Sleeping after rotator cuff surgery

by Sharon
(California)

Hi - I've read some of the posts and also have heard from other sources the value of a recliner for sleeping after rotator cuff surgery. May I ask why the need to sleep sitting up or reclining? I am scheduled for surgery late January and am now concerned since I don't have a recliner. I do have lots of pillows and am most curious. No one has ever fully explained the reasoning for the reclining position. Thanks so much.

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Sleeping after rotator cuff surgery

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Dec 04, 2008
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starstarstarstarstar 		sleeping in recliner
by: Bart - SII

The reasoning behind the need for a recliner is the resting position of the humerus and shoulder when lying flat. In a recliner or propped up with pillows, you are able to 1) allow for gravity to distract the humerus from the glenoid (the normal hanging position) and 2) it prevents extension of the joint which occurs when you lay down on your back.

It comes down to finding a comfortable resting position for the arm that doesn't stress the repaired tissues.

My girlfriend underwent shoulder stabilization surgery in may and she spent the first few days in a recliner, but then moved to bed placing pillows under her back and arm to find that comfortable position. She was sleeping in a sling for the first few weeks to.

A recliner isn't necessary, but nice if you have one. If not, lots of pillows and help getting everything propped up and in place will work. The hardest part is that the normal rolling over and re-adjusting that we all do when we sleep isn't nearly as easy and so sleeping restfully can be challenging in the first few weeks.

Bart
Dec 31, 2008
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starstarstarstarstar 		Recliner
by: Anonymous

I just had rotator cuff surgery and have spent 8 nights in a recliner. I wish I could lie down in a bed, but it is too painful. Maybe if tou have someone with you at all times, to help you get up and also fix your pillows the right way, it might be possible. However, I would strongly suggest buying or renting the recliner....mine just pushes back, but be careful you don't get one with a handle on your bad side.
Mar 19, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sleeping issues
by: Steve D,

It is now not quite 3 weeks following my arthroscopic surgery for repair of a torn tendon and removal of bone spurs. Pain now is minimal. Annoyance is high. The sling is a constant companion. Going without it is just too risky. The hard part now is getting a good night's sleep, I use the recliner, and plug into the iPod and basically stay on my back trying to sleep. I am awake at least once per hour (darned clock!) and this routine is daily. Daytime naps on the couch help. but the routine as we knew it before surgery just cannot/will not resume for several more weeks. I have tried Tylenol PM. It did help, but I hate the morning-after feeling. In short, it all comes down to what works for each person. Avoid the bed as it just worsens the sleep pattern.
Mar 28, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Recovery time and sleeping after surgery
by: Charlie H

I'm in week 3 after the surgery and the first week was hell trying to sleep. I have sleep apena as well and this only worsend me trying to sleep.
I chose the bed with lots of pillows , and had my wife proped me up so I could wear my mask. The arm still hurts when moved the wrong way, The Dr. told me 6 weeks til pain goes away and up to a year untill I get back to 100%. But to be able to use the arm with out any pain after the heal time I think it was worth it. You just got to get use to doing nothing!! Do the time, do what the Dr. says, do not over do it.
Apr 21, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Bless Your Hearts....
by: Anonymous

I had surgery on my shoulder 9 months ago. I was t-boned in my car, driver side door. I felt a snap thinking I broke my arm and I had extrememe pain coming from my neck. I feared the worst that my neck was broke. Thank God I was ok. I went through 7 months of therapy before they finally done surgery because my two MRI came back negative. I cried in my doctor's office and begged for help. When they done surgery, they told my gf that my shoulder was torn all to pieces. I had spurs, ruptured my bicep tendon, torn rotator cuff, torn the muscle from the top of the shoulder blade, and had a partial dislocation. I went for 3 months without pain med because doctor's didnt' believe me. Surgery helped a great deal, but I'm still in pain. I'm hoping this will go away. I've heard that it takes a long time to heal. As for sleeping, I didn't sleep hardly at all the first two weeks after surgery. I'm like everyone else, I had to sleep upright. One piece of advice, I got a urinal beside my bed because I was hooked up to a cooler. And, it was difficult going to the bathroom. Plus, I was so out of it from the drugs, that I had a hard time walking straight. So, it was also a safety issue. I also suggest that for the ladies out there, invest in a few nite gowns that zip up the front and have huge sleeves for easy access to get in and out of. I dont' know about everyone else but I didn't even want anyone to touch me, and I wouldn't move unless I absolutely had to. I was in so much pain, that the least amount of movement was excrutiating. I hope I'm not scaring anyone, I'm just trying to be honest. And, I'm not the type to complain about pain. It was the worst thing besides giving birth that I've ever been through. And, I hope I never have to experience it agian. I will say this. I dont' regret having the surgeyr. It did help with my pain significantly. So, I don't want to sound like the barrier of bad news. I just want to be honest for those out there thinking about having surgery. Make sure you try and get someone to be with you at home for "at least" the first week...if not two weeks. Just because it's shoulder surgery...don't take it lightly...this is a major surgery.....I couldn't even wipe my own bottom.....it had to be done for me....that's sad...
Jun 11, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sleeping after rotator cuff surgery
by: Gina

It's true about the recliner. If you are having surgery, try to get one. The reason is, sometimes (depending on how they do your surgery and where the repair is),your back might feel like it is on fire (as mine did) after the surgery. If you sit up there is less pressure on it. Also when you have to go to the bathroom you can't just sit up normally without straining your shoulder muscles, you have to kind of roll on your side and put your feet on the floor to get up, otherwise it hurts more. You will probably only get 3-4 hours of sleep till you wake up from moving onto an area that causes you enough pain to wake up. If you have to sleep in a bed, put pillows next to the side your surgery was on and also the other side, so that you do not roll and turn on your sides. This helps you get more sleep. The worst pain is the first 72 hours, after that it is a lot less. I also think the Dr.'s ought to give people morphine for the pain, because when it takes 3500 mgs. of Vicodin to dull the pain enough for you to only get 3 hrs. of sleep, that pain needs something stronger than that.
Jun 21, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		rotator cuff surgery
by: michael

Coming up on a month since I had open rotator cuff surgery.. i had a full tear. Sleeping the first 2 weeks was just to painful..i tried to relax in a recliner but even though i was on pain meds the pain kept me up. Im up to about 3 hrs of sleep a night in my bed but god for bid if I lay the wrong way woww painful!. The worst thing about this surgery was I was pretty built and after surgery my arm immediately went to mush. Very hard to look at myself like this but I got the surgery to better my future. I sacrificed my summer and body to better myself when Im all healed up...hopefully! RIght now I still cant even move my arm for my life its so freaky. Well anyway Best wishes to all of you and a quick recovery! Ill be back in the gym as soon as Im able to ;)
Jun 22, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sleeping after Rotator Cuff Surgery
by: Michael (from NE)

Hi fellow sufferers,
I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder Dec 1994. I had to sleep sitting up for 3 weeks. I’m a wrestler and it took me until September 1995 before I could return to full unrestricted wrestling. My shoulder never did return to the full abilities I had prior to the surgery ( being able to bench 225 lbs, being able to do 20+ pull ups etc.), however I was able to “wrestle” again and I felt very little pain after about 1 year. Over the last 14+ years I apparently forgot how painful the surgery recovery had been because on April 2009 I had my left shoulder operated on. It’s been almost 2 months and my shoulder still hurts and my range of motion sucks. I still sleep in a recliner most nights. I have taken over 100 pain pills (px) durning the past 2 months for the pain which seems to be worst at night. But I see weekly improvements in the strength of my arm and its range of motion, so I have some hope. I need to find some exercises I can do to keep this from happening again. Does anyone have suggestions for me on exercises I can do, AFTER I’m recovered, to strengthen my shoulders and prevent this from happening again?

Send an email to mjbahr007@aol.com if you have any suggestions.
Put ROTATOR CUFF SURGERY RECOVERY in the title of your emails and don’t include any attachments. If you don’t know what you are talking about please spare me and don’t send me an email. If you are a doctor, PT therapist, athletic trainer, or an experienced coach, I would really like to hear from you!
Jun 27, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		sleep
by: Pat

I am 1 week post-op(June 19, 2009)for rotator cuff repair, a/c joint removal, and biceps tendonesis. I too have been sleeping in a recliner but I find my butt getting sore from sleeping in one spot. I wake up frequently, tho I'm down to 1/2 percocet at bedtime and before exercises. My range of motion is pretty good tho pretty painful. I am going to try sleeping in my bed with pillows tonight. I've been looking on line at wedge pillows. They are primarily for acid reflux, but I wonder if they might work for this as well.
Jul 31, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		SLAP Repair and Sub A/C procedure
by: Anonymous

Surgery 6/24/09 so I am about 5 weeks postop. I was amazed at how badly it hurt to lay flat on the floor for the first time. Am out of the mobilizer and moving the arm. My range of motion sucks. This is the most painful surgery I've ever experienced. I am fearful that I will not regain my ROM or strength. I am not sleeping through the night yet...too much pain. Therapy starts next week. Doctor told me I could return to work in 7 days....right. I wonder why it still hurts so bad, did the doctor make it worse? Not sure. If I had to go through this again, I wouldn't do it.
Aug 03, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		rotator cuff repair
by: kathy

I just had the rotator cuff repaired and bone spurs removed to in my left arm thank god i am right handed it helped alot . I did have help the first few weeks if i needed it for certain things i am a very independent person and i was going to not let this get me down you have to say to yourself it hurts but really try i slept on the couch for three weeks and now i am into my sixth week and in my bed the pain does get better and physical therapy helps me alot takes alot of the stiffness out but i know i will never be 100 percent again my lawyer told me after a year i could see the doctor and get a award from my employer because i got hurt at work and i will go for it my lawyer only gets payed if i get the award and you know it does depend on age, and how determined you are i am lifting my arm almost over my head and it is only sixth weeks thanks to physical therapy but im very careful i dont want to go for surgery again so i only use my left shoulder doing what the doctor says is okay to do, the exercises i do are pulleys ,bike , and shoulder crunchs thats were you lean up against the wall and press you arms down and your shoulders back and squeeze together and that helps with the pain because i dont really beleive in taking pills but i did take oxycodone for two weeks the doctor perscribed it every four hours and i took it only when i needed it mostly at night so if you are determined you can get stronger you really have to work at it and try to keep the pain off your mind and i know thats easier said then done but it does help my cats helped me company for me and i went for walks i now also am driven again i exercise daily but dont over do it about one hour a day twice a day i have a set of pulleys and they have helped so does massages i hope this encourages some of you that are ready to give up . my email is snowey2468@hotmail.com if you want to ask anything.
Aug 14, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Rotator Cuff Surgery
by: Linda

I had rotator cuff surgery 6/25/09. The worst part was wearing the brace for 6 weeks. The metal portion of the brace that attached to my waist crushed my inner elbow and caused me more pain and discomfort than the surgery. When I finally got the brace off my elbow was swollen and very painful. I started physical therapy 2 weeks after surgery and am just now beginning to feel like I'm improving. My range of motion stinks, but is definitely improving. The important thing is to do everything your doctor and physical therapist tells you to do. I'm still having a lot of trouble sleeping. As soon as I lay down to sleep my shoulder hurts so bad that it keeps me awake. I'm so exhausted from not getting a good nights sleep. Does anyone have any sugestions for getting a good night sleep? I'm hoping that I get back my full range of motion that I had before the surgery.
Aug 18, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Help
by: Genie

I had rotator cuff surgery on July 24. Here it is August 18 and my doctor still has not removed the staples. I only had the sling on for a week. What's up with that? I am still in a lot of pain. God, I pray this will go away soon. I have and app't with my doctor today to remove the staples. I am going to tell him I am in so much pain and ask why.
Aug 18, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		3 months in
by: Anonymous

I had rotator cuff repairs and acromioplasty surgery on May 19th 2009.I have returned to work on light duty for 2 hrs/ day for 2 weeks now. I have found that 2 hrs is plenty for now because the arm ( my dominant side ) is extremely sore upon waking and takes a great deal of teeth grinding effort to get it moving enough to get heat and ice applie to it. This surgery is painful from day one but over time and with perseverence and caution it is the right choice to avoid even worse situations down the line.

Aug 20, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sleep Meds?
by: Ohio Mom

I'm 3 wks and 2 days post-op (RC repair, bicep tenodesis, bone spur removal, AC work, arthritis clean-up). My ROM is actually better than was expected. My pain is still constant but has changed from searing to aching. My biggest problem by far is lack of sleep. I have a couple of recliners to choose from, an army of pillows, and an electric pump ice machine but I cannot get more than 1.5 to 2 hrs of sleep at a time and can't seem to accumulate more than about 4 hrs each night I've tried melatonin and benadryl. They make me drowsy but cannot sustain my sleep. When I wake up after taking these meds -- every 1 - 2 hours -- I just feel goofy and dizzy. Has anyone asked their docs for something like ambien and did it work? The sleep deprivation is really getting to me physically and emotionally. I think that my life would change if I could string a couple of decent nights' sleep together.
Aug 20, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sleep meds?
by: Pat

I take two Tylenol PM's before bed and I can sleep through the night.
Aug 20, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Comments for Ohio Mom + Update my Progress
by: Michael

I take ambien (not the CR) and it does help with the sleep a little. The problem is that it just helps you to go to sleep it does not keep you asleep. When your meds wear off or you move the wrong way you will still wake up. I had very little sleep beyond 2 hours at a stretch for the first 6-8 weeks. .I had surgery 4-30-09. Since it involved a Bicep Tendon repair I was told not to exercise my arm for 5 weeks to give time for the tendon to repair. Unfortunately my shoulder "froze" which means scar tissue formed and the shoulder was very tight and very hard to move. Did I mention PAIN? I have been going to physical therapy for almost 2 months and the pain is less and my motion is improving. I anticipate about 1 more month of stretching then most likely 2 months of supervised exercise before I’m back to my previous level. I hope to toughen up my shoulders so this never happens again. Once in both shoulders is more than enough! To those just starting this journey hang in there I feel your PAIN!
Aug 20, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Ohio Mom & Michael
by: Pat

I also had the tendonesis with my rotator cuff repair as well as a/c joint removal and I had my first PT the day after my surgery and for every day for the first week. After that, it was three times a week. I am down to twice a week now and have almost full range of motion tho I don't have the strength yet. We are just now starting to work on that. The PT pain is still really rough, but I'm hoping with the strengthening, it will lessen as well. I am sleeping through the night in my bed and have been for the past four weeks, tho I use a wedge pillow so I'm not sleeping flat. My surgery was 6/19/09. It's really strange, the different protocols for the same basic surgery.
Aug 22, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		i just want to go to bed!
by: liz

i had surgery on august 12. i had bone spurs as well as calcium deposits removed. my rotator cuff was torn and the doctor said that during the surgery he straightened out my arm and because of limited rom it tore the cuff some more. he took care of those repairs. for the first 6 days i was so sick from the anesthesia - headaches, dizzy, blurry vision. just felt really blah. took percoset and a nausea pill for 4 days and then felt i didn't need that. the pain was manageable did some pendulum exercises, and iced a lot. got the stitches out on day 5 and started pt on day 6 (8/18). went to pt on the 19th as well as yesterday (21st). felt i was doing well. then last night while "sleeping" in the recliner i kind of cat stretched my body out inadvertantly, including my arm (i cannot wear that sling while in the recliner. so uncomfortable. actually i find that sling always uncomfortable, so i keep my arm down at my side when i'm home.), and now my shoulder feels really tight and uncomfortable. i'm so worried i screwed things up. i don't go back to my therapist till monday. i'm so worried about this. the extra exercises i've been doing at home with the pulleys, etc. for the past few days are now painful and not as smooth. something feels like it's catching.
i find sleeping in the recliner incredibly difficult. my tush is just so tired of being sat on! i've tried propping pillows on the bed, etc. but after 10 minutes it feels like my arm is broken. i can't lie there.i keep thinking about the first night i'll be able to sleep like a normal person, but i guess that won't happen for a long time. i'm going to try tylenol pm tonight.
i have to say that i wish i hadn't gone through with this surgery. my shoulder hurt before it, but in hindsight, i could have lived with it. i don't see how i'll ever be "normal" again.......
Aug 23, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Tougher than I thought
by: Anonymous

Had rotator cuff and labrum surgery on Friday. Dr. said my shoulder was a mess. Needed five anchors rather than three. Took two percocets every four or so hours. First 24 hours was horrible. Better today (just took a gingerly shower with the help of my wife. Sleeping has been tough. The recliner is ok. The icing machine is a godsend. I actuall look forward to my three hours of therapy in "the chair". I really don't know how long I've slept over the last two days. Hopefully I get six or seven in tonight.
Aug 23, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		follow up - tylenol pm
by: liz

i tried the tylenol pm last night and it worked. i awoke, minimally, at some point during the night and felt like i was in a coma! i realized that even my toes were asleep!! but sure enough, 8 hours later i completely woke up. i would recommend it if you're having trouble sleeping in your chairs!
i think tonight i might try one pill instead of the 2 because i'm only 5'5 and weigh 127 lbs. the full dosage might be too much of a good thing for someone my size.
i was very conscious of not stretching out my arm again this morning. my exercises here at home are coming along again, so maybe i didn't screw things up the other night. i'll know for sure when i go back to the therapist tomorrow. but i have to say that today i feel like i have "restless arm syndrome" or something. i can't find a comfortable position for my arm to rest in. anyone else finding that? this IS difficult, isn't it?
well, good luck to all of you. websites like this are helpful - it's good (and at the same time horrible) to know you're in a boat with many others...........

Aug 23, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Been getting some sleep taking Unisom
by: Ohio Mom

I have slept better (not great) by taking Unisom. I am still waking up 3-4 times per night but I am able to back to sleep fairly quickly. Before I had to pace around, do pendulums, and ice to get the pain back under control when I would wake. I took one full pill the first night and it was WAAYYY too much for my system. I was out of it until 10:30 the next morning. 1/2 pill seems to be OK and I only feel a little hung-over the next morning. At least I'm not so blue and weepy because I'm sleeping. Next question for y'all. . . I have very little stamina and get very very tired doing very very little. I went to church today, did the simplest of chores, and put together the simplest of lunches and was extremely fatigued. I'm 3 1/2 weeks post-op. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, how long was it before your strength and endurance returned?
Aug 23, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		thoughts for ohio mom
by: liz

i feel your pain (no pun intended). i don't think it's unusual to be feeling tired. if you think about it - you're not sleeping well and you're in pain, which can be very debilitating. also, were you used to working out? up until 8/11, the day before my surgery, i had been going to the gym just about every day for the past 27 years (i discovered exercise after my son was born and i had 25 lbs. to lose). i always felt so healthy and strong and full of energy because of my workouts. this sitting around is exhausting! plus, again, if you think about it, you did go through major surgery. i think we all probably don't think of it that way, as we would if we had had open heart surgery or something. but i would guess most all of us were under for 2-3 hours. that takes a huge toll on the body..........
Aug 23, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Surgery coming up..
by: Jody

Wow - the comments are incredibly frightening to someone who is scheduled for surgery in a couple of weeks! I heard from a friend who's had it done already that a recliner is important. So, I just did one little search and GEEZ! look at all these posts! My doctor has been very honest with me - I have a tear and bursitis but he won't really know the extent of damage until he gets in there
. I am a very active woman of 57 and really just need to go through with it. He told me that the only thing that will keep me from work for awhile will be the pain which, he admitted, is pretty darn awful. So, Tylenol PM (check), a good recliner (don't have one yet), gobs of pillows (check), iPod (check), audio books (check), large arm holed night gowns (um, not so much - what, K-Mart not Macys?), someone nice to live with who will fawn over me (check!). Trip to Jamaica planned in January, almost 4 months post-surgery - I am planning on being in pretty good shape as far as sleeping goes - I sure hope so!

