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Shoulder replacement: Post-surgery suggestions

Joint Replacements | Last Active: May 2 10:44am | Replies (57)

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@agentkate

In a little over a week, I’m scheduled for standard shoulder replacement surgery. I’m 77 years old and I live alone. I had the left shoulder done four years ago and I’m a little surprised that they no longer keep you overnight in the hospital for a day. The surgery will take place in the hospital, but I will go home the same day, but will have A nerve block that will numb my shoulder for the first three or four days. So this surgery is a little different than the last one because I didn’t have any of that with the first surgery. I have a wedge pillow and put a regular pillow underneath it so that I’m sitting up more in bed and I bought it at Amazon and find it very very comfortable. I will have someone stay with me the first night and then I’m on my own. I bought a shower chair for the shower and practiced using it. I have a BREG ice machine and have practice putting that on also. With the first shoulder surgery, I was in the hospital overnight and still had morphine in me when they showed me how to put the ice machine pad on. So when I got home, I was allowed to take a shower that night and I couldn’t get the pad back on my shoulder because I was drugged when they showed me how to do it. So my friend came over and helped me and spent the night. So my advice is, if you can, practice taking a shower with one hand sitting down in your chair in the shower. Have everything set up the night before you go into surgery so when you get home, you don’t have to do anything but relax. I’m a little OCD so I also made 25 meals that I froze and are easy to prepare. I just have to defrost them and eat them. I try to prepare as much in advance as possible because I do live alone. I also put up a handrail outside as I have two very shallow steps on my front porch and I feed the birds every day. What makes it a little more difficult for me is that since my last surgery I’ve developed degenerative arthritis in my lower back so sometimes my left leg hurts and I need to use a cane. Since my right arm will be operated on. I cannot use my cane with my right arm, so I bought a walker which I can easily push around with one hand and a walker comes in very handy to hold the ice machine so that you don’t have to keep picking it up and carrying it with you everywhere. All the ice machines are extremely hard to plug in not in the wall but to plug in the rubber parts that connect together, so what I did in the beginning was put a vice on the table and I put 1/2 in the vice because you need two hands to plug that in, but with the vice, I only needed one hand to plug it in. Now I just simply unplugged the machine and if I need to go anywhere, I can just take the top off the machine and I don’t have to take the whole machine with me. I’m talking about the BREG cube machine. There are different brands out there that are much bigger but then you have to pick it up and if you have six frozen bottles of water inside it plus water, I can imagine how heavy that must be to pick up so I went for the smaller machine and I bought plastic ice things that you don’t have to use real ice. You just freeze them and I bought enough that I can have two or three refills before I have to freeze them again but they not throw away. You just keep freezing them their plastic you can get them on Amazon. I’m getting my haircut a little bit shorter so it’ll be easier to manage and of course I’m going to die it right before I go in. Did I mention on vain I hope this has helped and if you have any questions, I’m here.

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Replies to "In a little over a week, I’m scheduled for standard shoulder replacement surgery. I’m 77 years..."

I don't know where you are. I know how terrible this is. I tore my bicep, 3 surgeries later full replacement. It's 3 sizes too big. I was sent home. I went into septic shock. I had never heard of sepsis, 2017.
I turned 53 this month. I have atrophied right kidney chronic disease ptsd mdd gad night terrors insomnia depression lethargic zero quality of life nonalcoholic cirrhosis.
I hv lived and worked abd paid bills myself, since 14. I don't have parents, and disability is fighting on shame.
However, enough about me.
In 2017 I had my replacement. The nerve block works off all the way by 24 hours. The ice pack thing they strap to you. Oh you need help. I will keep u n my prayers. So sorry for u

You are such a resourceful person and you have thought of everything! I would just add some extra large clothes,like shirts and pants,easy to to get on and off. I have no doubt you will get through this surgery just fine!

You have really done great in preparing. One thing you might like to have on hand is a pully you hang on the door. It helped me get back the use back in my arm. I did not use the ice machine after two days it was inconvient for me, the plastic ice pads were great and you can use them in bed.
I am pleased with the result of my RSS , no pain it was just a year ago.