Recovery from reverse shoulder replacement

I had my pre-op for my 12/30 surgery this morning. I learned a few interesting things, all of which are good news.

First, when I asked about using an ice machine, the doc said that they are wonderful. He said that if I bring it to the hospital he will put the shoulder pad on and get it running while I am still there. He said that will help with post-surgery pain, even though the nerve block will still be working for 8-30 hours after surgery. (I will go home that day.)

When I asked whether he would be giving me a sling or an immobilizer, he said a sling. I will immediately have use of my lower arm and hand, and some movement of the upper arm will be allowed, even encouraged.

When I asked about driving, he said I can drive as soon as I feel able. Understanding that it will be one-armed driving, he said that the suicide knob that I have on the steering wheels of both cars will be enough for normal driving. Interestingly, he said to take the sling off while driving, in case some emergency movement is required. BTW, Oregon has no laws about driving with an immobilized arm.

He said he will be putting on a waterproof dressing with dissolvable stitches and that I can shower immediately after surgery.

I am not dreading the post-op period quite so much now.

Eight days post-op

When I told my surgeon that I had an ice machine, he was enthusiastic. He told me to bring it with me and he would have it on me when I woke up from the procedure. I have been wearing it almost 24/7 since surgery, using the smaller shoulder pad at night and the larger one during the day. It's the Polar model that holds six 16.9-oz water bottles.

The first day I took oxycodone every four hours as prescribed but after that the icing has kept the pain at a level that I reduced it to one at bedtime. I tried sleeping without the icer one night because the hoses really are cumbersome, but I won't do that again any time soon. The continuous pain relief is worth it.

Today is the first day that I haven't put on the icer after I got up. As long as I don't move my arm, the pain is pretty mild.

I have a waterproof dressing over the incision and can shower just fine, although it's a slow process.

I have used a sling during the day but it is too difficult to sleep with both it and the ice machine, so I'm not wearing it at night. If I move my arm during the night the pain is enough to wake me up and stop moving.

After the nerve block wore off (about 13-14 hours after surgery}) I started regaining use of my hand and forearm. After a few days, they work well enought for me to unscrew caps, get dressed, work a zipper, use a keyboard, etc., which has made life much better.

I have been wearing sweatpants, long-sleeve undershirts, zippered sweatshirts, and slip-on shoes. I switched to long-sleeve tees because otherwise the straps from the icer were chafing the undersie of my upper arms. The oversize tees I bought were a waste of money.

After a pretty dismal week, I feel like I have turned a corner on the pain. It's still there but it's not disabling any longer. I'm not looking forward to Physical Torture, er, Therapy.

Thanks for the information. I do have an ice machine but the Dr did not rec. using. That's a wait and see for me.
Where did you have your surgery? I have 1 more week.

I had my surgery locally, at the hospital in Bandon, OR. Being in a small town, it took four and a half months to get scheduled.

Wow. I appreciate the information on what to likely expect

Two weeks post-op

What a difference a week makes. I haven't used my ice machine in three days now. The pain level is low enough that it isn't worth the inconvenience. While I needed it, it was a godsend. It immediately drastically reduced pain, with no drug side effects. I expect to start using it again once PT starts.

I graduated from sweatsuits to big boy clothes today. I can now dress myself pretty easily, although my button-fly Levis require some forethought.

Today I drove for the first time. I have suicide knobs on the steering wheels of both our cars, so one-handed driving is possible. Since my right shoulder was the operative side, I need to reach over with my left to reach the start/stop button, shifter, etc., but that was easy.

I stopped all pain meds except acetaminophen a couple days ago. I have near-constant aching, and shoulder pain still disrupts my sleep, but it is quite tolerable. The biggest nuisance is trying to find a comfortable sleeping position; there doesn't seem to be one.

I wear the sling throughout my waking hours. It mostly keeps me from making movements that are sharply painful.

The most difficult thing about showering is washing and drying the nonsurgical side of my body. I can move my right forearm and hand through their normal range but not being able to reach with my upper arm makes handling a towel difficult.

Having full use of my right forearm and hand has made life much easier. I need to be conscious not to raise my upper arm; that really hurts.

I hope folks contemplating a reverse shoulder replacement take hope from my experience. BTW, I am a 77-year-old (78 next month) male, 5'11”, 175 pounds, with no history of regular exercise.