I am going to die without my bike riding. However, next spring I will be ready to jump back on - God willing. Wish me LUCK and lots of good drugs!
Aug 23, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Ouch
by: Anonymous

After 48 hours I started the pendulum exercises. VERY difficult. The range of motion chair is a breeze in comparison.
Aug 24, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Slept ok last night
by: Anonymous

My Dr. said I could take 25mg of Benadryl to help with itchiness from Percoset and with sleep. Seemed to do the trick. My Iphone is great for one handed typing while sitting in the therapy chair.
Aug 24, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		update two and a half months later
by: kathy

my employer just told me my time to come back to work full duty or i loose my job. can you believe it i got hurt at work and they have the nerve to tell me that. i know they have the right to let me go my job was only protected for twelve weeks under the family medical leave act i am inproving everyday i am determined to not let this get me down but at times i wish i did not have to have the rotator cuff surgery along with the bone spurs because at times i have no strength in my left arm and hand i will never be the same and it really makes me want to cry the pain is bad only when the wheather is bad other then that its tolerable i keep going to physical therapy three times a week now my job says i have to make my appointments at night if i can so i dont take off so much and i have to countinue therapy two more months or so i am now able to raise my arm higher then a month ago but i have to rest my arm on the microwave to beable to fix my hair back brushing is okay and somedays i have a hard time getting undressed at night but i keep smiling and moving on i hope when i return to work sept 1st i can handle it the doctor thinks i will be okay but i know they will watch me specially since it was a workers comp case sleeping is alot better in bed but i cant sleep on my left side to watch tv in my room only on my back or right side so i have to sit up or lay on my back which i hate and i sleep right sided driving at times is crazy i try not to go in heavy crowds i drive early morning or after 6.00 at night when the traffic is not so heavy guess you adapt to what ever you can handle so my advise is to not give up.
Aug 24, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		update two and a half months later
by: kathy

my employer just told me my time to come back to work full duty or i loose my job. can you believe it i got hurt at work and they have the nerve to tell me that. i know they have the right to let me go my job was only protected for twelve weeks under the family medical leave act i am inproving everyday i am determined to not let this get me down but at times i wish i did not have to have the rotator cuff surgery along with the bone spurs because at times i have no strength in my left arm and hand i will never be the same and it really makes me want to cry the pain is bad only when the wheather is bad other then that its tolerable i keep going to physical therapy three times a week now my job says i have to make my appointments at night if i can so i dont take off so much and i have to countinue therapy two more months or so i am now able to raise my arm higher then a month ago but i have to rest my arm on the microwave to beable to fix my hair back brushing is okay and somedays i have a hard time getting undressed at night but i keep smiling and moving on i hope when i return to work sept 1st i can handle it the doctor thinks i will be okay but i know they will watch me specially since it was a workers comp case sleeping is alot better in bed but i cant sleep on my left side to watch tv in my room only on my back or right side so i have to sit up or lay on my back which i hate and i sleep right sided driving at times is crazy i try not to go in heavy crowds i drive early morning or after 6.00 at night when the traffic is not so heavy guess you adapt to what ever you can handle so my advise is to not give up.
Sep 01, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		How is everyone doing?
by: Liz

I was just wondering if anyone wanted write a follow up on how you're doing.
I'm 3 weeks out and going to PT 3X a week. Progress is very slow - still all passive movement stuff. My arm seems to ache all the time. Nothing crazy painful, just uncomfortable. I find that something is always "catching" in my arm if I move it wrong. If it gets to be too much I'll take one 500 mg. Tylenol. Doesn't really work all that well, but 2 of those pills makes me feel sick. I'm hoping that when I go back to see the doctor the end of next week he'll let me start taking Advil. That always worked for me in the past for other things. Still "sleeping" in my recliner. Hate it. I've tried going to bed - using pillows/ NOT using pillows - I last for one hour and go back to the chair. Too painful. Sleep is still difficult for sure......
Anyway, how are you all doing???
Sep 01, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Just starting with a physical therapist
by: Genie

Had my rotator cuff surgery on July 24th. Here it is Sept. 1st and finally on Sept. 3rd I start my therapy. I had some home exercises but I guess I have not done them enough because now my doctor says physical therapy with a therapist. It still hurts a lot at times. Some days it just aches and aches. I went back to work FT two weeks after my surgery. Some days still, I wish I could go home and lay down with an ice bag and some pain pills. I keep plugging along, but I sure do wish by Thanksgiving I will be OK. I still can't reach behind my back to close my bra. Have to put it around my waist in the front, turn it around and pull it up. Same with belt loops on my jeans and dress pants, I can't reach behind my back. Have to use my right arm to try to catch the belt as my left arm can't reach back that far. The left arm is the surgery arm. Is this common with anyone?
Sep 01, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		dont give up it takes time
by: kathy

genie,

I had the same problem with my bra and i could not wear tee shirts or any other shirts that hung over my area were the surgery was if you want to hear more about my recovery you can email me at snowey2468@hotmail.com i had surgery back on june 15th and its been rough for me love to hear from you take care and hope you recover well
Sep 02, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Update
by: Pat

I saw my surgeon last Thursday. My surgery was 19th of June and I have almost full range of motion. I am just now starting to work on strength with the therapist twice a week for the next 8 weeks. I am able to put my bra on behind my back. I don't have any problems sleeping, but I do still use a wedge pillow. I had a tendonesis along with the rotator cuff repair so I have a screw in my arm. My Dr says I have inflamation there and has put me on a short dose of steriods and I was told to ice my shoulder periodically during the day. I am back at work two days a week. I work at a veterinary hospital and one of the vets I work with fixes me up with an ace bandage and ice pack a couple of times during the day. It does seem to help. This whole process just seems to take forever, but I guess I am fortunate that I can pretty much function, even if it isn't completely without pain for now. I wish you all good luck with your recovery.
Sep 02, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		My insurance company cut off my physical therapy.
by: Linda

I had my rotator cuff surgery which included removing a calcium deposit and then repairing my tendon, on June 25th 2009. My insurance company which is Empire government has only allowed me 15 physical therapy visits and has now cut me off. If I want to continue my therapy, I have to pay totally out of my pocket. Has anyone else encountered this problem and if so, do you have any suggestions on how to fight this? My surgeon has said that I need 6 months of physical therapy, and I'm only 2 month into it. Way too soon to be cut off. If I stop now I'm afraid I will be crippled for life. My range of motion has improved considerably since removing that awful brace, but I still have a long way to go. I can hardly reach behind my back. I think it's very cruel of the insurance companies to cut me off way before I'm ready. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do?
Sep 12, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Can't sleep
by: Anonymous

I had rotator cuff surgery May 17,09. Here it is Sept. 12, 09. I still can't sleep. I don't like sleeping on my back and I can't get comfortable. The Dr. prescribed ambia and it does make me sleepier but as you can see it is 3:30 a.m. and i'm still awake. I'm really not in alot of pain, bu discomfort. Any comments on this?
Sep 12, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		4 days post-op
by: Jody

I had surgery Tues. Sept. 8th - got a nerve block so the first 18 hours were bliss. Pain was pretty bad the 2nd day and night, but I quit the Percocet Thursday night. It's Saturday and I have been taking only a Tylenol here and there. I ended up having the tear repaired, a bone spur ground down and my tendon smoothed out, plus I had a lot of bursitis to remove. I see the surgeon Monday. Today I took a shower by myself and washed my hair - felt great and didn't get any bandages wet. I do feel some discomfort - it's expected with surgery - but really, I feel great. I am sleeping in a recliner and icing a few times a day. I am taking naps here and there. Haven't been out of the house since Tues. and I think we will go to a movie today. Oh, my jeans are on! I bought a great bra that hooks in the front so that is working well. Got in on by myself today. My husband was great help and continues to be but I really can do most this stuff by myself. I am not doing any PT yet but I think that will begin next week. NOT looking forward to that - I know it's going to hurt. I will really have to self motivate to do the exercises at home if they hurt a lot. My husband will have to crack the whip! I am looking forward to Jamaica with the family in January and being back on my bike early spring - those are my motivators.
Sep 14, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		reply to i was cut off for physical therapy
by: kathy

linda,

the insurance companys call the shots about what they are going to cover i have mvp threw my job and they dont allow for physical therapy at all it depends on what plan your company picks they usually ofer them three diffrent plans and they pick which one they can aford i learned this from a lady that worked at mvp she said most insurance companys do this im lucky that my physical therapy is being paid by my workers comp but i was recently told they pay for so many vists a year im not sure. i got hurt at work and its been almost a year andseven months since i got hurt then i had my surgery which was rotator cuff repair along with bone spurs i have been also doing therapy at home and its been three months since my surgery and i do alot of stretching and i have a set of pulleys if you would like to email me i can tell you what else that might help your recovery im not a doctor but ive been threw alot and maybe i can help my email adress is snowey2468@hotmail.com hope this helps you
Sep 17, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstar 		actually sorta sleeping
by: Anonymous

Today is 6 weeks after the surgery and I really haven't had a lot of problems to speak of. They did a block of the nerve in the right arm that was operated on and that block lasted two days during which I took the pain meds as prescribed. I can't say I have had a lot of pain. Discomfort but no severe pain. I have been sleeping in a recliner for 6 weeks and it hasn't been the best but I have had some nights with good sleep and most nights I do sleep. I do have two cats that think me in the recliner is just for them to be lap kitties and I sleep through that. I had the surgery on the 5th of Aug and started rehab on the 10th which I think has helped a lot. I have been religious with the rehab doing the exercises three times a day as a rule. The sling came off today and that is nice to be able to use the right arm again although the use is limited. Tonight I am going to try the bed again. I have done that before and sleeping on my back after a couple of hours I have a stinging feeling in my left thigh for some reason.
Sep 19, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still in a recliner
by:

I had the surgery on 8/12 and I'm still in my recliner. Once in a while I try to go to bed, but after a few minutes on my back my shoulder starts to throb. I try to turn on my good side with a pillow under my bad shoulder forearm, but that gets painful after a while. So after a couple of hours of trying different positions I go back to my chair. I've talked to so many people who say they've been able to go to bed after 2 or 3 weeks with no problems!! I feel so ridiculous that I still can't lie down. Please tell me someone else out there is in the same boat........
Sep 19, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still can't get a good night sleep.
by: Linda

I had my rotator cuff surgery on June 25th and I still can't get a good night sleep. I am able to sleep in my bed, but I'm still having pain in my shoulder as soon as I lie down. I've been taking two tylenol pm's every night before I go to bed and this has been allowing me to get about 3 to 4 hours of sleep before I'm awoken with pain. I can't wait until I can sleep through the night without any pain and without taking tylenol pm.
Sep 20, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		actually sorta sleeping update.
by: Anonymous

I got the sling off last Wednesday and yesterday it went back on. I overdid it and the doc said if the shoulder got to hurting to use the sling. I tried sleeping in the bed and that didn't work to well. I did three nights and was comfortable on my back but that is not a comfortable position for me. I tried sleeping on my left side and that worked for about 30 minutes and then the shoulder would start hurting. I think that trying to sleep without the sling has created some pain as when I got up this morning it hurt like the dickens so I will keep it on for a while and see if that helps. I have been by myself for a while to and it is impossible to not use the right hand and arm a lot so I think that has not helped.
Sep 20, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		5 1/2 weeks out.......
by: Liz

It's a funny thing about these blogs. As bad as it is to hear that others are in pain and going through the same awful things, it's reassuring at the same time that we're all not crazy. I had surgery on 8/12 and also can't sleep in a bed. I last a few minutes and then I call it quits because of pain and go back to the recliner. It seems like it will be a long time away before I can crawl into bed and be comfortable. I'm going away for a few days starting 10/21 and I'm already nervous about it because I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep in a hotel bed by then!!!
I'm still going to therapy 3 times a week. Everything is still passive movement but hopefully next week I'll start to work my muscles. My ROM still needs a lot of work but I'm very diligent about doing my home exercises - usually I do them 5 times a day if I can. I don't wear a sling because I find it more uncomfortable than not wearing one. But just letting my arm hang is not pleasant either. When I go for a walk I cradle my bad arm with my good one. People must think I'm nuts, but that's OK.
I also find that Tylenol is like a sugar pill for me. It doesn't work AT ALL! I can't wait till I get permission to take Advil - that will help at night, I'm sure. (did anyone else's doctor not allow them to take an anti inflammatory for 8 weeks??) I'm also still not allowed to drive which makes me crazy. My doctor said until I can grip the wheel and turn it quickly he won't clear me for driving.
So anyway, it certainly hasn't been easy these last 5 1/2 weeks. I'm hoping that in the next week or two things change dramatically.......
Hang in there, everyone.......
Sep 20, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		3 months and still not driving
by: Linda

I drive a stick shift, so I asked my doctor when I would know that I was ready to drive. He told me that I had to be able to take the palm of my hand and place it on the crown of my head. It's been almost three months and I'm almost able to do it, but not comfortably. I think I'll be able to drive soon, but don't want to chance it till I'm ready. Thank goodness for a wonderful support group and good friends that have been shlepping me back and forth to work and physical therapy and everywhere else I need to go. This surgery is something you should definetly think twice about if you are alone. You need someone with you to help you. On the positive side, I'm beginning to be able to sleep better at night with not too much pain!!!! Good luck to all. I know it's tough, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Sep 21, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I'm still in pain
by: Genie R

It will be 2 months on Sept. 24 since I had my rotater cuff surgery and I am still in pain most of the time. I have not had a good nights sleep in months between pain before my surgery and still now. My therapist said not to push myself. As soon as I feel pain to stop doing that exercise. I just do a few and then it hurts like the dickens. I thought we are supposed to push it to make our muscles work again. I am so miserable I should have never had the surgery. At times it hurts more than before the surgery. I am giong to give it a couple of more weeks and if there is no improvement then I am going back to my surgeon and ask him why do I still feel so much pain. He told me I could get rid of the sling after my first week. I have been talking to others who have had rotater cuff surgery and they said they had the sling on for at least 2 weeks. The only time they took it off was to shower. Can it be possible to be in so much pain still? I am afraid I have to get another surgery. Is it too soon to worry, or should I be much further along by now? Thank you anyone for any comments.
Sep 21, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		RE: Genie
by: Linda

Genie- I had my surgery 3 months ago, so how I felt after 2 months is still pretty fresh in my mind. I had many moment where I felt like you, and wished I had never had the surgery. I think each person is different and also your surgery might be different. I had a calcium deposit removed and also my tendon repaired. At month two I had gained some of my range of motion back and really only experienced pain when sleeping or being stretched by my physical therapist. If you are in bad pain when you are not doing anything, maybe it's a good idea to speak to your surgeon. I can tell you that for me it definetly gets better as time goes by. I'm just now starting to get a decent nights sleep and not feeling too much pain at night. During the day I don't have any pain. I think my arm that I had surgery on feels better than my other arm. Hang in there. It does get better.
Sep 21, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		after surgery
by: previously anonymous, now Jim

I was told to keep the sling on for 6 weeks. Only off to shower and change clothes and so on. I had a major tear on the top tendon as it was 3 cm back and had to be pulled back in place and sewn and the tendon in front was torn 1/2 way through. The bicep tendon is gone. Lots of scar tissue in the joint I guess. The had a lot of stuff to remove. I am now sorta out of the sling as I overdid things when the sling came off. I put the sling back as I was told if there was pain from over exertion it would help. I am also taking pain meds and needed. Lortab 7.5 mg.
Sep 21, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		To Genie
by: Liz

I'm only be at 6 weeks on Wednesday so I can't speak to how it should feel at 8 weeks. I can tell you though that my arm aches almost all the time. It's not out and out pain, but just kind of like a toothache kind of thing. When I do my exercises at home there definitely is some pain involved. I really do think that it has a lot to do with what had to be done at the time of surgery. Some people just have a tear repaired. Others have more. I had a torn cuff but also bone spurs, calcium deposits, manipulation under anesthesia, lots of debridement. Perhaps you had even more than that. I would definitely think about setting up an appointment with your surgeon so that you can discuss your issues with him. Let him (her?) know exactly what worries you and maybe he could put your mind at ease and explain what's going on. What is your therapist's opinion? I pump my PT all the time about where I should be right now, and although I think I'm not making much progress he's always reassuring that I'm where I should be for WHAT I HAD DONE. We even had that talk today. Every case is so different and people heal at incredibly different speeds.
Hang in there, Genie. We all feel your pain. Keep us up to date.....
Sep 22, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		update after 4 months of surgery
by: kathy

I have been almost 4 months now and i have to tell you that it does get better and everyone is right people do have diffrent levels of pain and recovery. me i was in my bed after 2 months sleeping good and driving about 5 weeks only to the store and therapy now im back to work full duty and driving all over i still have days when the shoulder hurts bad almost like its bruised and massages help that alot but it depends on how much i use it or the wheather to. be patient for the ones that are only 2 to 3 months it does get better a few weeks ago i could not even put my hair back with out putting my arm up on a cabinet to hold it but now i reach the back of my hair to clip it but the days it hurts i still have to occasinley use the cabinet to hold my arm up to my hair so be patient easier said then done i know but when you start noticing things you can do you will be amazed and proud you could do them for yourself and dont feel shame to ask for help still at any month after surgery because everyone heals diffrent rember? and there will still be times you will need help i still do i cant hold on things when i try lifting small light pagages yet and at therapy i have to tell the therapist not today i cant do it but i will try to do a few exercises but cant promise anything and i had rotator cuff repair/bone spurs
Sep 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I getting really afraid
by: Genie R

Thank you Liz, Linda, Jim and Kathy for your comments. I am so discouraged. Tomorrow, the 24th, it will be 2 months since my rotator cuff surgery. I just don't believe it, I am just as bad as I was before the surgery. I keep thinking perhaps he should never have told me I didn't need the sling after using it for only six days. I have to go back to him and ask him what the heck went wrong? I guess I will wait till October, say another week or ten days, then if there is absolutely no improvement I'm going to get an app't to see him. Every morning I have to get up for work, so tired, swollen eyes, I just look horrid. I think you can see the pain in my face. Again last night, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and put an ice bag on my shoulder. I hardly have any pain pills left so I use them sparingly when I just can't stand it. Otherwise, I use ibuprophen (probably spelled it wrong). I have had other surgery in my life - back, knee, and my other shoulder but that was not for a rotator cuff, it was for a bone spur. I never have experienced such pain for so long after surgery. If I have to get another surgery I will be so upset. More time off from work and more money as I had to pay 10% of this surgery. Thank God at least I do have health insurance. My physical therapist said not to push it on my exercises. Soon as I feel pain, stop that exercise. I always thought you had to push yourself so your body would get better and used to doing things. I'm so confused. Thank you for all your kind thoughts.
Sep 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Your therapy, Genie
by: Liz

Genie, in looking back at posts I noticed that you said that your surgery was 7/24 but you didn't start real PT till 9/3. Maybe that could be a reason you're still in a lot of pain. Now, I'm not a PT or a doctor so don't quote me on this, but I think the usual protocol is to start physical therapy a lot sooner than 6 weeks after surgery. I know you mentioned that you did therapy at home, which is great, but you didn't have a therapist stretching you out and giving you new exercises to do as you progressed. Maybe you formed scar tissue which is impeding your progress. Again, I'm not a doctor, but from everything I've read therapy usually starts 4 to 6 days after surgery. You might want to ask someone about this.
Hang in there.........
Sep 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My doctor didn't send me till later
by: Genie R

Hi Liz,

My doctor gave me home exercises about two weeks after surgery. I had the staples in for almost a month. When I went back the third time he finally took the staples out. I complained I was in a lot of pain. Then he said I should see a therapist. By the time I got in to see the therapist was almost another two weeks, so as you stated, it was approximately 6 weeks till I saw the therapist. I must have a rotten therapist. She showed me exercises and had me run through them, but she never stretched me. Also, she said not to push it, if it hurts stop. What do you think will happen now? Too late to break down any scar tissue? Thanks for your concern.
Sep 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		To Genie
by: Liz

Boy. It sounds like a tough situation for you. I don't know. If it were me I'd make an appointment asap with the surgeon. Ask him why you didn't go for therapy right away. Ask him if he thinks scar tissue is hampering your healing process. See if you can change therapists. It all doesn't sound right to me that they're not being more aggressive with this. Not having someone stretch you out is not good. I went today to PT and I go through my exercises and then I lie on a table and he takes my arm and stretches it all the way back towards my head - he does it about 10 times, stretching it further each time. It's agony but he gets it further each session. Then he stretches my arm out to the side, kind of in a "L" shape, and does that a number of times. Once a week he measures to see what degree I'm at to make sure I'm making progress (I've been making steady progress till today - I actually lost 2 degrees. It was so darn upsetting.) Today he did a few new stretching things. I'm always on the table each session for about 20 - 25 minutes. These seem to be the things that need to be done and they're not doing this for you. Why else go to PT? The exercises anyone can do at home - it's the stretching out that's their job.
Please talk to your doctor and demand some answers....
Sep 28, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Felling a Little Better
by: Genie

Hi Liz,

I am feeling a little better these past couple of days. Worked like a dog over the weekend doing fall cleaning. Surprisingly I don't feel bad. I have another issue I have to take care of before I go back to my doctor. I have a bluging disk and I will be going for an epidural steroid shot on Oct. 5. My doctor knows about this problem too. Since I have to see him after my shot, I will discuss my shoulder problem at that time also. Hopefully it will continue to get a little better. I still have trouble sleeping and I still can't reach the back to hook my bra. I still have to put it around my waist in front to hook it and turn it around and pull it up.
Sep 30, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		7 months out
by: Judy

Well I had rotator cuff tear surgery in February 2009, along with bone spurs taken off on the shoulder and clavicle. It has been over 7 months now since that surgery and I am still having sleepless nights. I unfortunately had the surgery on my right side (I am right handed) and that makes it worse. I can't sleep only on my back. Hate it! My pain in the shoulder and now down my arm to my wrist is not getting better but actually worse. I have had (1) injection 5 months post-op for the inflammation I am told I still have. Two weeks ago I was given the Steriod Medrol Dose Pak to take which did nothing. Is this pain and nagging ache ever going to go away? My strength is fine, it's the pain that is getting very old. How many injections can you have and in what time frame? Any suggestions?
Sep 30, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Good luck,Genie
by: Liz

I'm glad you're feeling more encouraged. Yes, please be very honest with the doctor. I have my 8 week visit next Tuesday. I'm hoping he'll give me permission to take Advil - that should help the discomfort. I had a deep massage today because everything keeps tightening up - very uncomfortable. But I am making a bit of progress. Just never thought it would take so long to get better. I can absolutely see how it will be months before I feel "normal". I'm still in my recliner at night. Tried going to bed a few times last week, but it was no good. But, I'll plod on.....
Good luck with the bulging disk. And I hope everyone out there is feeling a little better every day........
Oct 16, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Finally in the bed.
by: Jim

It is 10 weeks after the surgery and I have been able to sleep in the bed for a few nights now. My rehab guy says not to sleep on my right side ( the surgery side ) and I am now into strength training plus keeping on with the ROM training.
Nov 20, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		sleep positions
by: Ellen

I have not had surgery yet, but am about to see the doc. in a couple of weeks. I've had my injury for about 6 months, and pain just gets worse, even with physical therapy.
Anyway, sleeping is getting a tiny bit easier, and what I have is a miniature freezer next to my bed where I keep my gel packs. When I wake up in pain, I put one on my shoulder and it removes the pain very quickly. The biggest problem is that you should not sleep with anything frozen on your body, as it can cause frostbite--so if you think you might accidently fall asleep while icing, you might consider putting a mini-refrigerator or a cooler beside your bed instead of a freezer and the gel packs won't get frozen--just nice and cool. Then if you fall asleep with the gel pack on, you won't get frostbite.
The very best kind of gel pack in my opinion, are the large ones available at medical supply stores. You can make your own, however, which saves you a bunch of money. Just take a zip-baggie and pour liquid dish detergent into it (I've heard Palmolive is best for whatever reason, but I used Dawn and it worked fine). You need to get all the extra air out of the bag, then zip it up. Then put that into another bag (double-bag it) to help catch any leaks because, as you know, zip-baggies do spring leaks sometimes. Anyway, put that into the freezer or fridge and in a couple of hours you have a nice, cold, flexible pack that conforms to the body. I've heard that you can also do the following: Mix 2 parts water with 1 part rubbing alcohol and pour that into a baggie. Apparently it won't freeze solid due to the alcohol, and it stays mushy, soft and cold after being in the freezer. I have not tried that "recipe" yet.
Sitting upright (as much as possible) does help reduce pain alot at night, but like others said, it gets tiresome to sit in the same position all night. I found that putting a slice of foam rubber under my butt kept my butt from sliding forward on the bed sheets. Otherwise, I would end up in a flat position if I didn't put the foam rubber pad down.
Also, if you buy a super soft king size pillow, it will help cradle you on each side because it's a wide pillow. In fact, I would suggest a number of king size pillows, all piled up--really soft ones. The cradling effect will help support your shoulders as you lie on your back nestled in them.
OK, I have to sign off. Being on the keyboard is making my shoulder hurt.
Hope all of you feel better very soon!
Ellen
Nov 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still in pain
by: Genie

Hi Everyone,

I sure hope all of you are doing much better than me. Tomorrow the 24th of Nov., it will be 4 months since my rotator cuff surgery and I am still in pain. Every day I'm in pain to some degree. Some days it's much worse than others. I went back to my surgeon about 2 weeks ago and complained. Now he tells me it's my neck and wants to send me for an MRI. I called his office two days later and said I cannot keep going back and forth for therapy and MRI's and his co-pays. Besides, I also told his office, how come only my surgery side hurts. Wouldn't my neck affect both sides if it was problems with my neck. No explanation with that from his office. Bottom line, I said I have to wait till after the holidays, it's just too expensive right now. So right now I am in limbo. I guess I have to tough it out till after the holidays. I have to go back in January for another eperidural steroid shot for my bluging disc. This year has been a nighmare. Can this be true, still in pain after rotator cuff surgery four months later. Did anybody have to get 2 surgeries. I hope it doesn't come to that.
Nov 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still in pain
by: Genie

Hi Everyone,

I sure hope all of you are doing much better than me. Tomorrow the 24th of Nov., it will be 4 months since my rotator cuff surgery and I am still in pain. Every day I'm in pain to some degree. Some days it's much worse than others. I went back to my surgeon about 2 weeks ago and complained. Now he tells me it's my neck and wants to send me for an MRI. I called his office two days later and said I cannot keep going back and forth for therapy and MRI's and his co-pays. Besides, I also told his office, how come only my surgery side hurts. Wouldn't my neck affect both sides if it was problems with my neck. No explanation with that from his office. Bottom line, I said I have to wait till after the holidays, it's just too expensive right now. So right now I am in limbo. I guess I have to tough it out till after the holidays. I have to go back in January for another eperidural steroid shot for my bluging disc. This year has been a nighmare. Can this be true, still in pain after rotator cuff surgery four months later. Did anybody have to get 2 surgeries. I hope it doesn't come to that.
Nov 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still in pain
by: Genie

Hi Everyone,

I sure hope all of you are doing much better than me. Tomorrow the 24th of Nov., it will be 4 months since my rotator cuff surgery and I am still in pain. Every day I'm in pain to some degree. Some days it's much worse than others. I went back to my surgeon about 2 weeks ago and complained. Now he tells me it's my neck and wants to send me for an MRI. I called his office two days later and said I cannot keep going back and forth for therapy and MRI's and his co-pays. Besides, I also told his office, how come only my surgery side hurts. Wouldn't my neck affect both sides if it was problems with my neck. No explanation with that from his office. Bottom line, I said I have to wait till after the holidays, it's just too expensive right now. So right now I am in limbo. I guess I have to tough it out till after the holidays. I have to go back in January for another eperidural steroid shot for my bluging disc. This year has been a nighmare. Can this be true, still in pain after rotator cuff surgery four months later. Did anybody have to get 2 surgeries. I hope it doesn't come to that.
Nov 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still in pain
by: Genie

Hi Everyone,

I sure hope all of you are doing much better than me. Tomorrow the 24th of Nov., it will be 4 months since my rotator cuff surgery and I am still in pain. Every day I'm in pain to some degree. Some days it's much worse than others. I went back to my surgeon about 2 weeks ago and complained. Now he tells me it's my neck and wants to send me for an MRI. I called his office two days later and said I cannot keep going back and forth for therapy and MRI's and his co-pays. Besides, I also told his office, how come only my surgery side hurts. Wouldn't my neck affect both sides if it was problems with my neck. No explanation with that from his office. Bottom line, I said I have to wait till after the holidays, it's just too expensive right now. So right now I am in limbo. I guess I have to tough it out till after the holidays. I have to go back in January for another eperidural steroid shot for my bluging disc. This year has been a nighmare. Can this be true, still in pain after rotator cuff surgery four months later. Did anybody have to get 2 surgeries. I hope it doesn't come to that.
Nov 23, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Still in pain
by: Genie

Hi Everyone,

I sure hope all of you are doing much better than me. Tomorrow the 24th of Nov., it will be 4 months since my rotator cuff surgery and I am still in pain. Every day I'm in pain to some degree. Some days it's much worse than others. I went back to my surgeon about 2 weeks ago and complained. Now he tells me it's my neck and wants to send me for an MRI. I called his office two days later and said I cannot keep going back and forth for therapy and MRI's and his co-pays. Besides, I also told his office, how come only my surgery side hurts. Wouldn't my neck affect both sides if it was problems with my neck. No explanation with that from his office. Bottom line, I said I have to wait till after the holidays, it's just too expensive right now. So right now I am in limbo. I guess I have to tough it out till after the holidays. I have to go back in January for another eperidural steroid shot for my bluging disc. This year has been a nighmare. Can this be true, still in pain after rotator cuff surgery four months later. Did anybody have to get 2 surgeries. I hope it doesn't come to that.
Dec 01, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		pain free
by: kirk

I think I had a problem with my surgery, I had athroscopic stabilization. I had to had suture anchors placed inside my shoulder to aid with the rotator cuff repair. Back to the problem, the nerve block they put in my neck still has not worn off 100% I did however have to start physical therapy before I left the hospital after surgery. Less than a week after I could move my arm out in front and too the side. Sleep is pain free and I am sleeping so much I think it is helping with the healing process. I just have the regular 2 pillows and sleep on my side. I have no pain at all! I expect a full range of movement within 6 weeks. And to be back in the gym at full strength at 6months. Sorry to hear so many of you are in pain. Oh and the full open surgery is much harder to recover from than the athroscopic (keyhole) surgery. Good luck everyone.
Dec 05, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sleeping after rtc repair.
by: RTC=Ouch

I am post op day 9 after my RTC repair. I long for a nights sleep. I can find no comfortable position, period. I just go for days with minimal sleep and then finally one night I will get a little sleep due to exhaustion. This is with out a doubt the most painful experience of my life. Living one armed, no driving, unable to sleep, etc. The day time pain in now controlled by motrin only but nights are dreaded. In a weird way, its nice to know others are dealing with this as well. Peace to all in this situation.
GC.
Dec 10, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		18 weeks
by: Jim

I am at 18 weeks since the surgery and am doing great. I was sleeping in a recliner for about 10 weeks and now am in bed. I still have some minor pain but nothing of major concern. I am getting the strength back and each day it all gets better. The rehab is most important part after the surgery. I ave had some great therapists.
Dec 10, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		going for MRI
by: Genie

Here it is Dec. 10th and I am still in pain. Every day - pain to some degree. I had the rotator cuff surgery on July 24th. I called my doctor again and explained my situation. I told him I would go for the neck MRI now and not wait till Jan. and could I get an MRI of my shoulder too. He tells me having an MRI after rotator cuff surgery can show a false positive. Never heard of that, has anyone? Bottom line he will order the MRI of my neck and also my left side under my arm and by my left breast. That hurts a lot too. I was wondering if anyone had those left side pains or right side pains depending on which shoulder got the rotator cuff surgery.
Dec 10, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Pain after surgery
by: Anonymous

Hi Genie,
I don't know the answers to your questions but I am looking into "Trigger Point Therapy" as a way of resolving my pain, which I have had since June of this year. Every day/night is the same--pain goes on and on with some days better than others. I am beginning to test out Trigger Point Therapy as a way of reducing pain. I am not a doctor, but possibly some of your ongoing pain could be caused by trigger points that have developed as a result of the trauma, and they can refer pain to all kinds of areas. I have yet to see if this kind of self-help therapy will work, as I'm just starting to try it. It involves pressing on the skin and finding the sore spots and then holding pressure on the sore spots until the knotted portion of the muscle releases (a very basic description). Maybe you have already tried this, I don't know. I'm reading an interesting book called "The Frozen Shoulder Workbook". I sure hope this works, as I'm so tired of being in pain all the time, and I'm sure you are too. If this works, I'll come back and post my results.
Ellen
Dec 13, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		6 months recovery rotator cuff
by: kathy

well its been six months and i am alot better then a few months ago.back to driving at any hour and work full duty there are days when i work my shoulder to much it lets me know back off im still in therapy but down to two days now a week and my strength is improving more i see the doctor dec 18th and i know he will take me out of pt because of my progress they even talked about cortisone shot if it did not improve strength wise but im sure that they wont do that know im hoping i dont want the shot. i got my hair cut short because going behind to put my hair up was pain ful still its much easier short and looks better on me so im told . dont give up im not i keep trying to improve every day im about 65 percent there strength wise and i know it will never be 100 percent i still have problems raising my arm high and i probley will never get that back. dont ever give up please keep trying it will work its self out sooner or later.
Dec 13, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		6 months recovery rotator cuff
by: kathy

well its been six months and i am alot better then a few months ago.back to driving at any hour and work full duty there are days when i work my shoulder to much it lets me know back off im still in therapy but down to two days now a week and my strength is improving more i see the doctor dec 18th and i know he will take me out of pt because of my progress they even talked about cortisone shot if it did not improve strength wise but im sure that they wont do that know im hoping i dont want the shot. i got my hair cut short because going behind to put my hair up was pain ful still its much easier short and looks better on me so im told . dont give up im not i keep trying to improve every day im about 65 percent there strength wise and i know it will never be 100 percent i still have problems raising my arm high and i probley will never get that back. dont ever give up please keep trying it will work its self out sooner or later.
Dec 19, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		One day at a time...
by: Michelle

Like many of you, I tripped into this site looking for a quick answer to my surgery question. For me the journey started as a simple removal of calcium deposits, but turned into the removal of bone spurs, cleaning up some frayed labrum tissue, and repairing a torn RC, some of which was torn pre-surgery, some because he had to cut it to get to the other stuff. I am now on day 4 of recovery, and every day is a little better, though it appears I have a long road ahead.

Hoping to go back to work on Monday, at least for awhile. I work in an office. hope this is not pushing it. Just dont want to sit around forever. Question- how long before most of you could drive again? (auto transmission.)

Love all the comments...thanks for posting!

Dec 19, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Driving
by: Liz

Michelle, it took about 6 weeks before I could drive. My doctor was very specific about not giving me permission until I could grip the steering wheel and be able to turn it quickly. And I even hedged that a little. I'm now a little over 4 months since surgery and I'm feeling better finally. It has taken me an awful long time - I'm still in physical therapy 3X a week and faithfully doing all my exercises at home 2-3X a day. I do think I'm the exception to the rule however. I'm not really sure why it has taken me so long to get a little better. I can now go for a while without thinking about my shoulder, but then I'll turn or reach a little bit differently and I'll definitely be reminded of it! I still don't have full range of motion but it's getting there. I'm having a slight set back right now because they think I have bicep tendonitis so that's a whole other (painful) problem. I did find that getting deep tissue massages REALLY helps. They hurt but they help. I have been going 2X a week for about 2 months now. It all gets SO expensive, between physical therapy and massages but I can't imagine getting better any other way.
Hope everyone out there is doing as well as can be expected. This is not an easy recuperation, so hang in there.......
Dec 19, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Something that works for my injury
by: Anonymous

Hi all,
A short while ago I posted a note about a book I bought called "The Frozen Shoulder Workbook". I was skeptical at first, because I have tried so many things and nothing has worked. I figured I would try the techniques in the book and see if I got any benefit because I was constantly in pain, and the pain at night was causing night sweats and I could not sleep more than an hour at a time. I couldn't work during the day either, without pain (I am an artist). Anyway, I began to try the techniques, which are called "Trigger Point Therapy" and began to see some results within about 3 days. That encouraged me to keep at it. I wasn't really diligent at first--would just work on it whenever I could, here and there. But when I noticed my shoulder really starting to improve, I became more diligent. I can now finally start to sleep on the injured shoulder (lying on my side), and can sleep 4 hours at a time, which is a big improvement over waking up every hour. I used to wake up every hour or so and ice my shoulder throughout the night, and was exhausted during the day. Now I don't have to ice at all. Anyway, if you get this book, you need to read it from cover to cover to get a good general idea of the techniques. Then go back and look at the diagrams and apply the techniques that work for your specific areas of pain. I am actually surprised that this is working so well (so far), and plan to continue to do this. It has certainly been a far better investment than the physical therapy (which, by the way, made the condition worse), the doctor visits, and pain meds. I even tried Lunesta sleeping pills, which did absolutely nothing to help me sleep.
I hope all of you are feeling better, but if not, this might be something you'll want to look into.
Dec 19, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Fatigue?
by: Bob

Had 2 complete tears, 1 partial labrum tear, and a torn bicep surgery on November 24th. It's been 3 and a half weeks now and am still experiencing a lot of fatigue. I have barely left the house - although I've been taking 25-30 minute walks once a day - but find if I try to go out to the store, for example, with my wife, I am very tired and want to sleep in the car. I heard it's common to be tired 3-4 weeks after surgery - has this been the norm for some folks? Also - on a different note - has anyone suffered from post-op depression at all?

thanks for the wonderful posts.
Dec 19, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Fatigue
by: Anonymous

Yes! I was feeling exhausted for about 2 months when I was having lots of pain. I wondered if there was something else wrong with me because I had never felt so tired before, and wanted to take naps all day long. I really impacted my work schedule. However, I found that as the pain diminished, so did the feeling of exhaustion. I think the pain takes alot out of a person, making it a struggle to get through the day.
Dec 19, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		PS. to my last note
by: Anonymous

PS. I forgot to mention that I did feel extremely unmotivated while I was feeling exhausted, and I could not tell if it was mild depression or if it was due to the exhaustion. I'm not prone to depression, so it was unusual for me to not want to do anything other than lie around all day. I think feeling depressed often accompanies any kind of illness or injury and there's this feeling of; "Will this ever get better?". But yes, you will get better!
Dec 27, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		neck pain
by: Anonymous

I had rotator cuff surgery a week ago tomorrow. Sleeping is a challenge but have managed to get some, sitting up is a necessity. My biggest problem is neck pain. I think they sent me home with my sling not properly fitted so that was the original culprit, but it is still an ongoing issue, particularly at night. I have resorted to taking off the shoulder strap to sleep. Haven't seen any other posts on this......MAC
Dec 28, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		2 weeks in
by: Michelle

Well, two weeks in snd every day is an improvement! Still sleeping in a recliner, and still cannot move shoulder or dress without assistance, but my energy has returned. This is a much longer road than I anticipated! Great to have Mom visiting from NY!
Dec 30, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		one week out- trouble?
by: Rach

I had repair of a complete rotator cuff tear and torn ligaments one week ago. My "wrap" dressing as well as my immobilizer were on pretty tight. I started cpm machine the next day. Slept in recliner 1st 5 nights, have been in bed the past 2. I had pain frequently and was tahing the prescribed oxycontin, vicodin, and celebrex.

Here is my problem. I saw doctor yesterday. He took off my "wrap" dressing and sent me home with the immobilizer on loosely and said it didn't have to be tight. During the car ride home, I had more pain and felt like the muscles were stretching and loosening. Maybe it was too tight before? So I decided a couple hours later to put deoderant on under my affected shoulder. I simply let my arm hang while wiping a bit on (with my good hand, so I wasn't holding or supporting the bad). I felt a very painful 'pop' and pain lasted less than 5 seconds. Since then, I have pretty much had no pain, at all! Cpm machine is now a breeze.

So did I maybe ruin my repair or had I started to have "frozen shoulder" that is now gone. Please help. Md is gone now till next week and I'm worried I messed up.
Jan 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		7 months rotator cuff repair /bone spurs
by: kathy

hello well the doctors stoped my therapy just like i said but i have to tell you its been 7 months now and i still have days i cry it hurts specially when the wheather is cold and snowy boy did it hurt just almost like i had the surgery done again i got threw those couple of days when it snowed but i still ache but not as bad my doctor said in march he wants to see me and in july for a physical to see how much of loss in the arm my strength has increased but i still have problems holding things for a long time like grocerys the doctor thinks that the company i work for should award me for the shoulder because i will only be 65 percent for the rest of my life i can use it to a cetain degree but not for everything i have to write down what i can do and cant do it looks like the company might have to give me something because before the accident i was okay 100 percent never no problems belive me i hate this because i have days i cant even pull up my zipper on my coat without going very slow i have to tell people i cant rush due to my shoulder most people understand some dont care i am not giving up i just do what i can and go from there i am raising it higher but with alot of pain but i will never be able to move my arm behind my head far as i use to so i have to keep my hair short to be able to manage it .
Jan 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		7 months rotator cuff repair /bone spurs
by: kathy

hello well the doctors stoped my therapy just like i said but i have to tell you its been 7 months now and i still have days i cry it hurts specially when the wheather is cold and snowy boy did it hurt just almost like i had the surgery done again i got threw those couple of days when it snowed but i still ache but not as bad my doctor said in march he wants to see me and in july for a physical to see how much of loss in the arm my strength has increased but i still have problems holding things for a long time like grocerys the doctor thinks that the company i work for should award me for the shoulder because i will only be 65 percent for the rest of my life i can use it to a cetain degree but not for everything i have to write down what i can do and cant do it looks like the company might have to give me something because before the accident i was okay 100 percent never no problems belive me i hate this because i have days i cant even pull up my zipper on my coat without going very slow i have to tell people i cant rush due to my shoulder most people understand some dont care i am not giving up i just do what i can and go from there i am raising it higher but with alot of pain but i will never be able to move my arm behind my head far as i use to so i have to keep my hair short to be able to manage it .
Jan 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		comment to rach
by: kathy

rach im not a doctor but it sounds like what happended to me scare tissue breaking but maybe you should tell your doctor just in case better safe then sorry later scare tissue is a pain i had problems doing pt it took 2 monthe for the pain to let me move it the way i should of finally it gave in i still hear pop but i probley now have arthritis since the surgery let me know how you make out snowey2468@hotmail.com
Jan 17, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Cuff surgery
by: Dirk

Going to see the Dr in a couple of weeks. Had an MRI, and I have a small bicep tear and small rotator cuff tear. Not in too much pain now. Take 800 mil ibuprofin and 1 Advil PM at night and sleep ok. My regular Dr wants me to do PT before I try surgery. She says I am not that bad yet. Ortho says I should have operation because it is not too bad yet. What to do? I am only allowed 40 PT visits per year. For the person whi had neck trouble I have cervical compression as well. I had 2 cervical epidurals in 2004 and do 'chin tucks' and it is ok.
Jan 17, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		How much is too much
by: Deb

My surgery was Jan 4/10. This is my 9th surgery so am quite aware of pain but first for the arm which is a different thing again all together pain wise. I am just not sure for using the repaired arm what is not enough or too much. My surgery was on my dominant arm (right) for partial tear, bursectomy, bone spurs & cyst removal & more then 2-3hrs of sleep at a time would be great. Tylenol PM sounds like the answer along with my best friend "the recliner". I have been doing some exercises on my own & start PT next week but am not sure if daily housework duties is too much. I have been doing slowly some cooking, laundry, sweeping, vacuuming of course mainly with my good arm but have not been told what are the limits. I find it hard to ask for help & get bored sitting. Seems to hurt less if I get up & move with my arm hanging to my side & keep busy. Can't wear the small material sling because my neck is so bad with degeneration & bulging disc but am worried I may strain or not give the shoulder the proper rest if I don't use it. The hospital sent me home with a huge sling that wraps around the waist & velcro straps that crisscross over the shoulder. So any ones input would be great re:limitations of daily chores & arm rest. Thanks to all for posting. I sure am glad I kept searching for a site with fellow sleep deprived patients feeling the same. People that have never had surgery don't understand so its nice to hear from others that are feeling the same.
Jan 17, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Dirk and Deb
by: Liz

To Dirk
Yours is such a tough decision. I went to my ortho 2 years ago complaining of pain in my left shoulder. He took some x-rays and said I had calcium deposits which are probably causing damage to the rotator cuff. He sent me to PT for a month which neither helped nor hurt. I went back to him a few months later and he gave me a cortisone shot which really helped for about 1 month, but then the pain came back again. I returned to his office and he told me to live with the pain till I couldn't live with it anymore because, he said, "You REALLY don't want this operation. It's a long, hard recovery". And there was always the hope that it all would take care of itself.
Well, I went back last June because by then the pain was very bad, and he sent me for an MRI. That's when he said it was time for surgery - I had a torn supraspinatus, bone spurs, and calcium deposits. I scheduled it for 8/12. So the question is - if I had had surgery way back when, when I first went to him and the pain wasn't THAT bad, would the surgery have been less??? Or was it wise to wait till it got really bad? I still don't have a clear answer to that myself. I lean to thinking I would have done it sooner before it got really bad. I definitely WOULD try the PT first, though. It didn't help me, however I have met people in PT since my operation who are there for that very reason and they say it's helping them. So that's worth a try. However if you have only 40 PT visits a year - if it doesn't help and then you have the operation you'll need all those to recuperate. It's a tough decision..... It has been 5 months since my operation and I'm still in PT! Best of luck to you, Dirk.
Deb:
I feel your pain! As I said, I had surgery last August and it's all still fresh in my mind. I started PT 5 days following the operation and the big thing they told me was to NOT do anything with the arm. Keep it protected in that darn sling (I HATED that thing!) and just do the passive exercises they showed me in PT. I found it all pretty painful and really didn't want to do too much with my left arm anyway (I'm right handed, so that was a blessing) I spent 8 weeks in the recliner before I could go to bed. I took Tylenol PM every night. It really helped me sleep. Another thing that helps with sleep is Melatonin. You might want to look into that. I would have loved to take Advil and Advil PM but my doctor wouldn't let me take any anti-inflammatories for 8 weeks. That was a bummer and I've never met anyone else whose doctor wouldn't let them take Advil! But Tylenol PM is worth a try...... But I would say be very gentle with your arm. You really don't want to screw anything up!! Good luck.......

