use that arm to grasp a jar if I needed to open it or do other tasks of daily living with it.

He allowed me to be out of the sling during the day for periods as long as I was very strict about motions I made with that arm. I was not to lift anything with it and could not raise my hand above my waist. I also could not move it out sideways from my body nor pull the arm backwards. While these are pretty strong restrictions, I soon figured out how to do everything I needed to. I was just very slow at it.

If you have a pet, you may need to arrange boarding. I put my dog in the kennel for 3 weeks. She has a fenced yard but was used to going out front for at least short walks and I didn't feel comfortable putting her on the leash until after about 2 1/2 weeks.

Put up some frozen meals or items you can zap quickly in the microwave. I ate soups I had frozen for a couple of weeks. See if a grocery store near you does online shopping with delivery. I bought fresh items once a week online and had a friend pick them up. Having fresh fruit was especially nice.

If you have a Costco or Sam's Club near you, get a case of a protein supplement such as Glucerna, Ensure or Boost so you have a quick protein rich snack or meal if you don't feel like having anything else. It's important to stoke up on protein in the weeks before surgery and it's also needed afterwards for better healing. These drinks are not always to everyone's taste, but I thought the chocolate Glucerna was okay.

Get BIG clothes to wear. Buy a few t-shirts or button front shirts that are at least 2 sizes too large for you. Get some shorts or sweat pants that are one size too large. Both need to be elastic waist. You'll be pulling your pants up one-handed and that can take a little practice. I used a grabber to help the first couple of weeks. You won't be able to wear a bra for quite a while. I got dressed on the toilet for a while, but later switched to a chair in the bedroom. If you don't have a chair in your bedroom, I'd put one there. It comes in handy when you're out of the shower too. You'll tire easily and things will just be more difficult to do one handed. Socks were a bit of a challenge at first too, but I didn't opt for a sock puller. I just learned how to do it one-handed because you won't be able to use your surgery arm to pull on them. I also bought a few pairs of "granny cotton panties" in a size larger to wear. They are easier to pull up and down one-handed when you have that brace on.

After surgery, your skin will be very dry all over. Get some good body lotion and be prepared to use it liberally. Your feet will especially appreciate this going into summer. Each morning I put lots of lotion on my feet and then put my socks on. After a few days of that, my feet were wonderfully soft. You can use any good lotion or Vaseline works well too.

You'll need to sleep upright mostly for the first couple of weeks. My surgeon recommended a recliner, but it was very uncomfortable for me. I chose to use a foam wedge on the couch. Sleeping may be very sporatic for weeks, so you'll have to figure out spots that work for you. I alternated at night between my bed and the couch. Wearing that immobilizer brace to sleep in is no picnic, especially if you're used to sleeping on your side. It was nice to have more than one place to try and sleep at night.

Stock up on stool softeners. If you are on prescription pain medications (and you will be at least right after surgery), you'll likely become constipated. Start your stool softners at least 3 days prior to surgery and insist they give them to you in the hospital while you're there. I didn't and had a very severe problem. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Be sure you get stool softeners that have absolutely no stimulants in them. Read the label carefully and avoid anything that has the word "stimulant" anywhere on the label. Those are laxatives and they should not be taken for long periods of time as your system can begin to rely on the stimulant and not function properly.

You may experience a few days of incontinence in the hospital or during the first couple of weeks at home, so have a package of Depends or incontinence pads on hand just in case. There is nothing worse than getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and not making it there in time. This is temporary and nothing to worry about. But it pays to be prepared.

Get a note pad and pen ready so you can keep track of when you take your pain meds. For at least a few weeks you'll need to take them on some type of schedule. Even if you are not on prescription pain meds (I quit them after about 5 days at home), you'll want to know when to take doses of Extra Strength Tylenol. Get a good supply of it because you'll need it for a while, especially at night to sleep well.

No one told me this, but I have not been able to use deodorant since my surgery. I could not move my surgery arm out enough to get under my armpit and the surgery arm wouldn't reach across to put deodorant under the other arm. Since it takes the better part of an hour to take a shower, I didn't do that every day. I finally figured out how to use a washcloth to slide under my surgery arm and wash daily. I had to use another washcloth to dry under there because a bath towel was too bulky to squeeze into that space. Since I was not permitted to move my arm out to the side (couldn't engage those muscles that were still healing from surgery), I'd rest my hand on the door frame and then walk back slightly to allow my other hand to put the washcloth under my arm. This was one of the more difficult things in my opinion to deal with after surgery and I think the Occupational Therapist should have taught me how to do this in the hospital.

Make sure you'll have Home Health for at least a few visits once you're out of the hospital. A nurse will check your wound and change the dressing if needed. An occupational therapist will help you with your everyday activities. They are great at figuring out how to do things with one arm tied to your body. You can also have a bath aid to help you with showering and hair washing until you are ready to do it yourself. It took me about 3 weeks to be able to wash my own hair, so this help was very welcome.

You will likely have a physical therapist through home health as well. You'll probably only be doing passive exercises (I had a pulley to use for 5 minute sessions 5 times a day), so there won't be too much therapy for that 6 weeks. I set my pulley up in the kitchen so I'd see it all during the day and would be more likely to get all the sessions in. I set a mirror up on the kitchen counter so I could be sure I was doing the exercise correctly. I have a tendency to lift my surgery shoulder when doing the exercise and being able to see it helped me break that habit. I imagine I learned that movement from years of having a bad shoulder.

Well, that's all I can think of at this point. Please ask any questions you might have.
 
Last edited:
Great collection of tips @Jamie ! Thanks for posting!
 
I'm practicing for the articles I need to write. :rotfl:

I was quite surprised at the number of things that are different with a shoulder recovery than a knee or hip.
 
Thanks so much for the helpful suggestions. I’m ready to go June 12th but now my insurance provider doesn’t want to approve surgery saying I need 12 weeks PT beforehand, there’s really nothing at all to do therapy on! So my doctor is appealing and I’m in wait mode. So frustrating!
 
Try to relax. Doctors are notoriously effective in dealing with these issues with insurance companies. It's a matter of putting the right words down in documentation and I'm pretty sure they will get this done for you.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Layla
    Staff member since November 20, 2017
  • Pumpkin
    Staff member since March 26, 2015
  • Jockette
    Staff member since March 18, 2018

Forum statistics

Threads
65,181
Messages
1,597,092
BoneSmarties
39,365
Latest member
Dave4562
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom