@tfarizona
My reverse TSR surgery was done last October, I felt very little surgical pain, just an overall ache in the shoulder area afterwards. Went home before noon the next day. Used only prescription strength tylenol and naproxen, never needed the tramadol or oxycodone that were prescribed, don't like how they make me nauseous and pain was not that bad. I had an flexible ice pack sent home with me from the hospital and I iced the shoulder constantly. Sleeping comfortably was the only real problem for the first month, because you are limited to being on your back or on your non-surgical side. They fitted me with an immobilizer ("sling thing") at the hospital, which you wear even when sleeping. It's a wide velcro waistband that has a velcro strap that keeps your elbow rigid at your waist, and a removable wrist strap that velcro's onto the front of your stomach. I thought it was great, because you could easily disconnect the wrist strap to prop your elbow on a table for using a computer keyboard or some other hand activity. I was able to do way more than I had expected, and rarely needed any help from my husband for anything. For sleeping, I had a bed wedge under my back and extra pillows around to prop anything that needed adjusting. I used the recliner during the day, but needed the extra bed space at night. Within a day or two, after all the hospital narcotics got out of my system, I felt good enough to do anything that didn't involve the use of my right arm, which had to stay in the immobilizer.

Before my PT started I did the three types of directional pendulum arm dangle exercises that they showed me in the hospital. I did more reps than called for. Started PT at two week out, went very well, by 8-10 weeks I had regained nearly full mobility without pain. I continued at home with band stretch exercises for some weeks after PT was over. My vertical stretch was nearly the same as my other arm. The only difference I could tell, is that small quick rotational movement such as soaping your torso in the shower continues to be slower and more awkward with that arm. At the 9 months point, I was pleased that my surgery was a total success, no arthritis pain, good range of movement, and I think an easier recovery than both my knee replacements.

However, I have now hit a bump. Perhaps because of overuse??? I had been doing a lot of gardening, lifting, carrying heavy pots and water, pulling hoses etc and within just the last three weeks I have had episodes where if I drop or move my shoulder inward quickly, I get a pain that almost feels as if it gets out of joint. I have to shrug the shoulder and use my other arm to move my elbow around to where I can get the pain to stop. We had been out of town on a Canadian fishing trip the last week, so will have to see about a Dr appointment shortly. At times the pain feels much like when you get a really bad leg cramp, and I can feel the tight "hurt line" running down the back of my arm from shoulder to elbow. Once, I got it to stop by just pressing on that line for a bit, but that does not work every time. Kind of mysterious, but I will have it checked out soon. Nothing like it in the first 9 months after surgery.