Jan 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rotator Cuff Tear
by: Dirk

Thanx for the reply Liz, you have had a tough road to travel! I forgot to mention 4 years ago I had PT for my left shoulder as it was hurting back then. Never had an MRI on that one just PT and it got better. Back in 2001 I had a torn meniscus, and the Dr repaired it and I was in a leg brace for 9 "beautiful" weeks! That was a bummer as well. I am trying to look on the "bright" side of this. Nobody seems to wear a arm sling longer than 6 weeks tops. My other problem is I am right handed and this is my right shoulder. Well once again thanx for your help and good luck.
Jan 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Deb & Dirk
by: Rach

Dirk- I had my shoulder pain for around 7 years before I had even mentioned it to a doctor. I just lived through the pain for all that time! I don't know if it started as a small partial tear and got worse over the years, or if it started out as a large, complete tear. I had good days and bad days. The only reason I finally had it looked at is because my husband & I want to start a family very soon, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold or pick-up a child or baby for more than a few short minutes at a time. Now I still have my good & bad days/nights, but so far (3 1/2 weeks after surgery) I am very happy I had the surgery.
*I would say it depends on your job, daily activities, degree of pain, and wether or not you are ok with possibly having to limit or give-up certain things you won't be able to do. I would say start with therapy, and see how that goes.

Deb-My doctor did a fabulous job on my surgery (as far as I can tell so far), but like you, he did not tell me my restrictions or what I could do. I don't know if it's because of my profession and maybe he thought I knew. I'm not sure. I started my PT last week, and my therapist is great!! He asked if I knew my restrictions or not, then he told me everything!
*You, my dear, are doing way, way, too much. Your shoulder won't heal properly and you'll most likely still have pain forever if you don't rest and stop all those chores!! Seriously. My shoulder felt really good before I started my therapy, so I felt I could start doing things. Nope. My therapist said no. I had filled-out medical papers last week, and my therapist said "absolutely not!" He said no writing for another 3-4 weeks minimum! So even though you feel bored and probably useless, you have to cool it for a while. Sorry.
Jan 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Deb & Dirk
by: Rach

Dirk- I had my shoulder pain for around 7 years before I had even mentioned it to a doctor. I just lived through the pain for all that time! I don't know if it started as a small partial tear and got worse over the years, or if it started out as a large, complete tear. I had good days and bad days. The only reason I finally had it looked at is because my husband & I want to start a family very soon, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold or pick-up a child or baby for more than a few short minutes at a time. Now I still have my good & bad days/nights, but so far (3 1/2 weeks after surgery) I am very happy I had the surgery.
*I would say it depends on your job, daily activities, degree of pain, and wether or not you are ok with possibly having to limit or give-up certain things you won't be able to do. I would say start with therapy, and see how that goes.

Deb-My doctor did a fabulous job on my surgery (as far as I can tell so far), but like you, he did not tell me my restrictions or what I could do. I don't know if it's because of my profession and maybe he thought I knew. I'm not sure. I started my PT last week, and my therapist is great!! He asked if I knew my restrictions or not, then he told me everything!
*You, my dear, are doing way, way, too much. Your shoulder won't heal properly and you'll most likely still have pain forever if you don't rest and stop all those chores!! Seriously. My shoulder felt really good before I started my therapy, so I felt I could start doing things. Nope. My therapist said no. I had filled-out medical papers last week, and my therapist said "absolutely not!" He said no writing for another 3-4 weeks minimum! So even though you feel bored and probably useless, you have to cool it for a while. Sorry.
Jan 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Reply
by: Dirk

Rach, thanx for your input. It is good to see somebody is doing "ok' after surgery. I see your point about starting to have a family. We have 3 grandkids now and I want to pick them up as well. Youngest is 5 months. I will keep watching this forum it is the best I have come across. I see the Dr in a couple of weeks.



P.S. Enjoy your kids, they will be grown up in a heartbeat! That is when you have them. LOL
Jan 25, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Two rotator cuffs repaired in one year
by: Jerry

I've had open RC surgeries on both shoulders in the past year. My right shoulder went into surgery Jan 29, 09 for a 35 mm full thickness tear of the supraspinatus and the tendon had pulled back 25 mm. The arm was placed in an immobilizer for six weeks. Pain control was a nerve block for the first day, but I had significant pain for the first night. Lying down in a bed made sleeping impossible and I ended up sleeping (badly) on a sofa, propped up by pillows for the next six weeks. From my second experience, I know a recliner would have helped greatly.

Since I could not put the immobilizer on by myself, I went to work wearing pants big enough to fall down (held up with suspenders) and a loose fitting knit shirt. I had to be able to pull the slacks up one armed and fasten the suspenders, because I couldn't open and close the waist band or a belt. At home, I wore pants with an elastic waist band. Pain was not that bad and my shoulder felt ok just taking acetaminophen after the first four days on stronger stuff.

Sleeping in a sitting position was bad and interrupted by slumping down and feeling strained. That went on for six weeks until the immobilizer was taken off and I could sleep in a bed again.

PT in the first six weeks was limited to passive motion and an attempt to regain ROM which was severely limited. After four weeks, the therapist started moving the joint to try to recover ROM, gently at first but with enough pressure to bring tears to my eyes by about eight weeks. I could not lift the arm at all when it came out of the immobilizer at six weeks and early attempts to raise it to vertical when lying on my back were agony. I think it was three months before I could raise it vertical against a wall, even with finger walking. PT was continued weekly until four months post op, but exercises went on all year.

However, at six months that shoulder felt strong and had recovered nearly all ROM. Then I injured the left shoulder. As soon as I saw the MRI, I arranged for surgery asap and went in on Nov 19 for the left shoulder, again with open surgery. This tear was 25 mm, full thickness, of the supraspinatus.

Post op, I was put in an immobilizer for two weeks, but I was able to shift to a sling for the next four weeks.

This time, having learned something, I went right out before the operation and bought a nice Laz-E-Boy recliner. It has a lever I could operate with the right arm and has a rachetting mechanism that will keep it reclined to a specific position. I find sleeping vastly improved compared to being propped up on a sofa and at nine weeks post op am still sleeping in the recliner. I still can't get comfortable sleep in a bed. I strongly recommend a recliner to anyone facing a shoulder surgery, but I don't know how I could have operated the lever when my right arm was in the immobilizer.

Jan 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Liz & Rach
by: Deb

Thanks Liz & Rach for your response. It's always great to hear from others whom have been there. I have now since been to the PT a few visits which she read me the operation report (& riot act, lol)& more then I thought was done so hence the immobolizer. Plus I came home with a home traction for my neck which isnt helping matters. She was great & gave me the low down of what can & can't be done in my life at the moment. There is a fair amount of inflammation. So yes, you both were right, patience rest & relax is my new learning curve for the time being. Just have to deprogramme myself & let the family continue to help (I hate depending on others). I did get tylenol PM & finally had a good stretch of sleep last night. I even slept part of the night in bed. My next outing I'll have to pickup the melatonin to try. Things are looking up ! Thanks again.
Feb 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		sleeping after sugery..
by: Anonymous

I am 10 days post op, 2 rotator cuff tears repaired, bicep reattached and bone spur removed.

block worked great for 2 days, 3 days of pain pills, 2 days of Advil and am off of pain meds.

24/7 ultra sling, tried sleeping in bed last night, and woke up with a lot of pain, but I had a great night sleep.

Slept okay in recliner, miss my bed.

I will try the pillows tonight in bed, if not, then it will be back to my recliner.

Any other ideas?
Feb 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Suggestions
by: Anonymous

I had 3 tears (2 complete, 1 partial), a torn labrum and a torn bicep. I was told I couldn't start PT until week 4. Sounds similar to yours there and I won't go into too much detail other than to say I sleot in the recliner for 6 weeks - the gravity on the arm while in bed was unbearable. After the 4th week, I tried a pillow under my armpit and sleeping sideways - a little comfy but not enough to keep me there all night and I also tried a small throw pillow on my chest and shoulder that was operated on (leaving it slightly up off the bed) and that also worked a little to relive the discomfort but I had to do the recliner again. It wasn't until week 6 or so that I moved to the bed (after which time the sling was removed) but I remember those two things bringing some relief.


Good luck.
Feb 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Update for Dirk
by: Dirk

I saw the "shoulder Dr" last week. He said surgery is up to me. Went to see my family Dr today she wants me to get a 2nd opinion. Family Dr also gave me a scrip for 1 month PT. If I had surgery the shoulder guy said he would scope the small tear and leave the bicep tear alone. After that I would be in a sling 5 weeks and have 5 weeks PT. I am about to get an appt with PT and the other shoulder Dr my Dr recomended. Much conference!
Feb 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		What did I do wrong
by: Genie

Help, please give me your opinions. I went to my surgeon again last week and told him I still have pain. I had rotator cuff surgery on my left shoulder on July 24th. After sending me for a shot in my neck and I also had one on my surgery shoulder, he said he has to go back in and get rid of scar tissue. I only had the sling on for a week. At that time he said I could take it off. Also I didn't start physical therapy for at least a month after. What did I do wrong? I don't want to repeat my mistakes and have him remove scar tissue then end up with the same problem. Thanks for any input. I truly appreciate it.
Feb 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		What did I do wrong
by: Genie

Help, please give me your opinions. I went to my surgeon again last week and told him I still have pain. I had rotator cuff surgery on my left shoulder on July 24th. After sending me for a shot in my neck and I also had one on my surgery shoulder, he said he has to go back in and get rid of scar tissue. I only had the sling on for a week. At that time he said I could take it off. Also I didn't start physical therapy for at least a month after. What did I do wrong? I don't want to repeat my mistakes and have him remove scar tissue then end up with the same problem. Thanks for any input. I truly appreciate it.
Feb 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		What did I do wrong
by: Genie

Help, please give me your opinions. I went to my surgeon again last week and told him I still have pain. I had rotator cuff surgery on my left shoulder on July 24th. After sending me for a shot in my neck and I also had one on my surgery shoulder, he said he has to go back in and get rid of scar tissue. I only had the sling on for a week. At that time he said I could take it off. Also I didn't start physical therapy for at least a month after. What did I do wrong? I don't want to repeat my mistakes and have him remove scar tissue then end up with the same problem. Thanks for any input. I truly appreciate it.
Feb 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Re: What Did I Do Wrong
by: Anonymous

It strikes me you should consider a second opinion on your next surgery. It is relatively unheard of to remove the sling after a week, not to mention going a month without PT. Doing these things can easily lead to additional damage ... as well as potential "frozen shoulder" issues.

Generally the sling device is kept on for approximately 6 weeks. Passive motion PT is started within a very short time after surgery and continued for about 6 weeks. Then your PT should become more active (you doing the exercises and beginning to use the arm yourself). That lasts approximately another 6 weeks. Then you will be given exercises that will build strength from that point on.

Do consider a second opinion. I find it concerning that your surgeon had you remove the sling so soon ... and did not get you into PT for so long.
Feb 19, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		What I did wrong
by: Jim

It is now over 6 months on my surgery and I have very minor pain with weather change and full use of the shoulder. In regard to your rehab I agree with the previous poster. I would get a second opinion from another orthopedic surgeon. I was in a sling for 6 weeks and then off and on afterward if I overdid the phase two of the rehab to give the shoulder a rest. I was in rehab the week after the surgery ( as soon as I could get an appointment ) and went three times a week for six weeks doing passive exercises such as pulleys. After six weeks I was told to lift no more than the weight of the arm for four weeks and started on the pole exercises and the fingers up the wall continuing the phase one exercises. After 10 weeks I continued with the phase one and phase two and started strength exercises. After eight weeks I moved from Colorado to Arkansas and only went to rehab twice a week until 16 weeks. During rehab I did what the therapist suggested three times a day.
Feb 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Recliner a must
by: mike

Had full thickness tear in right shoulder. Surgery was Feb.9th 2010(arthroscopic). They re-attached tendon and also shaved the acromion joint. They did a total arm block along with the anesthesia,so I didn't have any feeling in my arm for 24 hours after surgery. The pain was extreme after that, but pain meds and about 5 days later the pain is minimal. I have been sleeping in a recliner, but tried sleeping in my bed on Feb.25th only to wake up in pain within a couple hours. I was also instructed to stay in sling for 4 weeks. I also had major setback 1 week after sugery, I developed a blood clot in my left lower leg and could not walk because the pain was excruciating. Went to E R and was admitted, spent 4 days in hospital thinning my blood. Blood clots are no joke and can kill you if they dislodge and go to your heart or lungs. If possible, try to walk around as much as you can to keep blood circulating, and take 81mg aspirin. Am looking forward to start P T.
Mar 01, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Having second surgery
by: Genie

I will be going in for a second surgery with my original orthopedic surgeon on April 16th. He said I must have developed scar tissue and also a pin he put in he is thinking of removing. Please tell me how long I will need to be in a sling and also how soon should I start physical therapy. I will discuss this with him but I need some advice on what to tell him I think I should do. He said this surgery will be a lot less trouble, but I want to heal right this time. It's been almost a year with pain. First because of the torn rotator cuff and then afterwards from the surgery. Thank you for any input, I truly appreciate it.
Mar 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		12 DAYS POST-OP
by: Anonymous

Had my surgery 12 days ago by arthro. Great doc fixed in 4-5 areas. Had the nerve block; which wore off in 18 hours. SO GLAD that I started the pain meds before it wore off. Doc actually phoned me at home on Day 2 to see how thing were going and answer questions. He assured me that the worst pain would be gone the next day and it was. He had me meet with the PT before surgery and she really helped me get my ducks in a row - like having a friend cut a couple oversized t-shirts from sleeve to bottom on the operated side and putting a few velcro closures in place. She also taught me the 4 exercises I'm allowed to do in the first 6 weeks. Only one REALLY hurts.
Fortunately, along with 2 prior joint replacements, I had a tirple ankle fusion 2+ years ago. I was TOTALLY non-weight bearing on that side for 6 weeks. I think this best approximates what I'm going through now.
Sleep is a big challenge. I sleep propped up in bed - I have one of those chair pillows with arms and put other pillows behind and on it. I'm up and down all night and, when it seems like a losing battle, I turn on TV and watch sitcom reruns.
I was warned that the pain involved in this would top the joint replacements. So far, that's not true. I know the PT after 6 weeks will hurt and I'll just have to fight and breathe through the pain.
Mar 24, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Surgery two months ago
by: Shane

I had rotator cuff repair done on January 26, 2010. I had my sling on for 6 weeks--or I was supposed to. At around 4 1/2 weeks I began developing a fluid sac on my elbow and the sling became difficult to take. By week 5 I wasn't wearing it, except to jog. My follow-up appointment with the doc was at week 6 and he asked where the sling was. I told him about the elbow and how uncomfortable the sling made it. He said that he usually has people wear their slings for 6 weeks.

Anyway, after running for 10-15 times with my sling, I had this feeling to call and ask the doc if I was supposed to be running. He said, "no, not until after I talk to you at your next appointment on April 5th." Oops! I hope I didn't hurt anything. In the meantime, I'm on my fifth week of PT, 3 times per week. I'm improving, but my therapist today, who was a sub, commented on how tight my shoulder is. I don't know if it's supposed to be that tight or not, and if I need to get some scar tissue removed, I'd rather get that done sooner rather than later. I'm also experiencing periodic pain on the outside of my biceps, from the shoulder to the elbow--and I read somewhere on the web that this means you have a rotator cuff injury. So now I'm worried that I've reinjured it, because I have that pain, but maybe you can have that pain still as it's healing up. Anyone else experience this or know?

Anyway, I appreciate all the comments made on this board.
Apr 01, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Scar tissue
by: Michelle

Hey everyone!

I posted along time ago and found this site useful, very informative.

Quick question - I am 3 1/2 months post op (full tear, bone spurs, calcium) and feel stronger every day. The bad news, though, is that I developed scar tissue and still cannot move my arm fully, even with PT. The Doc gave me 3 months more of PT to see if we can move it or he said we may need to go back in and break it up. The first surgery was hard enough!

So, here's the question, does anyone have experience with breaking up scar tissue? Is it possible to get it moving without surgery? I am working really hard with my excellent therapist, however, it really adds up in terms of time and money...just to be told surgery anyways? Maybe?

Help!
Apr 01, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Me too
by: Anonymous

M left shoulder was scoped on March 19th. A partial supraspinatus tendon reattachment, a bicep tear repair, and some cartilage removal. I was able to stop using pain medication on the 22nd. I have to wear a sling for six weeks and then can hold nothing heavier than a cup of coffee when at full arm extension for another six weeks. I am having trouble with sleeping too. The shoulder aches if kept in one position for very long while propped up in my bed. I have a nice recliner; however, I do not sleep very well in it either because of the same type of ache. Once I sit up, the pain quickly goes away. I found the best position for me is on the couch, bad side up. I lean back at about 6o degrees into the couch's back to comfortably support the shoulder. I experience no ache at all while in this position. I can get about 2 hours of sleep in before I need to get up and walk around a bit. I'm a flopper so this one position sleeping would have been hard pre-injury as well. I look forward to getting back to rem sleeping levels. I love to dream.
Apr 02, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		to Michelle
by: Rach

Michelle-
I'm just over 3 months out.... my physical therapist has been able to break-through some scar tissue while stretching out my shoulder. It made me scream and all, but the next week, I definitely felt a difference!!
Also, the pain you are feeling at the outter bicep is normal. It's the pain from strengthening those muscles again and also from the strecthing. Totally normal. I've got the same thing going on.
Apr 03, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		When can I go back to work?
by: Shane

I have a very physical job as a letter carrier and I need to know how long before I can go back to work? I know right now would be impossible to do my job as I can't lift anything, and the other day we had some snow, so I stupidly grabbed a snow shovel and began pushing snow off the top of the car. I was mostly using my left arm which is my good arm, but my right arm was up there assisting. For the entire rest of the day (this was Thursday and it's now Saturday) my right arm felt dead tired. I can still feel some of the after effects. So in addition to hoping I didn't do some injury to my shoulder, I know that it's certainly not ready for my job. Once again, I had surgery on January 26th, and it's now April 3rd.
Apr 03, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Scar tissue
by: Anonymous

Thanks Rach! I appreciate the comments.

My pain is all internal...meaning it feels that there is something inflamed and sensitive on the inside of the joint, where the humerus rubs against the labrum. The rotator cuff doesn't hurt at all and is getting stronger every day.

I made good progress yesterday (I have an excellent therapist!) and felt increased mobility. I just feel like I am behind some of the other patients who had surgery after me. As a former competitive athlete, and someone who is still driven, sometimes that is hard to take. :)

Wish I could peak into the future! If I knew I was ultimately headed to frozen shoulder surgery I would do it now, instead of anohter 2 months of PT and then surgery.

Anyone out there have to have post rotator cuff, frozen shoulder surgery? Did it fix the problem?

Apr 03, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		A Good Result
by: Mati

I have an unusual, but very promising story about rotator cuff surgery. I had surgery on February 16th. The first few days were uncomfortable, but the pain medication (Norco) worked well at keeping things under control.

I did sleep in a recliner and found sitting up was the most comfortable position for me. I also kept the sling on without fail until I went back for my post-op checkup a week later.

By day two I had some itching on the 4 entry sites. It was annoying but not unbearable. On day 7, I returned to the doctor and they removed the stitches. There were 4 small entry points, and in all honesty you had to really look to see them.

The doctor noted that I was "unable to work" and also that I could not drive. I am a system administrator and do considerable typing, but nothing that involves heavy lifting, etc. My Workman's Compensation company took that to mean that I was not able to work because I couldn't drive to the office. The arranged for rides.

The short version is that by week two I was back to work with basically no restrictions. It was confusing to me as I was told to use the arm only passively. Still, back to work I was.

Last week when I went back to the doctor, he was surprised that I was back to work. HOWEVER, I am in the top 2% for recovery from this surgery (at any age). I am 60, so that's quite an accomplishment.

My right arm is still weak, however the pain is less and less every day. I continue to work full time and am much more comfortable than I was the first couple of weeks.

I suspect that my story is not the usual, as this surgery and recovery is clearly very painful for most. Still, there is hope for all.

The hardest part has been trying to do the normal things we all do to take care of ourselves. Even doing laundry requires some lifing and movement. I can't say for sure, but I suspect that my accidental "back to work" situation actually may have helped me to avoid the build up of scar tissue that is so common.

