Shoulder replacement: Post-surgery suggestions

Day 7

Hello @meuniesu, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @colleenyoung and other members. I found a YouTube video that shows some tips on sleeping with a shoulder replacement that you may find helpful.

Post-op shoulder surgery-Sleeping with a sling!:

@meuniesu, Congratulations, it sounds like you are making good progress with your shoulder in everything but sleeping. Hmmm.....I remember using a wedge. I had a reverse on my dominant right shoulder. So the first thing I had to learn was how to eat with my left hand. I usually sleep on my right side so again I had to get used to the left side. Do you have a close friend.......I do and unbeknownst to me, she had made plans to come to be my caregiver for 7 days. That was just heavenly. Or at least most of it was. She put the shower bag on my arm, cooked things I could eat, and pushed me out of bed on the 3rd morning saying, "you don't use your shoulder to walk....so let's get going."

For me....this surgery was more of an inconvenience than a pain generator. Dressing was somewhat challenging....so I wore big shirts and sloppy pants, along with slip-in shoes.

How soon do you ex[ect to be driving? In CA you cannot drive with a sling so that becomes an activity that requires some help. You need to keep your Ice machine full and ready. One hint is to not use ice.....instead use soda bottles filled with water and frozen. Then just put six or eight in the ice chest......replace them when the ice melts.

Remembering that everything you do will take a bit longer, you can actually have some pleasant and activity-filled days. Good luck to you and let me know if you have any other questions. Other than sleeping what do you worry about? How can I help?

May you be safe and protected from inner and outer harm.
Chris

@anncgrl, @JustinMcClanahan, Good afternoon. So tomorrow is the day for your shoulder replacement. For me, this was an amazingly trouble-free recovery with welcome results. First and foremost, I had a totally dedicated surgeon who was just there for me. Sat and watched a video of the surgery with me. Answered every question himself. Was sitting in my room, the evening after the surgery, just to look in and say hello. Gave me his cell phone # in case I was uncomfortable about anything. The anesthesiologist paid me a visit too. Pretty soon, I was feeling like royalty. Mine was a reverse shoulder replacement, also called a Delta Shoulder System because the tear, tagged as the Grand Canyon of holes, was irreparable after a fall down the mountain.

Here are some hints and possibilities for after surgery that worked for me. Since this is summer you won't need outerwear, you might have a few poncho or tunic type wraps without sleeves. They work well over a roomy button-up shirt of some kind. Elastic waist or pull-on pants without a zipper. Sweat pants also work. Shoes...slip-ons with no laces were best for me.

For sleeping, someone tucked me in at night and built up pillows on one side so that my body would be straight and the sling was pretty comfy. I wouldn't refuse some sleep aid medication for the first week or so. Showers were a little tough the first few days. I had a plastic bag that went over the sling and could be sealed at the top. My best friend surprised me by coming to stay with me for 4-5 days. She washed my hair, helped with dressing and made me get out and walk a bit every day to keep my energy up. You may want a movable shower head that can be held by someone who can rinse you off. Sitting on a shower seat that someone loaned me was a good idea. You can wrap yourself in a bath towel and sort of drip dry or let someone help you with that and the hairdryer if you use one. I had my hair cut very short before the surgery day.

For eating, I just learned to use my left hand. I was tidy enough to be able to go out to dinner in a few days. You may want to practice "mindful" eating to slow things down a bit. To this day, I use my left hand for eating and I can do pretty well writing. Shuffling cribbage cards took a bit of time. Once you learn what you are capable of doing, it gets easier. I also checked in with my Physical Therapist before trying to do much of anything. I remember to this day what my surgeon told me. "Don't fall. I can't fix you."

And my PS is this. Please make sure of the road rules for driving with a sling. In CA it is a violation complete with a fine and a trip to driving school. If you have Siri on your iPhone or other devices you can let her make your calls for you.

The big prize at the end.....absolutely no pain, none, nada. I was in heaven and still am. Best of luck. Let us know how it goes. Chris

I have had three reverse shoulder replacement surgeries. Clothes post surgery: comfortable pull on shorts or pants ( no buttons, zippers, snaps etc.). Sweat pants work great. Blouses that are easy to button. I had both long sleeve and short sleeves depending on the season. I ordered a flannel shirt with a soft lining from LL Bean to stay warm after a winter surgery. Practice buttoning one handed ahead of surgery. The first week is tough. After a while I was able to wear some oversized comfortable tee shirts. I wore them to bed at night and put on a clean one the next day etc. They were NOT cotton but rather like a polyester type fabric. Do you have anyone to help? I live alone and hired a CNA to help me twice a week and Have family near by to fill in when needed.

@artscaping Hi this is such good news because I'm about to get shoulder replacement surgery on the shoulder for my dominant right side that already had rotator cuff I am terrified. I don't have a lot of people around me and I didn't have a lot of people around me the first time. I'm not looking forward to the pain after the surgery but I am looking forward to being pain-free. If that's at all possible. I wonder if it feels really different I've never had a replacement. I feel it disturbing that the procedure is done in a clinic and you're let out the same day and you don't see the surgeon until 2 weeks later. Maybe all this anxiety is over the top but I don't think so

Hi again @zhigirl2023, I am glad my experience was good news for you. Replacement surgery means that the existing shoulder mechanism is replaced literally. It is even rearranged. I recall that my surgeon and I had an ongoing verbal battle (joke really) over getting the right size. He also revealed that one of the development engineers would be attending my surgery to make sure everything fit as well as possible. I should remind you that this surgery was about 12 years ago and I was one of the oldest patients to receive what then was a new procedure that was developed in France. In the US, it had only been accessible at the U of WA.

Today, there is a new and valuable process for getting the best fit possible. A 3-D print is created from multiple images. Then the replacement parts are made exactly to fit your shoulder. Mine is a little off centered so to speak because there were only a couple of size options. What that meant was that the fit was not perfect and I ended up with some positions that just weren't possible, e.g. eating an ice cream cone. I just couldn't get it close to my mouth.

You also mentioned a concern about your pre-replacement rotator cuff surgery. I started with a rotator cuff "Grand Canyon". That was how my surgeon referred to my rotator cuff tear. And after that failure, a cadaver graft surgery was also attempted. That was such a poor fit that the attempt was just canceled as soon as they opened the aperture.

The reason for these attempts was to satisfy the insurance company. They didn't want to pay for the "newer" reverse replacement unless the patient was pushing 80 and probably wouldn't live long enough to need additional repairs. My surgeon spent quite a bit of time talking to them and they finally caved.

And I note that you are concerned about the same-day surgery. I worried about that also and have had three surgeries in a same-day center since then although I did spend one night after the shoulder surgery. First, they do have post-surgery overnight facilities if you need them. Second, you must have a helper at home for three days to be able to participate in the same-day option. And finally, there is quite a bit of education about post-surgery pain and movement control.

I was fortunate to have a BFF come up the mountain to take care of me for 4 or 5 days. We actually ended up having a great time together. She made me exercise regularly and helped me with showering and dressing. Don't forget to make sure you have an ice machine.

Also remember that you will probably begin some form of PT within a few days.
And to celebrate I actually went out to dinner on day three post-surgery. Couldn't have a cocktail, but enjoyed being out with friends.

Please let me know if you have additional questions. I know how frightening these experiences can be and hopefully, others will echo my experience.
If you are still terrified, maybe your surgeon can share a video with you so that you can know more about what actually happens. That's what mine did.

I will be waiting for your posts and am happy to be here for you.

May you be safe, protected, and free from inner and outer harm.
Chris