Standard Shoulder Replacement I need information

[Poppymallow]

Hello-
I am 72 years with bad arthritis. Both of my shoulders are terribly painful, although they maintain pretty decent strength and range of motion. I pretty much wrecked my shoulders when I was young and doing a lot of heavy farm work. Plus, I was in two very serious car accidents, which probably didn't help.

Anyway, I have been getting cortisone shots in the humeral heads of the shoulders. This is effective but doesn't last long.

My pain doc suggested I speak with a surgeon because the more conservative approaches aren't working.

I spoke with an ortho Nurse Practitioner yesterday. She said that the injections become less and less effective with time. NP thinks I need shoulder replacements.

I live alone and don't have a great support network. I'm concerned about the aftercare. I was told I would be in a sling for 6 weeks.

Can anybody give e more information or reassurances about the prospect of this surgery?

Thank you.

 

[djklaugh]

@Poppymallow Welcome to BoneSmart! IF you need shoulder replacement (and that would be up to a shoulder surgeon to decide) you should be able to manage OK on your own. Though it is helpful to have someone there with you if you can find some one to come for a couple of weeks. The sling is awkward but not too uncomfortable and you can take it off briefly to shower and dress and to do some easy swing-the-arm exercises. And since the shoulder is not a weight bearing joint you will be able to move around easily. I've had 2 shoulder replacements and had my cousin with me for one and my brother and S-I-L with me for the 2nd one. Even if you have no relative or close friend who can come stay with you will need someone to drive you home from the hospital after surgery. Hospital will not allow you to just go home in a cab or with Uber.

Healing from this surgery and getting the shoulder back to full functioning takes about 5-6 months and gets easier and easier each day. Everyone is different and each recovery from surgery is different so this is just based on my experience. You will need to do physical therapy after the surgery and that often does not start until you are pretty well healed from what ever gets done to your shoulder. With each of mine PT didn't start until about 6 weeks after surgery.

Best of luck to you! Do you have an appointment set up with a surgeon yet? Do let us know how you are getting on - we do like to help

 

[Jaycey]

@Poppymallow My colleague @Jamie is on her own and had TSR. I've tagged her so she can come here and chat. With a bit of pre-op prepping of your home you should be fine.

 

[Jamie]

Hi, Poppymallow…..even with little support, you can do just fine at home by yourself with a shoulder replacement. It just takes some pre-surgery planning to be sure your immediate needs are met. I suggest you do some reading in the threads in the shoulder forums and you’ll see how some of our members coped. You’ll also find lots of helpful tips in the posts. You should be able to have Home Health assistance for several weeks after surgery where an occupational therapist will assist you in finding ways to manage at home. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions here in your thread as you go along, My new shoulder is great and I am now able to do anything I want with it. My only limitation is that I cannot reach all the way around my back to hook a bra, but that’s a small price to pay to have a pain free functioning shoulder. Let us know how you get along and please don’t fear this surgery. It can be a great help for bad shoulders.