I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery.
Apr 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		glad i found this cite
by: jean

I had my surgery also on march 19..i had the torn rotator cuff repair, bone spurs, arthritis, and a detached bicep. i was thrilled to find this cite last night and to know i am not alone. i always try to not complain, but i am so sleep deprived that i was really starting to feel sorry for myself. i have read all the posts and have two questions and two suggestions that i hope will help. questions..i started simple at home pt two days after surgery to keep basic hand wrist and elbow movement. And the pendulem both back and forth and circular. My Dr. said that ROM would not begin until 6 weeks after surgery. Am I increasing the build up of scar tissue by not doing more formal PT. I noticed that many writers were not allowed to take Advil for a period of time following surgery. My Dr. has allowed me to take advil without restrictions. What is the reason some are told not to take advil? Two quick suggestions: I lined the sling with a flanel material making it more comfortable to wear. I was given a breast binder to wear, it is a straples corset that adheres with velcro. It can be worn in liew of a bra, go to expand a band medical dot com, Mine is lined and very comfortable. They run small. Hope that helps.
Apr 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Advil
by: Liz

I wasn't allowed to take Advil for 8 weeks because the thinking is that they want the shoulder to remain inflamed because your body rushes more blood to an injury to help with healing. So because Advil is an anti-inflammatory it would decrease the inflammation therefore slow down the healing process.
I love Advil - I've always used that particular medication for headaches, cramps, etc. and it always did the trick very quickly. So I was really sad that I wasn't allowed to take it for so long, but I did as I was told. I was allowed Tylenol but, to me, it's like a sugar pill - it did absolutely nothing!
As far as PT, I started 5 days after surgery with all passive stuff under the supervision of my (wonderful) therapist. Everyone seems to have a different protocol, which I find interesting.
I'm now almost 8 months out and I can do just about anything. I still work on my ROM exercises and it does ache when I do too much, but there IS light at the end of the tunnel for everyone.
Apr 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Tax day surgery
by: Moxie

I have my arthroscopic surgery on April 15th (tax day). I have a highly recommended surgeon at the UW Madison. He has done several procedures on Badger and Packer players so I do feel confident he will do a great job. However I am still extremely scared of the recovery pain as my stomach doesn't tolerate pain medicine at all. I have gotten sick on Demerol, Vicodin and I think one that started with a P in my past surgeries on my wrist and elbow. I hear this surgery is much more painful them either of them.
I have 1 large and 1 small rotator cuff tear, a small bone spur and bicep tendonitis in my right (dominate) arm.
Please if you have any suggestions on pain management or other tips or tricks on taking care of yourself while your laid up that would be helpful. I have heard I should wear a tank top as that will help with when they put on the sling for itching a crossed your breast and belly? I am sure there are other tips people have learned having to be one armed for so long.
Thanks for your help!
Apr 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		response to moxie
by: jean

i just wrote a post this am...two up from yours. i would strongtly rec you go online and order the breast binder...so comfortable that i sleep in it. it is pretty enough that you can wear it as a tank top, but don't have to raise your shoulders to put it on. it wraps around you and velcros in the front. i was lucky enough that the hosp. where i had my surgery sent me home in one. secondly,put a piece of soft material in your arm sling...will make you much more comfortable,

i know that a friend of mind couldn't take meds like you after rotator cuff surgery. i will check with him on what he did. i can tell you that once i started my passive pt exercisesw at home,a few days after surgery, i didn't need any meds for pain...stopped all meds after 5 days.

good luck to you...i will write back if i can think of anything else useful...do know this the day of surgery was no where near as bad as i had feared!!! jean
Apr 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thanks Jean
by: Moxie

I appreciate the info on the breast binder. I was wondering if you also took Tylonal pm and if that helped you sleep. I do have a recliner so it sounds like that is where I will be sleeping for a while. Is it true you really cant lift your arm away from your body for weeks and nothing heavier then a glass of milk or coffie cup for weeks. Do you start to feel fine and have a hard time NOT doing things like cleaning, laundry, vacumming? I am afraid I will over do it as I do have a hard time NOT doing.
Apr 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		to moxie
by: jean

i started taking one half of a .5 mg of clonazepam a half hour before bed after almost a week of no sleep. i had a presciption prior to this surgery for anxiety as needed. i'm not into using meds so i have close to a full prescription left.

i am still only 2 weeks and a few days from my surgery and am not very much of an expert on specific movements. i will be seeing my dr next week and should know more. i too am a doer and have found these first two weeks challenging. i do light housekeeping and laundry with my other hand. my surgery was on my dominent hand so even folding laundry is a challenge, but it feels good to do these things. i like to do the basic home pt as it really helps with the stiffness and pain. by the way, pain for me is like an ache, not a sharp pain so it is tolerable. i had a bad emotional day last week due to lack of sleep and frustration over not being my busy self. i wish i had known about this site at that time as it is really helpful to communicate with others going through the same thing. i am doing better as i have accepted that i need this time to rest and heal..for fun i read and am catching up on my mr.monk tv shows..his humor helps me forget this rehab so i would say surround yourself with laughter as much as possible.

prior to the surgery, i went to a thrift store and bought button down larger size shirts...all in light comfortable materials..i wrote out 6 weeks of birthday cards and did daily arm exercises to help in the post op healing. i found out after sleeping in my recliner that i needed a lower lumbar cushion as i was getting alot of pain on my bottom. you might want to buy one before tax day. it has really helped me to sleep much more comfortably. i was also given a free raiki session the day before my surgery by a dear friend. i was't a believer in it, but i can tell you that my pre-surgery stress nearly went away. the day of my surgery i was very calm..i still don't believe how calm i was as i had been stressed for three months prior to it. hope these tips help. oh yes...they usually give you a block prior to the surgery. mine lasted 15 hours past my surgery so i had no pain at all until the block wore off. using ice also helps with pain.

i am almost half way through this sling thing..in some ways it seems like forever, but in others its going fast. my spirits after the first two weeks are much better. i am glad i had this done because my shoulder was a mess..down the road it could have been too late for this repair. hang in there and write anytime you have questions...i will be rooting for you!

Apr 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Tax Day surgery
by: Moxie

Jean and anyone else on this wonderful site I want to say thanks. I will keep checking back for any new tips and suggestions as I agree with Jean!!! Great site to look back on and get the real stories from those going through this tough surgery. On my way to a much needed vacation just before my surgery to see family in NC. I will check back when I get back on Monday the 12. I will also keep you all posted on how my surgery goes and how I am dealing with the pain. Keep on posting!

Apr 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Dressing dilemmas
by: Anonymous

I am 6 weeks minus one day post-surgery. That means that I may get to ditch the sling and start sleeping in a more normal position tomorrow. As others have said, the pain is more of an ache. Although sometimes constant, it is bearable and pain meds are seldom necessary after a week or so. Ice is essential and the first course of treatment for the pain. The bra issue is annoying. I've basically gone without one since the surgery. I had ordered several front closure ones before the surgery. My husband could NOT get any of them on me (as I was moaning and saying not-nice things). I ordered some 4" bigger and he can get it on... with some effort, tugging and pinching. After not wearing one for so long, it's REALLY uncomfortable. There is no way that I could even put a front closure bra, with multiple hooks and eyes, on by myself, when the restrictions say not to hold anything heavier than a toothbrush in the hand on my operated side. Wish I'd heard about the velcro corset before now. Good luck all!!
Apr 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		dressing dilemmas
by: jean

not too late for the corsett binder..i bought two strappless bras prior to surgery..can't imagine putting them on even after sling comes off. these binders cover you to the waist and you can wear them under shirts like a camisol...very pretty, comfortable and easy to put on. i plan on keeping them even after this rehab...lots of support if you know what i mean. chicos should market them for all...lol. congrats on your six week sling freedom!!!!
Apr 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Advil and scar tissue
by: Bart - SII

One of the reasons that Advil is contraindicated can be because of the type of pain/inflammatory medication you may be on immediately following the surgery. If your doctor prescribes any type of anti-inflammatory (which is common but varies from physician to physician) Advil is contraindicated because it too is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. Tylenol is an analgesic, and is usually ok to take with other NSAIDs. They may have also warned against Aleve, Motrin, or other NSAIDs.

Some physicians do feel that NSAIDs following surgery or acute injury can disrupt the normal healing process because of their actions on the inflammatory process (a normal, natural, and necessary process for healing). This opinion varies from doc to doc as well.

With regards to scar tissue - the body does start laying down weak scar tissue almost immediately after injury. This type III collagen eventually is replaced with stronger type I collagen during scar maturation in the later stages of healing. Most physicians will recommend some type of passive range of motion (pendulums, stick stretching, therapist assisted) in the early stages of rehab. This will help to limit the amount of scar tissue formation. It is a fine line between maintaining motion and protecting the healing tissue. Follow your doctors instructions and protocols, and make sure you have a rehab therapist who is invested in your overall recovery and things should go well.

Bart
Apr 09, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rotator cuff surgery
by: Terri

I'm in Canada and had surgery Mar. 30. It is common practice here to have a nerve block prior to surgery.I was pretty scared about the block, but had a great anesthesiologist who explained the whole process and why it is done. I would strongly suggest having the block, mine lasted about 20 hours. My surgeon thought I only had a small tear, some scar tissue and bursitis. He discovered during surgery that the tear was between 1 to 2 inches. I was prescribed oxycontin and oxycodone( similar to percs). I only used the percs for a day after surgery. I started using the ice machine as soon as I came home from the hospital and only disn't use it at bedtime. Dresses with elastic tops (tube dresses) are a godsend, you can just pull them up to your armpits. Sleeping is a challenge. I use 2 puffy pillows to put me at a 45 degree angle, another under my arm and one inder my knees. This helps with both lower back and shoulder pain. I started physio a week after surgery, PT is quite adament that I use the pain meds prior to physio. She has advised that she will be somewhat agressive but this is necessary to ensure that I regain full movement and recover fully. At the initial assessment, she said that she was surprised at the extent of motion that I have a week after surgery. Today she already was able to move my arm above shoulder height. I do passive therapy at home 3 times a day and still ice the shoulder on a regular basis. After the therapy session today, I can understand why she wants me to use pain meds prior to therapy. The meds relax you and allows the therapist to manipulate your shoulder alot easier as you aren't as resistant. Just remember the ice after any pt whether at the therapists or at home.

I have a recliner which the pt says I should sleep in but hot flashes just make it way to uncomfortable. To help with any excess sweating, I was advised to put a face cloth in the armpit. This really helps. I also found that a second sling is a must. You can wear the second one while you wash the first. A cotton tube bandage over your injured arm also helps with sweat issues. I've been told that I will need the sling for 6 weeks. My suggestion to anyone who is having surgery, do exactly as your surgeon says. You only want to go through this once.

I think that I have been very fortunate and had an excellent surgeon. I've been getting about 5 hours of sleep before waking up to stretch my back and fingers and have had little pain. Hopefully I will regain full usage sooner than expected.
Apr 13, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		recliner chair tips
by: jean

i spoke to my pt person and asked for advice on best sleeping position in recliner. he said to sleep as fully reclined as possible, put a pillow behind operated shoulder and one under the knees to help the back. tried it last night and had the most comfortable sleep in three weeks..and i am not as stiff this am..17 days till sling comes off!
Apr 13, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		napping
by: jean

just took my first great nap since surgery using the position described above...i added a pillow over my other shoulder and a larger pillow under my knees...i slept like a baby and as with this am no bad aches after sleeping for the first time in three weeks. i used feather pillows for my shoulders and draped them over the top of the recliner...sleep is the best healer, both emotionally and physically...good luck to all!
Apr 13, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		napping
by: jean

just took my first great nap since surgery using the position described above...i added a pillow over my other shoulder and a larger pillow under my knees...i slept like a baby and as with this am no bad aches after sleeping for the first time in three weeks. i used feather pillows for my shoulders and draped them over the top of the recliner...sleep is the best healer, both emotionally and physically...good luck to all!
Apr 15, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		moxie
by: jean

i woke up today thinking of moxie and her tax day surgery. good-luck today! i am on my third day of painless sleeping with two weeks to go in the sling...any suggestions/comments on precautions after the sling comes off...i know the repair takes three months to heal and i worry that w/o the sling i could redamage it. thanks
May 13, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rotator cuff surgery
by: Are they serious?

Hi,I had rotator cuff, torn bicep reattached and bone spurs surgery 7 days ago, doing better then i thought i would at this point and time.I do have lot of pain in my elbow (stiffness).I also have a lot of pain in my neck area, thought it may be from the pain block they gave me? feels very bruised down my neck into my collar bone area, hurts to touch that area.I for got to add they did remove some bone in the collar bone area if i understand right.
I still have a hard time dressing my self and doing normal personal hygiene. i just found out that workmen's comp is making me go back to work 10 days after surgery ? Are they serious ? I can't even drive my self to pt or work at this point, cant wear a bra, tie my shoes, do my hair. I have to use my ice machine every 3 to 4 hours to relive pain.still have my stitches, pulling up my britches is a chore all on it's own. (i'm sure i will be most pleasant when i go back to work:).
Sleeping is also a bit of a challenge for me, i sleep about 2 hours at a time and i wake up
from this awful pain in my neck.Recliner is my best friend.

Thanks for letting me vent,any one else sent back to work this soon after surgery? i have a job that is 90% labor.
May 14, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thanks everyone for your remarks
by: HK

regarding the May post about WC sending them back to work too soon, doesn't the surgeon have to release you? Mine does. That would be just wrong, you are not ready that soon, you need to heal.

I am taking at least three months off. My RC tear was complex and an open repair. I am at almost 6 weeks and still need my sling. At 2 weeks they told me to do very little even with my good arm as it would hurt me, and I was allowed to use my hand elbow down and keep my arm in and stable and stationary.
I do a little bit every day and am careful to monitor and not overdo it. Each week gets better and I find myself wanting to do a bit more or 'test move' it to see if it will work. then I scare myself. Trying to get my hair up out of the way by hanging it upside down and tipping towards my hand so I can gather it with the good hand to clip up is hard.

I tried to do small simple light things yesterday without wearing my sling as much and am paying for it in much more aching today. I have gradually been doing more as long as I am careful and try to abide the rule no more weight than a cup of coffee, but my downfall is doing too much like these other women that live alone and there is so much to do. I hope I am not causing myself damage in the long run. My PT is very limited as the dr wants scar tissue to build up on the repair. Same no ibuprofen just tylenol.

It was tendon to tendon tear repaired, it was still attached to the shoulder bone. 20 sutures on the tendon was a lot.
Everything you all said about recliner is true, I was lucky that family had a big electric lift chair and it is awesome! We got it off Craigs List. Also down pillows on the arms like someone said I did but I am ok now. Have tried the bed but still not so good.
I wear a bra top camisole tank and a reg cotton tank over that most comfortable. I had to plan and prepare a lot for this surgery and it paid off.
I have not been released to drive and have a small truck manual, but last week (#5) I drove a little very carefully keeping my big sling on (left arm) so I would not use it other than to have fingers on bottom of the wheel while I shifted. I just got a little stir crazy and had to get out, now I am content to settle back in and behave.
May 14, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		re going back to work too soon
by: jean

i am amazed that you are doing as much as you are so soon after your surgery.I had a large rotator cuff tear, bicep repair, bone spurs etc. 8 weeks ago today. two weeks ago my sling came off and i started pt. My dr.'s protocal did not allow me to do many of the things you are now doing. If you have to drive to work, you could damage your new surgery or hurt someone else. It takes three months for the rotator cuff to fully repair in most cases. You do not want to go through this again. I agree that you should get a permission slip from your surgeon before you return to work...you can also download his protocal to show what you can and cannot do. Good-luck.
May 14, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Almost 4 months
by: Shane

On May 26th it will have been four months since my surgery. My doctor still hasn't given approval for me to go back to work doing my complete job. I'm a mail carrier and as such, I must extend my arm higher than my head to sort mail, and must extend my arm out of my truck to deliver it. He did give me permission to do the walking part of my route which involves extending the arm, but keeping it in a bent position for the most part.

As for the healing process, I went on vacation last week and regressed a bit as to how much motion I had in the shoulder, even though I tried to do my stretches and exercises--it's just hard to do those when you're with relatives going here and there. My range of motion is still limited and I still have a good deal of pain when I try to go beyond that range of motion. I still can't lift my arm either in front or to the side to the straight up position. Trying to put my arm up behind my back, as if to scratch my back doesn't go to well either. When I have a lot of pain, my best solution has been the gel cold packs that the PT uses. When I can't sleep at night because of discomfort, I've been taking the Tylenol PM--store brand and that has helped a lot.
May 14, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		a little more
by: HK

I know I went on and on in the first post off the main subject of why the recliner, but thought all the info was so useful so I wanted to add my 2 cents worth.

I also am wondering how Moxie is.

I also had the nerve block, and was having pain control issues the first night in the hospital after it wore off and ended up that Dialadid (sp) was the one that suited me best. Took it (and Tylenol 1000 mg) the first week steady then only as needed for the next week, then just at night and weaned off easily. Still taking tylenol as needed.
May 14, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		on the sofa now
by: jean

as i said above, i am 8 weeks since my surgery and 2 weeks out of the sling. i tried at different points to sleep in my bed. at 7 weeks, i left the recliner and slept both on my side and on my back on my sofa. heavenly!!! i tried the bed last night, and didn't sleep well at all...back to the sofa. however, the sofa is sooo much better than the recliner! my pt is wonderful..in one week off the sling, i went from 50% rom to 65%...i can write, brush my teeth, put on a bra and tee shirts...i was so concerned that my dr.'s protocal required waiting 6 weeks (I did do home exercises)..but the progress once out of the sling is very heartening. i love the pt as even though there is discomfort, i leave feeling so much better and with far less pain. every day i am now seeing improvement. good-luck to all of you going through this...this is a major surgery. Jean
May 16, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		been a while
by: Rach

It's been a while since I've written. It's now been almost 5 months since my surgery. Still in PT, now weaned down to 2 days a week, from 3. Therapy is about 2 and 1/2 hours each time. Went back to work (as a nurse) 3 months post-op. Still light duty, can't lift more than 50 pounds now, and no overhead work. However, I go back to the MD tomorrow, probably will be full duty.

Therapy has been going great. My external rotation was the hardest for me to get back. Still painful when he does the external rotation stretching, but it's where it should be. I've been having a very positive outlook lately, until this morning. In order to shave my under-arms, I still have to hold that hand/arm against the shower wall, in able to shave my underarm. By this time, I should be able to hold my arm up by itself- I can hold it up, but not far enough to be able to shave with it at a 90 degree angle. Hopefully I'll get there!!
May 18, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		comfort, sleeping and pain pills
by: livnonthefarside

FYI the reason that you do not want to get rid of the pain completely is that it prevents you from destroying what the Dr. did to repair the shoulder. The pain is the way for your body to tell you 'don't do that, your damaging me'. If enough pain medicine was given that you no longer feel the destruction that you are doing to yourself, you can do permenantly harm.

That said, if the pain is constant and unbearable, call the Dr., some people do not respond to a certain pain medicine and another type of pain medicine can be given. There is no need to suffer needlessly. Be polite, Be firm and Be persistant.

If you cannot afford a recliner, go to a medical supply place and get one or two foam wedges. they stay in place better than pillows and can make it comfortable to rest. If you find that the foam wedges 'migrate' from where you want them. Get your helper to take a sheet and lay it out on the bed put the foam wedge in the middle of the sheet and fold the sheet over the wedge, making a two long pieces of sheet hanging out from the bottom and top of the wedge. When you lay on the sheet it pins the wedge from slipping (wedge is like meat in a taco, sheet is like taco shell, person lays on top of taco shell, pinning meat (wedge)inside shell (sheet). This meathod can work with pillows also.

To get up from a sleeping position- lay on the side of the bed that is the same as your un-injured side. roll onto your un-injured side and move your legs off the side of the bed to sit up. Wait for the dizziness to pass before standing up. If you are still disorentated or dizzy have someone help you.

Good Luck-
May 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I found a way to sleep in bed after surgery.
by: Molly

Hi All,
Think I have read all the postings & I am now 3 weeks post rotator cuff surgery. Had a tendon almost completely torn away from the bone. The Ortho Dr. was able to repair it. I tried all the above mentioned sleeping techniques such as the recliner, sitting up, the bed & anything else I could think of with no success. I was lucky to get 1-2 hours sleep a night. I have heavy duty meds like Vicoden ES & Oxicodone. Neither helped with the night pain. My daughter asked me to try one of her Klonopin, 1mg tablets. She told me it was an anti-anxiety medication. I told her she was nuts, as I was not anxious, just in pain, but I tried it. Took it about 45 minutes before laying down in bed & low & behold I slept through the night with no pain, in BED. I asked my Dr. for a prescription as the Ortho Dr. said the night pain could last awhile. Have been taking it for a week now & sleeping in bed all night. I asked my Dr. & the pharamist how it worked when the pain pills didn't & they had no answer for me. So I just wanted to share my experience with those that may still not be able to sleep. It works for me, maybe you too.
May 19, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		6 months post op - now bone spurs?
by: Michelle

Hey everyone! It's been awhile!

I am happy to report that 6 months post op and I am pain free, getting stronger every day, and have pretty good ROM. Yeah! Only one challenge - a recent MRI shows more bone spurs. :(

The spurs are keeping me from having complete ROM. A few people have told me that maybe I should just chalk it up to age (only 45...hello!!) and be thankful for the movement I have, but I want to stay active for a long time - golf, work out, all that fun stuff!

Debating more surgery...gulp! Anyone have more bone spurs post surgery? What did you do? Can they go away on their own?

Thanks!

