Should Mom Do It?

[ldsmartt]

Hi There,

My mom is 83 years old and in good shape physically overall, but I'm still not sure she's a candidate for a shoulder replacement. Would appreciate insights as to whether this surgery is worth it for someone her age? She's bone on bone and of course bothered by pain, but it's tolerable. All things considered, given the length of rehab and possible other issues, is this just not the sort of surgery worth doing late in life it can possibly be avoided? I want to be supportive but also don't want a bad outcome for her. It sounds like she would be pretty dependent for -- at minimum 4-6 weeks -- which she would not enjoy! On the upside, one hopes her quality of life on the other side would be better? Torn! Would appreciate any perspectives you're willing to share! ps: She's a widow and lives alone, so I'm assuming she would need me or a helper of some kind to move in, yes? Many thanks!

 

[djklaugh]

@ldsmartt If you mother is in general good health and her surgeon is confident she will do well with the surgery it may indeed improve her quality of life. After surgery she will have that arm in a sling with a padded bolster attached and will need to wear that most of the time for about 3-5 weeks. She can take that off for showering, dressing, and doing some gentle "swing the arm" exercises she will be given in the hospital. She will have limited use of that arm for a while but will not be totally incapacitated. I am sure she would find it very helpful to have some one there for a week or so but with some planning she could manage OK with less support too. Yes it can take several months of PT to get the shoulder back to functioning properly. The shoulder is a complex joint with many muscle and tendon attachments. And those all get moved around during this surgery. So like recovery from hip replacements slow and gently is the was to go for the post op period.

Do read through some of the threads here in shoulder pre op and also over in the post op section to see how others have managed. For my self I am delighted to have 2 pain free shoulders (and hips!) and be able to do all the things I enjoy ... and those things that have to be done.