← Return to Shoulder replacement: Post-surgery suggestions
DiscussionShoulder replacement: Post-surgery suggestions
Joint Replacements | Last Active: Mar 4 11:48am | Replies (63)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "@JustinMcClanahan I am very worried about coping post-replacement as I live alone. Would love to hear..."
I have a husband at home who is happy to help anytime, but honestly, other than companionship and commiseration, there was very little I needed any help with after my reverse TSR four years ago. I thought I would need help getting my immobilizer on, but found that I could velcro it closed the opposite side and then pull it around my waist to where it belonged, before hooking up the elbow and wrist pieces. Needed no help dressing with pull up sweats or joggers, I didn't buy any new shirts, just wore stretchy old T's with wide V necks or boat necks that I could pull up onto my TSR arm first, then put my head through, and good arm last.
The hardest daily things to do properly were brushing teeth and wiping your behind after BM's. You just have to use your off hand and do the best you can unless you are lucky and have a bidet. Teeth brushing was challenging for me, so I soon switched back to my right hand, by resting my elbow on the sink for support and using smaller wrist movements, rather than than the whole arm. Slow, but did a better job than trying to use my left hand. Showering and combing hair one handed was something I already did, since I couldn't get my bad arm up high enough pre-surgery. I am so happy that I had the kind of immobilizer where I could undo the velcro straps at the wrist/waist in order to move my lower arm forward for various tasks, while keeping the elbow and shoulder rigid. I was using my computer keyboard the day I came home, and could get back to light cooking the next day without harming the shoulder. It also eliminates the need for a bra, because the broad waist piece covers much of your chest.
Everyone reacts to surgery in their own way, and levels of pain are likely the main thing that determines how much help you need or want. My pain level was very low, mostly a dull ache and it felt different than the constant arthritis pain I felt before, probably because I knew it was temporary. While it was comforting to know I had my husband there if I needed help (or to fetch and carry when I just didn't feel like getting up from the recliner) I would have been just fine on my own.
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@bgrabo as someone else said, I should have kept one of my 3 husbands!
I was in the same “boat”. I had both of my knees replaced. One was done in 2019, the other 2020.
My third husband has not remarried. He volunteered to stay overnight with me for 2 nights. My son worked remotely back then so he worked from my house.