Michelle
May 19, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Spurs
by: Dirk

I still have not had surgery. I had 6 weeks of PT. My doc says to try and wait for surgery. The PT helped a good amount. And I am doing a bit better. As far as the bone spurs I have a small cuff tear and bone spurs. Dr says if I have surgery he will take care of spurs then. The PT has helped the spurs as well. Although I do take 800 motrin every day.
May 20, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		May 26 surgery
by: Linda

I have rotator cuff surgery next Wednesday and I am very anxious. Had knee replacement in Novemeber and this seems like it will be much, much harder. But there is a lot of pain and the Dr. said some people wait too long and then it cannot be repaired. Any other helpful hints? I live by myself and will probably only have someone with me for a day or two.........
May 21, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		surgery next week
by: jean

please try to find someone to help you out for at least the first week. you will be on painkillers for a few days and you should stay ahead of the pain (your joints and muscles tense up under pain, which is not good for your surgery) I was on pain meds for the first 4-5 days...the initial home pt really helped with pain management. at the very least, you will need help with bathing and driving to the doctor. As for tips, i would stock my fridge with pre-cooked meals and or frozen dinners. I would buy or lease a recliner chair, electric being best, but manual handle at least on your non-surgical side. I would have several comphy down pillows and a lumbar pillow for sleeping and sitting in the recliner. I would purchase large button down shirts (i went to goodwill for these) and elastic waist gym shorts or pants. My thoughts are with you..the pain for me lasted only the first few days, but pain meds help blunt the worst..then its more like an ache. i was out of my sling in 6 weeks( I had a large rotator cuff repair, spurs and arthritis removed and a bicep attachment..ie the works) Today is nine weeks since my surgery and i have been in pt three weeks. Once my sling came off, the worst was behind me. I love my pt as now i can do so many things and the ache is 1 out of 10 most days. i think if i had known that, i would have gotten through the first 6 weeks in a better emotional state. one more thing, rent books, videos etc..most libraries will deliver if you are ill. Good-luck..I'll write more if i think of anything.
May 21, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		surgery next week
by: jean

please try to find someone to help you out for at least the first week. you will be on painkillers for a few days and you should stay ahead of the pain (your joints and muscles tense up under pain, which is not good for your surgery) I was on pain meds for the first 4-5 days...the initial home pt really helped with pain management. at the very least, you will need help with bathing and driving to the doctor. As for tips, i would stock my fridge with pre-cooked meals and or frozen dinners. I would buy or lease a recliner chair, electric being best, but manual handle at least on your non-surgical side. I would have several comphy down pillows and a lumbar pillow for sleeping and sitting in the recliner. I would purchase large button down shirts (i went to goodwill for these) and elastic waist gym shorts or pants. My thoughts are with you..the pain for me lasted only the first few days, but pain meds help blunt the worst..then its more like an ache. i was out of my sling in 6 weeks( I had a large rotator cuff repair, spurs and arthritis removed and a bicep attachment..ie the works) Today is nine weeks since my surgery and i have been in pt three weeks. Once my sling came off, the worst was behind me. I love my pt as now i can do so many things and the ache is 1 out of 10 most days. i think if i had known that, i would have gotten through the first 6 weeks in a better emotional state. one more thing, rent books, videos etc..most libraries will deliver if you are ill. Good-luck..I'll write more if i think of anything.
May 21, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		tips for linda
by: jean

hopefully my prior post will appear with my long list of tips. i just thought of two more. go to a cvs or surgical supply store and get a large cold therapy pack..my pt uses one placed in a pillow case. it drapes over the shoulder and is much more soothing than the ice bags i was given after my surgery and if you move it doesn't fall off your shoulder. second i bought a heating pad made for the shoulder and neck...much better than the one i was using until i went to pt and discovered that they made them.
May 21, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		surgery
by: Linda

Thank you Jean for your tips and comments. I have one large Ice thing at home and will go and get a couple more. I keep going back and forth about having the surgery - but I know that come Wednesday I will go. I do have friends who will be a big help with whatever I may need.
You sound like you are doing great and that is a big encouragment to me right there. So of the other posts said they wished they'd never had the surgery. When I had the knee surgery - it hurt like crazy - but almost everyday I saw changes for the good. I need to keep that mind mind. I will put up some meals this weekend. At my church there are also ladies who will make meals and bring them to me. So that is also an option. I just like being independent and it's hard to ask for and allow people to help. But thank you again..........your comments are a big encouragment and give me even more of a push to get it done!
May 21, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		more tips for linda
by: jean

i retrieved an email that i had sent a few weeks ago to a friend who was preparing for rotator cuff surgery...while you're at your drugstore, you might also want to buy 1. hibiclens soap (my doctor's instructions were to wash the shoulder area the night before and the morning of with this to help prevent infection) 2. dental flossers, if you like to floss your teeth like i do, they are the only way to floss with one hand 3.purelax laxative...helps while you are on narcotic meds. one note on the icer, mine has beeds, cost about 15.oo at cvs and i have only needed one as it refreezes pretty quickly. I also took a piece of fleese and loosely lined my sling as the one i was given at the hospital was scratchy against my skin after a few days. Also, as i mentioned above, a small lumbar cushion,available at surgical supply stores, will really help (approx $10-15) After I slept/sat in my recliner for a few weeks, i was having a lot of pain in my cocix(spelling?) area. This helped immediately. A pillow under my knees and draped over the back of my chair gave me more comfortable sleep. I have decided to type up a letter to give to my doctor that can be handed out to his patients facing this surgery. I learned as i went along with some great tips on this site. I am also an independent type and the hardest part of this surgery was allowing others to help and trying to accept that the best way to recover was to give myself a miny vacation from my daily activities. people feel good helping others, so let them. your turn will come. Good luck and i will watch this post to see how you are doing.
May 21, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		living alone after surgery
by: Anonymous

I also am alone. Jean covered most the main points I can think of.
The hospital sent me home with a handful of things to cover my site with so I could shower. I only did it and my hair every 3rd day as it was tiring (and still is at 7 weeks) I had anything and everything I could think of done ahead of time to save me, and premade and stored food in paper soup cups with lids in the freezer. got 6 bags of ice, refillable ice bags and made gel packs with water absorbing gel crystals and 20% propelene glycol sealed in foodsaver packs and doubled. They thaw to a formable shape and slip in a pillowcase as Jean said or wrap in a tea towel.
I sleep in a electric recliner with a twin comforter that is easy to manuver.
The surgery was not as bad as expected, the first couple days were the worst. Just rest and sleep a lot. It took me a month to start feeling better. But living alone it is hard as there is so much to do. Try hard to only use your hand as needed in the early stages less is best. I had to and constantly worry if even the stuff I did was too much. Be careful to not do too much, use it too long, or not to lift too heavy with the injured side (no more that a weight of a cup of coffee), stay within your appointed range of motion allowed and only use lower arm/hand as needed.

I tend to pick and choose my needed chores, and have to let things go much longer between being done, be it bathing, vaccume rug, sweep floor, still using my good side of course but the surgery side has some gentle use. Now if I do too much I ache the next day. And may for two days. My better side shoulder suffers and hurts almost more now than my repaired side, I am sure it is torn also.
Good luck and just let stuff go and get help when you can if someone comes to visit ask for help.
ah yes paper plates, plastic utensils if that helps with cleanup.
And I sleep in my comfey tank camis and stretch waist pants same as I wear daytime saves the effort of too much dressing.
I typed one handed, but now put a card table to my recliner and the height to my laptop is reachable so I can type with my hand resting on the side, upper arm in as it is supposed to be.
May 21, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		comments from anonymous above
by: jean

great advice..i'm adding the paper goods to my list to my doctor..i wonder why they don't have some brochure with advice on preparing for this surgery, esp. for people living alone! i was even thinking of finding a space on this site to list them w/o having to read through all the blogs. i was blown away about your comment on your other shoulder as just today i was telling a friend that so many people who have this surgery have to have it on the other shoulder! I came to the conclusion that while you are in recovery, you are preforming many weight bearing exercises on the other shoulder. usually you use two hands to lift things, not one. i decided today, before i read your comments, that i would no longer try lifting heavy things with my other arm. it does hurt now, where it never did before. why don't doctors tell you these things? may-be i'm wrong, but my intuition tells me i'm right. so, i would add as a tip to others, go gently also on the other shoulder.
May 21, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		the 'other shoulder'
by: Anonymous

I actually have a thought on the other shoulder hurting and being next needing surgery. I have since met a lot of RC surgery that did have to have the second one done. I am thinking that both were injured at the time of the worst one, but the other doesn't appear as obvious so we disregard it. I did! I knew it hurt too but the one that was worse was what we focused on not considering that maybe they both were damaged at the time as we tend to use both arms to reach up and bring things down.
Now I don;t tend to use my good arm for heavy things as I just can't, but I think just the fact that is is being used for everything and that it may have some damage already has made it much worse. I am now wondering who I begin to discuss this with regarding if workers comp will cover the second shoulder. I guess start with my surgeon as I see him before I will see my employer. The surgeon will be in the know as this is his speciality.
May 24, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		linda
by: jean

the friend i told you about who i sent the email to with tips just had her rotator cuff surgery last thurs. she is doing fine and as it turned out she is wearing only the light sling. her recovery will be much quicker than mine. my surgeon told me prior to my surgery that once he went in, he could better see the extent of my shoulder damage...one result could be the much shorter recovery. i am wishing you the same. she was glad that she was prepared for both outcomes. Since my last post, i am also giving my other shoulder a break from one sided heavy lifting and i am feeling much better on both sides.there have been several days this past week that i have to remind myself that i had shoulder surgery 9 weeks ago, and my repairs were extensive. so good luck again!
May 25, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		to Jean
by: Anonymous

Glad your friend Lindas surgery wasn't as bad as they thought it might have been.
I wear my light sling around the house because it is easier to slip in and out of for use and rest in when I can. But out in any situation that I need the firm stability and security I wear the big one with a block. Each day it feels a little better to leave out in the house a bit at a time. Still not ready to take off completely yet I can tell. I am at 7 weeks.
The pain is getting less and though I do worry if I will ever be able to lift it again I get hope reading the other posts, so thanks for those.
I have been sleeping in my bed more and more just recently as long as I am not aching too much and tired enough to not be restless. The electric chair as I call it has become a source of comfort in the livingroom, I like it for a change if I have been in the bed a few hours and want to flip sides and can't. The chair makes me stay on my back comfortably. Good luck healing to you too, glad you are giving that other arm a break. I am trying to as well, but still trying to do small chores I have to do. Easily get exhausted!
May 25, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		12 weeks since surgery
by: Cheryl

Hi. Its been 12 weeks since my surgery. I fell, dislocated and broke shoulder in many places. I had anthroscopic surgery and my doctor sewed 4 large pieces of bone together and screwed it into my shoulder. Yuck, I know. My range of motion is pretty good but I still can't sleep a full night. I sleep about 3 to 4 hours and then it wakes me up feeling very stiff and sore. I still do PT three times a week. My bicep and deltoid muscles are really weak. I had a sling with pillow for 8 weeks and I slept in a recliner for those entire 8 weeks. I hope it gets better. I can't stand the weakness in my arm. It feels like it weighs a ton.
May 25, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		weakness in the arm
by: Anonymous

Cheryl can you not lift your arm either yet? I was afraid something wasn't right as I can't even begin to at 7 weeks. My upper arm only goes a few inches any direction then is useless. I don't want to try too hard and wreck it but it is a little frightening. I hadn't though of it as muscle weakness so much as that maybe it was the tendon not ready to be able to lift the arm yet. I won't see the doc for another week and half. But muscle weakness make sense too. I think my Deltoid was cut as I had open surgery and I have wondered about that as far as it's healing and ability in the future.
May 25, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		travel after rotator cuff surgery
by: Dragonfli1102

Hi guys. I appreciate all of the comments and feedback posted on this site. It's very helpful! I was injured in a car accident and am scheduled to have rotator cuff surgery repair on June 16th. I have a cruise scheduled to depart July 17th that will sail for a week. I am wondering if I will be able to take the trip or if I should try to cancel. I will be 4 weeks post-op at that time.

Thoughts?
May 25, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		cruise at 4 weeks?
by: Anonymous

My personal opinion if I had the choice knowing what I know now, I'd take the cruise first then do the surgery. I was more functional before surgery than I am now at 7 weeks. At 4 weeks I didn't feel so good and hurt a lot still. Just would rather lay around still at that point which one should do.
But it depends on how miserable you are now. I had coped with my tear for a year before I was ready to settle down and do nothing.
May 26, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		cruise at 4 weeks?
by: Anonymous

I just re read your question, and if you can't change surgery date and can't change the cruise I'd say you could do the cruise, you just won't be feeling your best. will still be very limited and have to be careful and in discomfort if not still some pain. Hard to sleep still at that time. Won't be comfortable dressing up. Not to be a downer but stuff to consider. Though as I said it could be done. I'd have gone if I already had one set up and no choice or to lose out.
May 26, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		cruise
by: jean

my personal opinion, based on my recovery, is to try to reschedule the surgery if at all possible, esp if it is rotator cuff repair. having cruised several times, i can't imagine being on a ship 4 weeks after my surgery...sleeping in a bed might be very difficult, the possibility of reinjury, dressing up etc. it is your choice, but i would take the cruise first and try to immediately contact your surgeon for the first date available after your return (if that is an option based on your injury). also, what are you going to do if you are in pain or having any post recovery issues while a week out at sea?
May 26, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Cruise
by: Anonymous

I am 4 weeks post op rotator cuff surgery. I was smart enough to take my Las Vegas vacation the week before the surgery & sure glad I did. Could not imagine doing it afterwards for a long while. The dressing, sleeping & mainly the pain are the 3 biggies. It's still a pain just to drive to the grocery store & push a basket. I will start ph next week after 5 weeks post op. Know it will really hurt, but will make it. Good luck to you. Please change your surgery date for after your wonderful cruise. You will have lovely memories to look back on during your recoup.
May 26, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Cruise
by: Dragonfli1102

Thank you guys so much for the feedback. I am going to try to postpone the surgery!
May 26, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		time off work?
by: Dragonfli1102

I have one more question you guys (and gals) might be able to answer for me. How much time away from work did you all have?

I work in an office most of the time; however, I travel about 50% and have to carry a laptop everyday. I've heard that about 4 weeks off work is what's required.

Thoughts?

Thanks
May 26, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Not lookin' good
by: Shane

I went to my doc on Monday and he told me that I'm extremely tight for being 4 months post-op. I'm to go another two months and if it doesn't loosen up, he's going to have to go back in and remove scar tissue. That sucks, man. Try telling your boss that you still can't do the job and tha it may be nine months from the date of surgery before you can do it.

I wonder, just how common is it that they have to go back in to remove scar tissue?
May 26, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Not lookin' good
by: Shane

I went to my doc on Monday and he told me that I'm extremely tight for being 4 months post-op. I'm to go another two months and if it doesn't loosen up, he's going to have to go back in and remove scar tissue. That sucks, man. Try telling your boss that you still can't do the job and tha it may be nine months from the date of surgery before you can do it.

I wonder, just how common is it that they have to go back in to remove scar tissue?
May 26, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		reflections of rotator cuff surgery
by: jean

when i first went to my surgeon and found out that my mri showed a small rotator cuff tear, bone spurs and artritis , i was told that my surgery and rehab could be fairly simple (no repair done on a small tear, but "cleaning up") or much more extensive. I prepared myself for the worst, by purchasing items that i would need, etc. but went in there expecting the best. I had a large tear with bicep repair and all the rest (the worst case scenario). My friend went in this past week expecting the worst and is on the fast tract or easy three week recovery. I was told by several people who have had this surgery that it was a piece of cake (I'm sure they were in the first group) and by others it is a long recovery. I think most people on this site had the second and are writing for tips and support, like I did, to get through this. I have come to the conclusion that this surgery, the surgeons protocals and people's recoveries are very different. I know people that are driving and sleeping in their beds two-three weeks after surgery and I still am not after 10 weeks post op. Then i feel like a wimp...why can't I? I read about people on this site who are doing much worse than me. My surgeon told me today that I am doing well for 10 weeks post-op. I was in a sling for 6 weeks and have only had pt for four. My fexian is 160, my abduction is 160, external rotation 80 and internal rotation 60. Most important to me is that after each week of pt i see improvement in my daily skills and less pain, starting after the first week! I love going to pt and while it is a little painful, it is not horrible. i always feel better after i leave (i take a pain pill before i go, thanks to a tip from this site) I am 61 and not athletic. I am writing this to say that i wish everyone the best including people who are thinking about this surgery. For me, the first 6 weeks were hard (because of the sling and that the surgery was on my dominent shoulder). once the sling was off, i saw improvement by leaps and bounds. unless you have a real deviation from the "norm" whatever that is, don't despair that you are not healing or doing as much as others. see your surgeon or get a second opinion if you are experiencing pain well beyond a reasonable time. keep your chin up as this is a serious surgery and go at the pace that will help you most! don't let anyone make you feel bad that you are not doing all the things that they could do (perhaps they had the easier surgery).best wishes, jean
May 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rotator cuff surgery
by: ARE THEY SERIOUS ?

OK, well it has been 3 weeks today and wow the pain in my elbow is unbelievable.My movement is pretty good,pain isn't that bad in shoulder area unless i move the wrong way, but the stiffness in the elbow is crazy.Anyone else have stiffness in the elbow area with a lot of pain? I can not extend arm downward and have lots of swelling about a inch above elbow towards the bend of my arm. I will add I did have to have the bicep tendon reattached along with removal of bone spurs and arthritis. I'm starting to think maybe the reattachment of the bicep was not successful?
I did go back to work a week after surgery, what a joke that was lol. I made it a few days and then had to take my week vacation, just couldn't do it anymore. I'm already driving my self to pt 3 times a week that's a chore.
My advise, have some one that can help you full time for the 1st 2 weeks.I wish everyone the best of luck with their recovery.
May 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		JUST STARTED PT
by: Anonymous

Hello everyone, I had surgery on April 12th. I'm concerned because my doctor just released me to do pt. I can't even reach for a glass. I'm still sleeping on my back with several soft pillows. I had a anchor/rod placed in my right shoulder. MY job wan't let me come back until I have some range of motion. I'm feeling very depressed, because I feel very helpless right know. I live by myself and the cleaning chores are very hectic. Please reassure me that this will get better.
May 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		response to above
by: jean

in response to the above, my recovery really started after pt...6 weeks after surgery...like you are now. pt will stretch your shoulder and increase your range of motion and then work on increasing your strength. please try to keep your chin up...things should start to become easier for you!
May 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		2 days post surgery
by: Linda

Much better than expected. Have only needed to take the pain pills twice a day. Arm sometimes feels like it is stuck and then I just move it out a little and it settles down. Sleeping in bed on my back - but it's hard to get comfortable. Have a friend saying with me but I try and do stuff for myself. Am able to sit outside on the swing and enjoy the weather. Bought a sleeveless smock 2 sizes to big and wear that every day. Easy on - easy off. I had a bidet put on my toilet when I ahd knee replacement last Novemember a I highly recommend it if mobility is an issue. So far... so good. I see the surgeon on June 3rd and that will really tell me what's up and when I can go back to work. He was able to repair one of the tendons by making the small holes. The larger, full thickness tear he had to make an incision. He told the person who had taken me that all went well. So grateful to God!!!! AMEN!
May 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		linda
by: jean

so glad your surgery went well..it sounds like you are doing very well post-op!
May 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		RTC Surgery Expectations
by: Dragonfli1102

Jean - thank you so much for posting all of your tips to this site. I have made a list of everything I need to do before my surgery. It's scheduled for June 16th. Foruntately, I have a 19 year old son who lives with me and will be helping during my recovery time. Phew!!

Did your doc give you an expected time away from work? My doc is saying 4-6 weeks. Is that about right? I know it depends some on your occupation.

