Want to hear from members with shoulder surgery

holly77

new member
Joined
Jul 14, 2017
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Austin
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Hello - new member here!
Would like to connect with others who have had shoulder replacement as that has what's been advised for me.

Thanks
holly77
 
@holly77 Welcome to BoneSmart! Alas when any joint is as bad as you describe there are usually only 2 options - live with the pain and dysfunction (and it will get worse over time) or get it replaced. I've had both shoulder joints replaced (as well as both hip joints) and I am very pleased with the out comes of both of those replacements! No pain, pretty much back to normal range of motion with the right one (surgery was 3 years ago) and left is coming along nicely with surgery being 2.5 months ago. If you have found a really good surgeon who does lots of shoulder replacements please consider following their advice and get the shoulder taken care of. Look through this section - there are several threads about shoulder replacements.
 
How far along the road of pain and stuff are you? What have you tried thus far?
I see you had a SLAP injury (Superior Labrum, Anterior and Posterior)
 
Greetings to the BoneSmart group,

I am happy to be a new member of BoneSmart and am very much looking forward to communicating with other members who are going through similar circumstances such as myself and also gaining more information on how they are faring with shoulder injuries, replacement surgeries, and any other treatments. I'm especially interested in alternatives to shoulder arthroplasty if they do exist for my case, as total replacement is only the treatment proposed at this time.

It is possible that many BoneSmart members might be living with high pain levels such as I am, so it would be most helpful to understand how they are coping, i.e. eating diets low in inflammatory foods, doing physical therapy, using ice/heat modalities, and last but not least using pain meds.

My present diagnosis is severe degenerative arthritis of the right shoulder joint and proposed treatment is total joint replacement. Due to my current arthritic condition of the shoulder joint and extraordinarily high pain levels, it could be safe to say my arthroscope for SLAPP repair in 2014 was a failed surgery. In any case, I am ready for a change so that I can have a chance at a better quality of life, even if that might mean joint replacement.

I would like to say "thanks" ahead of time for advice or shared experience from the group!

2013 traumatic injury to rt. glenoid/humeral joint
SLAPP grade 3 diagnosed
Proposed treatment arthroscopic repair
2014 arthroscopic "repair" performed, with PRP, debridement, & subacromial smoothing
Labrum tear downgraded to 1 during surgery
No history of shoulder dislocation or any pain prior to 2013 injury
MRI, plane bi-lateral x-rays 4-2017 show severe D.A. rt shoulder/ none in left
2017 recommended treatment tsr for rt. shoulder
High levels of pain 24/7 and limited ROM

Holly77, 9-2017
 
Gosh what a litany of medical conditions and treatments! But not unfamiliar.

Personally, I used a TENS machines a number of times and if I felt I really needed therapy, I'd see a chiropractor.
 
I'm afraid the TENS units doesn't work in my case. Perhaps it may be useful in other patients' experiences with degenerative arthritis but not with mine. Are there no ideas here other than to be seen by a chiropractor? If my conditions are not unfamiliar as you say, I am hoping that someone on the forum may have an encouraging word about joint replacement for my shoulder since that is what has been recommended by more than 2 orthopedic doctors. I might add that I had that when you speak of the litany of medical conditions, due to a ruptured disc I had an artificial disc implanted at the L4/L5 in 2009. The surgery was done in Germany, and there were no complications and complete recovery with return to 100% range of motion. We were expats living in the Netherlands then and had access to a private clinic in Bonn, DE. The shoulder injury and subsequent surgery in 2014 has been quite literally a nightmare here in the states. Hopefully, there are surgeons here in the US who are as skilled as the one who performed the ADR in Germany, and that there are members who are reporting success with surgical outcomes.

Hi @susanne,

Since you have had quite a bit of experience with shoulder replacement, is there any advice you could give as I am considering one for my arthritic right shoulder? Is there any advice about pt or recovery time? I'm sure it will probably vary for everyone, but not having met or talked with another person who has had this surgery, it would be extremely useful information. I'm glad you have fared well for your surgeries and perhaps you might be able to share some wise advice.


2013 traumatic injury to rt. glenoid/humeral joint
SLAPP grade 3 diagnosed
Proposed treatment arthroscopic repair
2014 arthroscopic "repair" performed, with PRP, debridement, & subacromial smoothing
Labrum tear downgraded to 1 during surgery
No history of shoulder dislocation or any pain prior to 2013 injury
MRI, plane bi-lateral x-rays 4-2017 show severe D.A. rt shoulder/ none in left
2017 recommended treatment tsr for rt. shoulder
High levels of pain 24/7 and limited ROM

Holly77, 9-2017
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi @holly77
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Here are the instructions on finding your thread, How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.
 
I have also moved a post of yours from Susanne's thread to your own thread.

By putting the above post in her recovery thread, if she had given you advice there you would have been disrupting her thread, which should be about her own recoveries and concerns.
Forum etiquette: being polite when posting

Please post any updates or questions about your shoulder in your own thread. We will see them there, as someone checks all the new posts every day.
If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we'll get it changed for you.
If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.
How to tag another member; how to answer when someone tags you

Just in case you couldn't find your thread, here are the instructions on finding your thread,
How can I find my threads and posts? . Many members bookmark their thread, so they can find it when they log on.

By the way, when you quote someone's post, you don't have to start another post of y our own below it. Just follow the quote by typing your message underneath it.
How to use the quote feature

There are lots of useful "How to . . . " articles in this section of BoneSmart:
How To Use This Forum

 
Hi @holly77. Welcome to the world of shoulder replacements. I've had both mine done due to severe osteo arthritis. Bone on bone
My surgeon in NYC performed them both leaving the rotator cuff intact. My recovery compared to my other replacements was much easier. Granted there is some pain but nothing like hip or knee. Just the discomfort of realizing you need both arms to do things
Recovery was quick PT 2x week
Ice and elevation. I wore a sling for the duration of my recovery and couldn't wait to throw it out
Since I was so used to sleeping on my back I just propped up
Shoulder on pillow and slept that way. I've been doing PRP platelet rich plasma injections in my rt knee as I'm getting bone on bone and really can't bear to have any more body parts replaced. The injections of my own blood is working really well. Next month will be a year since I started and since the dr doesn't take insurance but will take Medicare he's going to add some more injections to cushion the joint
Now my other hip is starting to hurt
So he will be doing injections in that one too
Good luck with the shoulder
Susanne

Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum
 
Hi, Holly......I do hope you take a look at others' shoulder threads here in this "Other Joints" forum. You might have some questions you'd like to ask about their recoveries. But I think you're going to find there are no real treatments for someone who is in the condition you describe except for a joint replacement. Remember....the sooner you get it done, the sooner you can be on the road to getting your life back.
 

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