Thanks again for your tips!!
May 30, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Frightened but going for it
by: John Wilson

I've read many of the pre and post op threads with great interest. I'm having my subacromial decompression and biceps tenodesis on June 24. I think I'll have to look into a recliner chair or something to get better sleep. Is there a recommended make, type or shape? Don't sleep well at the best of times so post op is going to be really tough. I'm an Industrial Technology teacher in Australia (age 52) and anticipate a 2-3 months recovery before return to active duty. The toughest thing will be the time away from kayaking and playing competition canoe polo, which I also teach for school sport. I'm kind of scared about losing my fitness and physical condition. Any suggestions??
Jun 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		my update
by: Linda

Thanks Jean for all your helpful hints. I had my staples out yesterday. Went into work (church secretary - so it's a desk/computer/phone thng) for a couple hours. Went home pooped and arm ached all night. Am in work all day today and will ice it when I go home. I'm driving. Still can't sleep on the side I had surgery. But all in all I'm glad I had it done and things are moving along. I start Physical Therapy next week and have exercises I can do at home in between times.
I never did have to sleep in a recliner. Was on my back propped up for a couple nights and then was able to sleep on my unoperated side. Only took 6 pain pills in total. And for the past 2 nights haven't taken any. God bless anyone getting ready for this surgery. Well worth having!!
Jun 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Almost one year later
by: Linda

I had my rotator cuff surgery 6/25/09. It's been almost one year since surgery. I had a large calcium deposit removed and my tendon repaired and anchored. The pain is gone, so as far as my surgeon is concerned my surgery was a success. I have a lot of my range of motion back but still not too good with my external rotation and putting my arm behind my back. I had a full 7 months of physical therapy and continue to do my exercises everyday on my own. Before I had the surgery I had a mild case of scoliosis. Due to the curvature in my spine, my right shoulder(the shoulder I had surgery on) was a little lower than my left shoulder. Since my surgery my scoliosis has become much worse and my right shoulder is way lower than it was before surgery. I also have severe scapular winging which my surgeon says will probably never get better. So, although the surgery has helped me with the pain I was suffering from, I feel that the surgery has weakened my spine and shoulder and has made me look some what deformed. My surgeon never told me before surgery that this could happen. So, if you have scoliosis, you might want to think twice before having surgery. I've just started going back to physical therapy in hopes of straightening out my shoulder or at least helping it to not get worse. Has anyone had a similiar experience with their shoulder dropping and severe scapular winging?
Jun 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Response to John
by: Shane

You can somewhat maintain your cardiovascular fitness by taking walks every day. I did that and it helped. I'd say now that walking 3 miles isn't good enough and I may have tried to walk twice as much. Once a week after a couple of months, I went on a grueling hike--maybe 6-8 miles. I also tried to keep the strength in the unaffected arm by doing one-armed exercises, such as bench press, rows, triceps extension, and curls. No need for that side to atrophy along with the side that has had surgery.
Jun 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My own progress slow
by: Shane

I'm about 4 months and 1 week out now. I'm beginning to run out of my PT that will be paid for by insurance (I get 50 visits per year and I'm up to 34). I called the doc's office and they want me to come in sooner than my originally scheduled appointment near the end of July, so I'm going in on June 16th. At my last appointment, the doc said my range of motion was quite bad for four months out, and said I may need to have scar tissue cut out. I'm thinking that's what he's going to say on the 16th when I go in.
Other than range of motion issues, I'm still having a little pain, though it increases dramatically if for some reason I have to move my arm past the range of motion arc, like if I start to trip and fling out my arms to try and catch my balance, it can hurt way bad. But my shoulder is much stronger now than it was even a month ago. I'm hoping that the increased strength will help me recover quickly if and when I have the scar tissue removal surgery.
Good luck to all of you with your surgeries and recoveries.
Jun 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Doing good 5 weeks out
by: Molly

I went to my 1st pt this past week, 5 weeks out of surgery & the physical therapist was totally amazed that I have total full range of motion. I told her & well as he ortho dr. that I had not been babying the arm. I would try things(as I live alone), if it hurt I would stop doing it, but if it didn''t hurt I figured it was o.k. They both agreed. I think one thing that was helpful to me was I was only in a sling for 2 weeks(per my dr.). My tendon was almost completely torn away from the bone & dr. put 2 anchors in to secure it. With my HMO, I am only scheduled for 8 pt treatments, but may not need them all. The only pain I have is in my bicep, occasionaly, so guess we will work on building that up. Still have some nightime pain, but getting better all the time. I just wanted to let those know there is hope. I know we all have a different types of surgeries & dr's that so things differently, but hang in there. I have mowed the lawn, raked leaves, washed windows & moped the floors with no problems(using my affected arm). I am not bragging, but letting you know how lucky I fell. Good Luck to everyone & God be with you in your recovery.
Jun 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Scoliosis and Scapular Winging.
by: Linda

I had my rotator cuff surgery 6/25/09. It's been almost one year since surgery. I had a large calcium deposit removed and my tendon repaired and anchored. The pain is gone, so as far as my surgeon is concerned my surgery was a success. I have a lot of my range of motion back but still not too good with my external rotation and putting my arm behind my back. I had a full 7 months of physical therapy and continue to do my exercises everyday on my own. Before I had the surgery I had a mild case of scoliosis. Due to the curvature in my spine, my right shoulder(the shoulder I had surgery on) was a little lower than my left shoulder. Since my surgery my scoliosis has become much worse and my right shoulder is way lower than it was before surgery. I also have severe scapular winging which my surgeon says will probably never get better. So, although the surgery has helped me with the pain I was suffering from, I feel that the surgery has weakened my spine and shoulder and has made me look some what deformed. My surgeon never told me before surgery that this could happen. So, if you have scoliosis, you might want to think twice before having surgery. I've just started going back to physical therapy in hopes of straightening out my shoulder or at least helping it to not get worse. Has anyone had a similiar experience with their shoulder dropping and severe scapular winging?
Jun 12, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		eleven weeks post op, feeling much better!
by: HK

I had to post today and say I am beginning to feel so much better, and better faster all the time. My surgeon saw me a week ago and was so pleased. I started my 3rd simple PT exercise and was told to keep increasing my at home activities as I carefully have been doing.
I had posted some of my earlier experiences in previous posts though not all as HK.
I live alone and it was a lot of planning ahead and forcing myself to take it easy. Then as the pain decreased I slowly started using it to do what I had to do being careful to not use too much, too long, no more weight than allowed or out of allowed range. Be sure you do as instructed by your doc as it paid off to behave. If I had ruined this repair there was little chance of fixing it again. So that put the fear in me.
I was able to increase activity a little at a time, listen to your body how it feels the next day and adjust accordingly. This is for those of you that HAVE TO do things and can't just lay around being waited on.
I have been doing my supine reach stretch exercise and increasing it every day for only one week and general increases in all my activities, I started slowly weaning off the sling as I felt it was ok to do a couple weeks ago, (doc told me I can last week) and now just wear it when I am tired and up and around to support it. Sleeping more and more in my bed, though both shoulders ache the operated one is now the best, so I still need to lay creatively to sleep well. My reach in all directions has improved so much since last week and my strength is getting better so quickly I am actually having hope. It used to feel like a deal limp noodle if I tried to raise it a little to test it. Now I can slowly raise it more than I had expected. But not to do too much/often or it will get sore!! So I still am limited and not able to go to work at my paying job but integrate back to doing the real things in daily life right now for starters. That gives me the liberty to know when enough is enough and pace myself. If I need to I chill with the cold gel packs packed all around my front, back and side of the shoulder. Oh BTW I had an Open surgery, complex tear of the supraspinus rotator cuff tendon, still attached to the bone but the tear was so big he stitched 20 sutures internally knotted to reduce friction and all tidy I suppose like a darned sock hole. The deltoid was opened with the grain to access the tear. It was very painful in the beginning and yes I will go through it again if that is what it takes for the other side. At least now I know first hand what to expect. Thank you everyone else for your great help and comments, and I wish everyone the best healing!
Jun 20, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		sleeping in bed painfree
by: Jean

Hit the 3 month post-op mark this past Friday. Last week I started the strenghing part of pt. and will be working on that for the next few weeks. I love pt. because I have seen improvement after every session. Last week I was finally able to sleep in my bed with NO PAIN. Most of the time I actually forget I've had this surgery...again pain is very minimal. Hope everyone is doing well in their recoveries.
Jun 21, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Surgery number 2
by: Shane

So I'm going in on the 29th for another surgery to remove scar tissue that is limiting my range of motion. I guess this happens to a certain percentage of rotator cuff patients, but I'm not sure I like it happening to me. The doc says though that I should heal much faster afterwards, and I'm certainly looking forward to that. Wish me luck!
Jun 28, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		2 weeks post-op
by: dragonfli1102

Hi Guys. quick question: After surgery, do you sleep with the sling on or take it off at night?
Jun 28, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		sleeping with sling on or off
by: Anonymous

in my case I slept with the firm one that had the foam block just for the first few days then transferred to the light weight cloth one. Both have a waist strap. Wearing it to sleep mostly to keep it safe and it felt secure and snug close to my body in the most painful early stages. Then I started loosening the strap, eventually I'd unhook the strap and when I was certain I wouldn't do some movement in my sleep or awakening that would harm it I shed it altogether for sleeping.
I am 13 weeks out now so I don't recall exactly when as it seems so long ago! Maybe at the second week I was sleeping without the sling.
Jun 30, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		SLEEP AFTER SURGERY
by: Gemini

Had rotator suff surgery June 8. Have to wear a sling with a foam block for six weeks. Slept in the recliner for a week and am in the bed now. It has been the most painful surgery I have ever had. Started PT this week for passive therapy. Had a few little exercises to do starting the day after surgery.
I see where other people are worrying about the cost of pt after their insurance runs out and that is a big concern of mine too. Mine will pay for about three months and I really don't see how I am going to be able to afford the strenght training ones. I see online the very same exercises that they have plaaned for me, included the one with the pulley I start tomorrow. I wondered if there is anyone out there that did pt on their own after the insurance ran out and had good results?
Jul 01, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sleeping post rotator cuff surgery
by: Dragonfli1102

Thanks for the feedback everyone who has posted to this site. Its been most helpful. I am 2 weeks post op now and am feeling pretty good. I am only doing PT 1X per week and can notice a significant difference each visit!

I am able to sleep in the bed now as long as its slightly elevated with lots of pillows. The sling is a constant as well, which sucks in Atlanta in the summer!!

Just wanted to thank everyone!
Jul 02, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Tips for Getting hand behind back stretch?
by: MrD

Hi All,
I'm almost 4 weeks post bone spur removal. My ROM is improving for all movements except getting my hand behind my back! Uggh.. I just can't get it up from my bottom!! Anyone have any tips or tricks that worked for them to get ROM for that movement (I think called "internal rotation??). My PT says it's the hardest one,but seems a little impatient that I just can't improve on that one, while my others are ok.

Thanks a lot!
Jul 14, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sleeping problem after subacromial decompression
by: Jacqui



I had a subacromial decompression done on the 24th June 2010 and had a large bone spur removed. Apparently most people go back to work 1 to 2 weeks after surgery, hmmmmm! I have gone back this week after just over 2 weeks and I am struggling because I work full time and I cannot for the life of me get a decent sleep because of the nagging 'toothache' like pain in my right shoulder and arm.

I've got great physio therapists who have been very supportive and advised me initially to sleep with pillows supporting my right arm and then today they have said that I need to think about getting into a reclining position. My colleague at work is going to loan me a V shaped pillow and I am going to prop myself up tonight and try to get some sleep.

I coped with the lack of sleep much better when I was off because I could get a nap during the day but working full time with no sleep is killing me, I can't concentrate and I'm only on day 3 back at work. My advice to anyone who is going to have this done is don't even think about going back to work for at least a month. Sleep deprivation is rotten at the best of times but when you are in pain, it amplifies everything!

I am a very positive person and I'm sure this will all have been worth it eventually but when you are lying awake at night and you know you have got to get up at 7am, you do wonder!!

Jacqui
Jul 17, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you for all of your posts on here!!
by: Nick from MN

I actually found this page because I've been experiencing trouble sleeping after my labrum surgery 8 days ago and I just wanted to say thank you for everyboyd's input, tips, and humor that I discovered while reading through MANY of the posts! I will refrain from whining too much yet since I'm only 8 days post-op, but not being able to put together more than 4 hours of sleep in one night really starts to become frustrating pretty quickly!! I hope that you're all recovering well or are fully recovered by now : ))
Jul 17, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you for all of your posts on here!!
by: Nick from MN

I actually found this page because I've been experiencing trouble sleeping after my labrum surgery 8 days ago and I just wanted to say thank you for everyboyd's input, tips, and humor that I discovered while reading through MANY of the posts! I will refrain from whining too much yet since I'm only 8 days post-op, but not being able to put together more than 4 hours of sleep in one night really starts to become frustrating pretty quickly!! I hope that you're all recovering well or are fully recovered by now : ))
Jul 17, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		recovery after rotator surgery
by: Jean

Just a note to wish everyone a quick recovery. I am almost four months out from my surgery, still going to pt three times a week and except for getting my arm behind my back doing very well. Most times I forget that I have even had the surgery. Two weeks ago I was reminded when I tried to sleep on my surgery side..big mistake!!!It took a week to be able to get back to my weight and rom exercises!! I really can't complain, as once my sling came off, the healing and inconvenience lessoned right away. For anyone in the early stages of recovery, keep your chin up..it will pass. Thanks to Bart for this site..what a wonderful place to share information and know you are not alone through this surgery.
Jul 29, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		You guys are scaring me
by: D Koss

I scheduled for rotator surgery August 5th. I have a year of 3 cm. Dr Moore in Sarasota is doing it on a Thursday and will be able to go back to work on Monday. I work for the government checking people in at the front desk using a computer and handing out clip boards through a glass window.

I already have trouble sleeping and have 3 herniated discs in my back too.

I can't loose my job and I am now wondering if I will be able to go back to work for a 40 hour week.
Aug 02, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		There is HOPE.
by: Jane

I had rotator cuff surgery on July 7. I found this site just 9 days after surgery when I could not sleep more than 2 hours at a time. I took the advice taking a sleep aid and things got better immediately. I am taking ADvil PM.. After 3 1/2 weeks, I am actually sleeping on only 2 bed pillows and IN MY OWN BED. What we take for granted. I start PT in two days and for the most part am doing fine. The best advice I can give anyone at this point is...do your exercises regularly right after surgery. I only had a regular sling and after a week stopped wearing it all the time. I find that I am less stiff and the exercises are easier to do. I do live alone, so don't have to worry about being bumped into. I still wear the sling when out and about. I go back to work in a week. I am an assistant principal and had the luxury of being off of work for the summer. I cannot imagine going back to work after only 4 days but that is just me. Reaching out away from your body will be difficult for a while. I am just now able to go without advil during the day.
Still struggling with doing my hair...and some other daily things...but doing the best I can with my left hand. (am right handed) So it does get better every day...and for me has been a very big lesson in PATIENCE. Thanks for posting everyone.
Aug 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sleeping after rotator cuff surgery
by: Chuck

Hello my fellow sufferers. It has been 2 weeks from today since I had my surgery. Originally my Dr. told me the MRI did not show any tears and that he could take care of my problem arthoscopically. Once he got in there he found a small tear and had to cut me. I have had a few surgeries in my life time but none where the pain keeps lingering like this. I have slept in my bed since day one; however, it hurt like heck. I have been on pain meds 24/7 but trying to cut back now. I did find out that I could increase my sleep time by taking a pain med and then I take an Ambien about 2 hours later. I am glad I did not read this section before surgery or I might not have gone through with it. I was thinking how bad can it be....I found out. Good luck to everyone.
Aug 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		6 weeks post-op and back to work
by: Dragonfli1102

Hello. I am now 7 weeks post-op and returned to work on Monday, August 2nd. I was fine last week and felt pretty confident about my recovery. After returning to work, I am experiencing a lot of pain in my arm/shoulder and am back on pain meds. My PT thinks its just due to usage that the shoulder is not used to. I sure hope that's all it is!

I do agree with everyone though that it definitely gets better. If you are within the first 4 weeks of your surgery, keep on truckin! You will see improvement soon!

Thanks everyone for your posts to this site. I was certainly helpful getting everyones tips and ideas.
Aug 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Better at Last!
by: Gemini

It's been eight long weeeks since rotator cuff surgery, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Getting that darn sling and foam block off was such a relief that it was easy to overdo. Watch yourself or you will pay for it the next day. My therapist said three more weeks and i will be good to go. So even though it seems endless, it will get better and you will be able to sleep (maybe not painfree) in your bed again soon.
Good luck and best wishes to everyone who has had the surgery and those who are facing it.

Gemini
Aug 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		6 weeks after subacromial decompression
by: Jacqui

Hi Folks

I was interested to read the comment about the person having surgery done on the 5th and set to return to work on the 9th August. I struggled going back after 2 weeks, please be careful! Remember, once you are back, you are expected to work!

It's a painful operation and just because it's done with keyhole surgery, don't underestimate the work that's been done inside. To anyone who hasn't had it done yet, ask for a pain block to be put into your shoulder before you wake up from the anaesthetic. After that, don't allow the pain to get out of control, take prescribed pain relief regularly and use ice packs.

I sleep with 2 normal pillows with a V shaped pillow on top and lie on my good side with pillows I can place my injured arm across. The pain is worse if you allow your shoulder to drop forward and it's the reason you need to tuck the pillows under your arm to fill the gap and keep it positioned properly.

I wrote on this site in mid July and I am a good deal better now than I was then so take heart and stay positive!

Jacqui
Aug 13, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Suggestions to Pre-op people
by: Chris

I had surgical repair of 100% tear, plus removal of spur, on right shoulder (I'm right handed) 2 months ago. 1st 3 nights were awful - and haven't taken one pill, not even a tylenol - since then. It's been very mild pain... BUT - I don't think I realized how "disabled" I'd be. Not being able to lift more than 1 lb (or so they say - I know I've broken that rule) is pretty much impossible unless you have a 24/7 assistant! But I do my best:
Suggestions for pre-op people:

Cook as many things as you can that can be eaten one handed in advance. I cooked up a few dozen seasoned burgers and froze them. - Open packages like crackers, packaged oatmeals, etc and take lids off things like vitamins, pills, etc and just replace without screwing shut. - Take a laundry drying rack and put in your bedroom and drape several pairs of elastic waist pants over them, as well as underwear, easy to pull on tops. So much easier than trying to pull a pair of pants out of a stack in a chest and having them all fall down! - Buy a lightweight battery powered vacuum. I've always had one and now it's more important than ever! Eureka Quick Up is great ! - And for women, got to Expand-a-Band - EaBMedical.com - for soft elasticized wraps with velcro closure to replace bra. Believe me, those first few weeks, you won't be putting on a bra any way, not even by hooking around your waist! The owner is a wonderful person and gave me terrific service! - Wash as much laundry, sheets, towels, etc as you can just before surgery. You won't be doing it again any time soon....

And good luck - it's not painful, just a pain-in-the-youknowwhat! Chris
Aug 15, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Surgery 8/5 back to work 8/9. I'm funny!
by: D Koss

I actually thought up until Sunday night that going back to work would be a piece of cake. What I didn't plan on is the pain associated hours after physical therapy.

Last night was the first night I slept in my bed although I'm back on the lounge chair as I feel more comfortable.

I'm going to go back to work Monday since I have already lost about 4 days of pay and really can't afford to take off anymore time.

It's been a bad year for my family. My mother had a heart attack, teenage son tore his ACL and menescis. I used all my vacation and sick time for family members so now I'll have to just suck it up.

Sep 01, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		still recovering
by: Chuck

It has been 6 weeks from today since my surgery. I cannot imagaine some of you having to go back to work after only a week or two. I am better, however, I continue to have a lingering pain off and on. I am going to try and not take any more pain meds since they kill my appetite and I am down about 12 pounds. I NEVER want to go through this again. Good luck to everyone.
Sep 01, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Almost back to normal after 7 months
by: Shane

Well, I had surgery originally in late January, and spent several months going to therapy, but plateaued at an unacceptable level of range of motion and pain. Finally in late June, I had to have another surgery for scar tissue removal. That really sped things up and helped a lot. I'm almost back to normal and my range of motion has increased tremendously. I just tried archery for the first time since the surgery today and was able to do it, though it was obvious that I need to build up my strength. I think that's what I need to spend most of my time on now and should be able to get back to 90-95 percent of what my shoulder was like prior to the surgery, according to the doc.
I'm hoping all of you continue to get better.
Sep 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Ice after Rotator Cuff Surgery
by: Wild Bill

Love this site..thanks to all fellow sufferers..:-) Had surgery Aug 18th..Still in pain and taking meds about once every other day before bed..Started passive PT the 2nd day after surgery and go 2 days a week..Sleep in a bed kind of sitting up..Miss sleeping with my wife but no way can I do it at the moment..pain is not what I thought it would be..Much less than I thought and was told by my Dr it would be worse..One thing I've learned from everybody in PT and friends that have had it..EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT !!!! Thank your lucky stars if you have less pain like me and pray for those that are having a tough time..I'll stay in touch and let you know how I'm doing..Good luck..By the way, how long would you suggest I use the Ice Maching ? I have a GameReady..How many days, weeks, etc ?
Sep 13, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		no surgery ?????
by: Stella

I fell in April 2010 & told I had torn rotator cuff. Because of family happenings to this day Sept. have not had anything done. Does anyone know what happens to you (I am 61) if you do not have the surgery. I can use my arm very well lifting above head and to my back. Somedays it aches if I have over used it & can take an aspirin for relief.
Sep 13, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Response
by: Dirk

My shoulder was diagnosed in Feb 2010. I had 4 weeks of PT. I still do my PT at home 4 days per week. It is better although I am a bit careful what I do. I am 52 so I have lots of time for surgery.
Sep 17, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Scared!!
by: Mary

Hi all,

Wow, lots of different results and levels of pain! I have a torn RC in right shoulder (right handed) and it has retracted over an inch. I am scheduled for surgery on Sept 29 but am thinking of postponing because I am sooooo scared. I have a lot of pain in my shoulder currently but can use it for just about everything. Sleeping sucks but I do have pretty good ROM, with pain, but it works. It is just my 15 y/o and myself at home and we have a lot going on, I can't be laid out! My shoulder hurts terribly now, how much more painful can it be after surgery? I truly don't know what to do...............
Sep 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		bicep and rotator cuff
by: Anonymous

Right side injury to a right handed person. The bicep was the most painful at 1st. I only sleep about 2 hours a night. the most in 2 weeks 6. From no sleep 39 days. Pain pain and more pain.
Ice helps sleep with alot of pillows.
Sep 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		bicep and rotator cuff
by: Anonymous

Right side injury to a right handed person. The bicep was the most painful at 1st. I only sleep about 2 hours a night. the most in 2 weeks 6. From no sleep 39 days. Pain pain and more pain.
Ice helps sleep with alot of pillows.
Sep 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		bicep and rotator cuff
by: Anonymous

Right side injury to a right handed person. The bicep was the most painful at 1st. I only sleep about 2 hours a night. the most in 2 weeks 6. From no sleep 39 days. Pain pain and more pain.
Ice helps sleep with alot of pillows.
Sep 23, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		MY TURN
by: Darroll

I have been reading this page for a while, mostly while getting ready for my surgery. Iknew from ya'all it was not going to be fun, but what choice did i have.
So here i am 8 days out from surgery,and yes there is pain, it is hard to sleep, and i love my ice machine. Atitches come out in 5 days and i assume the therapy,other than the elephant trunk will begin. yippee
Probably my most fun was having to go to the er the night of the surgery, apparently the pain mrds did not work well, but i also had muscle spasms, which required muscle relaxers----valium. At least i was able to sleep that night.
Typing is fun one handed. I work at home and am on m computer all day. SO WHEN PEOPLE ASK HOW IT IS GOING, I JUST TELL THEM TO TRY THIS TEST; tie one arm behind you then work on your keyboard all is well till you see that command to hit control, alt, delete. later guys
Sep 25, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hard to sleep all night
by: G

It's been 5 weeks since I had my surgery; and 3 weeks of PT. My doctor did not send me to PT right away. I had 3 rotator cuff tears and was in extreme pain when I left the hospital. The PT has helped me extremely plus the exercises at home-which equals to 5x a day. I take Vicodin 3-4x day but need something to sleep! I sleep in increments of 2 1/2 hours each night; thanks for suggesting Tylenol PM; I am trying it right away! I recommend the recliner so I prepared & bought one before my surgery (August 18th)and soft pillows-it's still hard to sleep on the bed so I spend my nights on the recliner,or couch.I wake up so many times & wake my husband up. I have good days & bad days when I am in pain all day with ice packs on my arms/weather makes it worse & all I can advice is to take it easy & ask for help when you can't open/reach for something-better than try & hurt yourself.
Sep 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		So much better!
by: Jacqui

Hi Guys

This is the third time I have written on this site and I have to tell you that I am now soooo much better! It will be 13 weeks for me on Thursday and I had my surgery done at a hospital in Chester in the UK. It is damned painful for the first few weeks and sleeping is a nightmarish experience. However, I must stress that surgery is the only route and if you want to sort it properly, just bite the bullet and get it done!

Occasionally if I forget and stretch too far or reach for something, I get a spasm of pain that goes all the way down to my wrist but that is always my own stupid fault. Please take heart, the sleeping gets better and I can now say that I am a good 85% pain free 3 months on and that my surgeon has done an excellent job.

Be patient and keep your sense of humour and I promise you, all will be fine.

Jacqui
Sep 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Good luck
by: Jean

I have written amny times over the last 6 moinths (my surgery was on March 19 and it was for a major tear, bicep repair...etc.etc and I am 61. Please don't let some comments scare you from having this surgery if you need it. It is painful for the first week or so and pain meds help alot )if you can take them). Sleeping is one of the biggest issues, but with time you will sleep w/o pain. The most difficult part of this experience is the sling ( for me, it was 6 weeks, and the surgery was on my writing arm) After the sling comes off, you should feel major improvement. I just finished pt last week and am feeling wonderful. Don't despair... you will get through this and reading this site is very helpful for morale as other people who have never gone through this have no idea what you are going through. Good luck to each and every one of you!!!
Oct 01, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Why a sling? Four days post op.
by: Philylady

I had rotator cuff surgery 4 days ago. I have an ice machine.
My pain is not that bad. He did it arthroscopically and I had one anchor. I also had a spur removed.
Has anyone not worn their sling? I don't see a purpose for it.
I know what I am not allowed to do and what I can.
I do pendulum swings and I don't think it's a big deal.
I rest my arm on a pillow next to me and I'm fine.
Is there any harm in not using the sling?
Thanks.
Philylady
Oct 02, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		philly lady asking about not wearing her sling
by: Anonymous

You are lucky the injury was so minor, and that the surgery was so simple and your pain a minimum. I am sure you will heal well if you do as the doctor says and just wear you sling as told. If you think you don't need to please consult your doctor and know why you should.
Mine was not so easy and a long recovery and behaving paid off as I am gaining back my abilities to use my arm. I had to wear my sling for 3 months! At times I took it off but it supported, protected and allowed my tendon to rest and heal. Your six weeks will not be that bad. You don't want to risk tearing the anchor and going through it again to find out it might be non-repairable the next time!
Oct 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		sling
by: JeanAnonymous

I agree totally with the above response to your question. I would add what my surgeon told me..all it takes is one slip (for example reaching out to grab something or tripping) to damage this surgery. Wearing your sling is part of your recovery.
Oct 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		sling
by: JeanAnonymous

I agree totally with the above response to your question. I would add what my surgeon told me..all it takes is one slip (for example reaching out to grab something or tripping) to damage this surgery. Wearing your sling is part of your recovery.
Oct 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		R/C Surgery Recovering
by: Jeff

Great site, don't you all agree?
I am now 22 days post-op and seem to be coming along fine. Had a total tear, spurs and just about anything else you can imagine on my left shoulder. (Which I ignored for years) Had the right one repaired in 2008.
The surgery is not bad but man the recovery...but it does get better.
The recliner and I got to know each other well again for the first two weeks but now I spend time in the bed or on the couch. No pain meds and will get about 4 hrs sleep per night and a lot of rest during the day.
Have started P/T and take no more pain meds. (Got tired of the floor moving and ants crawling up the wall)
So...hang in there each of you just starting recovery and those of you thinking about it.
It DOES GET BETTER and you will look back on the experience and be glad you took the surgery route.
Oh by the way..I am a 68 year old male and I plan on using my limbs for a lot longer.
Oct 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		R/C Surgery Recovering
by: Jeff

Great site, don't you all agree?
I am now 22 days post-op and seem to be coming along fine. Had a total tear, spurs and just about anything else you can imagine on my left shoulder. (Which I ignored for years) Had the right one repaired in 2008.
The surgery is not bad but man the recovery...but it does get better.
The recliner and I got to know each other well again for the first two weeks but now I spend time in the bed or on the couch. No pain meds and will get about 4 hrs sleep per night and a lot of rest during the day.
Have started P/T and take no more pain meds. (Got tired of the floor moving and ants crawling up the wall)
So...hang in there each of you just starting recovery and those of you thinking about it.
It DOES GET BETTER and you will look back on the experience and be glad you took the surgery route.
Oh by the way..I am a 68 year old male and I plan on using my limbs for a lot longer.
Oct 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Has anyone ever had this happen
by: Darroll

I am three weeks out from surgery. Last night something strange happened. While "trying" to sleep. I was awakened by sharp pain exactly at my rotator cuff. then it would go away, then come back. Well I took another pain pill and it did not do any good at all..Kept me awake for hours.
Today is my third trip to pt. I sure hope it starts getting easier soon.

Oct 07, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Have faith, it does and will get better!
by: Jacqui

To Darroll and fellow sufferers

You will get ups and downs after this type of surgery, remember, you only had this done 3 weeks ago and it's very early days. I went back to work 2 weeks after having surgery and my first week back wasn't easy because I couldn't sleep much at night with the pain. The lack of sleep made the pain worse and it was hard to concentrate at work. My PT was brilliant and talked me through the procedure I had had done and gave me some sound advice about how it's important that you keep the shoulder supported during the night and try to stop it moving forward into a position that is going to wake you up. Easier said than done I know but what you experienced was probably due to you moving around in your sleep and stressing the injury.

If you can just get through the first 5 or 6 weeks, you will suddenly start to feel more comfortable at night and believe me, the sleep makes all the difference to coping with the discomfort. From 8 weeks onwards, you will really see a difference.

I am 14 weeks today and I am pain free at night now. The only problems I have is if I stretch or reach up for something without thinking and that's always my own fault. My range of movement is getting better by the week and I am so glad I got this sorted out by surgery because PT and Cortisone injections as a first line of treatment didn't work for me. I had a large bone spur which had grown down into a hook, restricting my movement and causing a lot of pain, especially at night.

Don't worry, you will really start to see a change for the better very soon.

Jacqui
Oct 12, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Searing pain in thigh
by: Wally

I had surgery 6 weeks ago and go back to the doctor tomorrow. I've been in a sling the whole time and read this blog a few weeks ago when I was looking for help on sleeping.

My tear was a bit worse than expected so had a 2" open surgery in addition to the arthroscopic. Doctor said it would be a bit longer recovery. As for pain, I really have not had much. The initial block lasted 3 days and after that only took pain pills a couple times. I guess I have a high tolerance for pain as it is very uncomfortable during passive motion PT, but it is gone when we finish. My wife helps me with PT twice a day and I do pendulums (30 reps X3) 2-3 times per day. Looking forward to losing the sling maybe tomorrow and driving soon. But I know the next round of PT will be pretty painful as we start moving the arm and shoulder up.

But the biggest opportunity I've had, involves a searing pain I get many times in my right thigh. I read a post before from someone who had surgery on their right shoulder and they had this pain in their left thigh. Mine is opposite, left shoulder surgery, pain in right thigh. I think it's a pinched nerve. The first time I got it was night #5 in the recliner. I was awakened by a "hot" searing pain in my right thigh. I got up and moved around and it went away. I sat back down and awhile later it came back. So I moved to the sofa and don't have many problems there. But I am getting more frequent attacks and I can be laying in bed, on the PT's table at the hospital, sitting on a sofa, standing up, etc. A week and a half ago I felt the thigh getting warm, stood up, and then stepped down some steps. On one of the steps when my foot hit the step, it was like an electric current surging through my leg. Twice this week I have been awakened by an unbelieveable searing pain (much worse than a calf cramp)and I get up and move around to make it go away.

I'm going to hit up the Ortho doctor tomorrow but besides the one post, has anyone else experienced anything like this, and do you think I'm on the right track with it being a pinched nerve? Prior to this many years ago a doctor was draining my foot with a scalpel due to blood poisoning in the leg, and he accidentally came in contact with a nerve. This pain I'm having is very similar to that experience. Any thoughts are appreciated and thanks to everyone who has shared their stories, ideas, etc.
Oct 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Leg pain in bed
by: Jim

I had my surgery Aug 2009 and it was a bad tear. I also had pain in my led when I tried to sleep in the bad after being in the recliner for about 2 months. I don't remember a lot about about but I know I went back to the recliner and slept with no leg pain. I am fine now and I don't remember when the leg problem went away but it did.
Oct 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rotator cuff surgery
by: cb

Had surgery 8/30 for a 90% tear in my rotator cuff. Wore the sling with pillow for three weeks and sling without pillow for three weeks. Doctor gave me oxycontin and percocet. That took care of the pain except for the first night after surgery and 7 weeks out I rarely take those meds but continue to take a non-narcotic pain med. I am just able to start my night in the bed with a pillow under my arm and shoulder but wake up at some point and go back to my hated but necessary recliner. Still doing passive therapy and the pain is incredible but I am told necessary. Good luck to all my fellow sufferers. Remember, do whatever rehab is necessary and ice after....this too shall pass.
Oct 23, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Surgery 9-14-2010
by: Linda J

Had surgery 9-14-2010- glad I found this forum as really getting frustrated. Surgery theysaid went weel samll teat and bones spurs- Doc took sling off in 24 hours, pain meds as needed, started passive therapy immediately- then moved right up to pulleys angle wings, by 2nd week- SO MUCH pain-doc say doing too much- terapsit backoff for 2 weeks bak to passive- 4th week bak to assited therapy- thought i ws goin to pass out- hurt during therapy BAD- then pain after about 3-4 with movement. By reading all the post i think I might be doing tomuch at home as houswork et I slepp in bed or couch but get 3-4 hours and up- to ice (my best friend) noone ever said anyting about heat b 4 home therapy I will try that- and i do take advil and tylenol- I guess I thought by now I would be better its been 5 weeks and 3 days- Want to go bak to wrok , need money- but work in factory soscared will hinder healing. Does all this sound ok- I am worreid about scare tissue build up- I am making progress in therapy- slow- I thought i would be back to work in 2 weeks Ha ha - I only want to get to the point that I can say I am glad I had surgery - not there yet
Oct 23, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		ljt
by: Anonymous

Just how bad is therapy suppose to hurt? 5 weeks and in assisted pt- pain was BAD is this normal?

Think maybe had me doing too much therapy at 1st- IDk doc say one thing therapis another
Oct 24, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		reply to 5 weeks in
by: Darroll

I am also just 5 plus weeks in, and yes pt does hurt. I find that after new exercises it seems to hurt more. But I have actually noticed improvement. So I guess the ole saying is true. No pain no gain. I know that when I finish a pt session I feel like I am carrying around a wet noodle. The pain is ok during the day but it is the night pain, that is really rough on me. The muscle spasms, no sleep. Never thought I could survive on about two hours sleep a night.
Oct 24, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		reply to 5 weeks in
by: Darroll

I am also just 5 plus weeks in, and yes pt does hurt. I find that after new exercises it seems to hurt more. But I have actually noticed improvement. So I guess the ole saying is true. No pain no gain. I know that when I finish a pt session I feel like I am carrying around a wet noodle. The pain is ok during the day but it is the night pain, that is really rough on me. The muscle spasms, no sleep. Never thought I could survive on about two hours sleep a night.
Oct 25, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Pain now due to frozen shoulder
by: Jay

I also had a ruptured tendon repaired, spur ground off and a piece of bone removed from the AC joint - this due to arthritis. This was 10 weeks ago. I have been in constant pain despite strong pain-killers 24/7. I've been reading this site and thinking - tomorrow it will start to improve!

Yesterday saw my surgeon for follow-up - hooray!! I'm not a hypochondriac - I have a frozen shoulder. That might not be so great, but at least it explains the pain. I've been off work doing absolutely nothing - so you imagine my frustration!!

I had a cortisone injection and amazingly this morning I don't have my teeth gritted. Shoulder is still sore etc but I can feel a difference - so maybe inflammation has decreased a bit already. Has anyone else been in this situation? What happened next? Thanks.
Oct 26, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		5 weeks plus
by: Rickshere

I had rotator cuff surgery 5 + weeks ago. Tendon was torn an inch off the bone...Took 1-2 hydrocodone about every 5 hours for pain...Sleeping has been the worst....I asked the doc when I can expect to sleep without this pain and he said another month....i cut down on the pain meds even though he wanted me to use them before rehab work at home and bed.....well, after i cut down, I felt like s**t....withdrawal? I'm down to two a day but they don't help much with night pain...I'm going to try Tylenol pm for starters and see if I can sleep more than 1-2 hours at a time...Recliner actually didn't help much....If I can't sleep horizontally, sleeping sitting up isn't any easier...Rick
Oct 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Pain management for sleep
by: Miss Foxie

It's been 16 week's for me since cuff surgery, I found that the first feeling of pain while asleep was to start moving that shoulder gently before it made me get up.While laying in bed or your recliner start rolling your shoulder slowly ,it has to move. You will find that it's like humming yourself right back to to sleep.Good Luck !!!!!!!!
Nov 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		2nd surgery in 2 years first right now left
by: Lisa

Where to begin..hmm..let's see..how 'bout, AAAHHH!!
Sleep. What's that? Had my surgery Sept.24th 2010,6weeks today. Same day surgery, in by 630 am out by 11:30am. Yup. the pain i had after the block wore off and the taking percocet with advil and antinausea meds still ended me in the ER 630
am that saturday morning. Never in my life had I been in so much pain.I consider myself a tough cookie. I remembered that my first surgery was pretty painful but i had a painbuster the last time which helped control in a little better. It wasn't used this time..not sure why but percocet alone is not enough. On top of all this I'm a diabetic..41 years..got it at the age of 7..so that has to be taken care of..if my blood sugars are high the healing process takes longer..they where doing well until I got a cold that ended up becoming bronchitis which is now going into my 4th week..taking a steroid for that which jacks up the blood sugars..which again slows down the healing process..and the coughing makes the pain in my shoulder worse..so yeah..this has been a blast. So my advice to everyone having trouble sleeping..take it when you can get it. Watch a funny show. Laughter is the best medicine. If I didn't laugh i'd be crying all the time...Thanks for letting me vent
Nov 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		2nd surgery in 2 years first right now left
by: Lisa

Where to begin..hmm..let's see..how 'bout, AAAHHH!!
Sleep. What's that? Had my surgery Sept.24th 2010,6weeks today. Same day surgery, in by 630 am out by 11:30am. Yup. the pain i had after the block wore off and the taking percocet with advil and antinausea meds still ended me in the ER 630
am that saturday morning. Never in my life had I been in so much pain.I consider myself a tough cookie. I remembered that my first surgery was pretty painful but i had a painbuster the last time which helped control in a little better. It wasn't used this time..not sure why but percocet alone is not enough. On top of all this I'm a diabetic..41 years..got it at the age of 7..so that has to be taken care of..if my blood sugars are high the healing process takes longer..they where doing well until I got a cold that ended up becoming bronchitis which is now going into my 4th week..taking a steroid for that which jacks up the blood sugars..which again slows down the healing process..and the coughing makes the pain in my shoulder worse..so yeah..this has been a blast. So my advice to everyone having trouble sleeping..take it when you can get it. Watch a funny show. Laughter is the best medicine. If I didn't laugh i'd be crying all the time...Thanks for letting me vent
Nov 07, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Surgery tomorrow
by: jeano

I have been reading this post for about a month now since I made the decision to have a 2nd rotator cuff surgery on my R shoulder. I initially injuried that shoulder back in mid 70s- young female in my 20s. Back then the doc said heat and muscle relaxer. It improved and was ok for about 10 years - then the pain got worse and I went to many docs, PT, lots of advil, xrays etc while no one found what was wrong. Finally I read in our local paper that a sports medicine doc that had worked with the Chicago Cubs had started practice in our area. He sent me to a ortho surgeon who was sure I had a tear and did arthroscopic repair - 10/92 - as he found the tear in my subscapularis, which no other doc thought could be possible in a non athlete female. So that helped for years but jump forward to 2005. I have had R shoulder/neck/arm pain and it took 3 years to narrow it down to rotator cuff again. I have - according to the new shoulder orthopod - extensive partial tearing of supraspinatus, partial of the subscapularis and biceps tendon tear. I know alot more about it know but I am still aprehension about this. I know I will be off work for at least a month. This site has really helped me know what to ask the doc and how to better prepare. I will be back (when I feel good enough to key left handed) and report about tomorrow's surgery. I got a recliner after reading all these posts!!!
Nov 07, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Hairdresser needs tendon tear surgery
by: John

Any hairdressers out there needing this type of surgery? Wondering how long I should take off work? I thought two months should be good. Having surgery in a few months - got to plan for it in this type of business. Any advise would be appreciated.
Nov 08, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Reply to John Hairdresser
by: Anonymous

John, I work PT on hair and PT at another job. I had a very severe full tear on my left shoulder. some of my previous posts are mixed in here with the old ones from this spring and summer. I was able to do one client every other day at 2 months into recovery then one a day the next week and so forth increasing by judging my own pain and ability. Kept my arms low and elbows in. Don't push it and allow yourself to heal or things will not be good. I returned to my other job after a 6 month break and have to take it easy still with whatever I do. Don't want to damage it again, and it might not be 100% good still. Might never actually. Now I can tell I need the right side done but it is not as severe and urgent as the left was. I need a total knee replacement though next. It is more urgent.
I was kept in the hospital for 2 days because of pain management and no one at home to help me, and I highly recommend that as a previous poster said they also had problems after the block wore off. I had open surgery to properly fix the damage and wow the pain was extreme the first two days. Dilaudid was what worked for me. Then the second week I was weaned off and onto Tylenol 1000 MG day. Good luck! I will do it again as it was worth it. I have no regrets. It is wonderful to be able to lift that arm again.
Nov 09, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		help me
by: Judy

I had rtc sugery on April 23 2010, I am still in therapy. I can not lift me arm over my head due to the muscles will not contract. My rotator cuff was torn due to rep. motion not trauma. If anyone has any thoughts on this please respond.
Nov 12, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		to the last post still not being able to lift arm
by: Anonymous

Sorry to hear you can't lift your arm this far out from surgery. What does your surgeon say? Could it be the surgery failed, was done poorly, or did you have something that happened that could have caused it to tear again before it was healed? Was it an open or closed surgery? If closed could the doc possibly missed something that was needing repair? (a second area of damage)
I am about a month earlier than you but I can lift my arm. They do say to give it about a year to be fully healed and functional as it can be.
Nov 12, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		13 Weeks post-op
by: Bashful_Jane

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble, Judy. I had mini-open surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and grind down bone spurs on my dominant side 13 weeks ago today. I just completed 12 weeks of physical therapy 3x/week and have full range of motion with no pain. I have three weeks of PT left at 2x/week to further strengthen and stretch so I can reach as far up my back as my "good arm" can. If I were you, I'd consult with your doctor to ask his opinion about going to a different physical therapist. My therapist is very aggressive and pushed me to stretch beyond what I thought I could do. She also held me accountable to do home exercises every day as well. Painful, yes, but so necessary to regain full use of that shoulder and arm. I hope you find a solution quickly.
Nov 14, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Update from 10/12
by: Wally

OK, as a follow-up to my post from 10/12. I am now at 11 weeks. Been out of the sling for 4 weeks, and back to driving for 3. I also made it back to bed 3 weeks ago, and just in the last week I've started feeling good laying on my non-operated side. I've found myself in the morning a couple times laying on my operated-on side, and it didn't hurt a lot, but was stiff and needed loosened up.

Passive PT has gone well. I have 13 different motions I do 10X twice a day. My wife thought the wall stair crawl would get me, but I got my arm all the way to the top first try.There was a little pain, but I made it. And so far, outside of the first 2 nights after surgery, when they said to keep ahead of the pain, and I took 2 generic vicodin, I have not had to take any pain meds. I feel very fortunate after reading so many posts with tremendous pain involved.

This Wednesday I go back to the doctor, and then the strengthening PT will begin. Currently holding a hair dryer above my head is a slight challenge, but have seen progress in the last week.

The other issue I previously mentioned, the searing pain in my leg at times, has been minimized with some additional PT. As I figured, it most likely is a pinched nerve. My therapist has me doing a couple exercises that have seemed to help. One, I lay on my back, and raise my leg straight up, and pull it toward me while pressing my foot forward as much as possible. I hold my leg for 10 seconds, lower it, then repeat 5-10 times. The other exercise, my wife helps me for optimum effect. The goal is to lay on your back, and raise your leg back toward your chest, and try to press the leg as hard as you can into your chest. We do this one 6-7 times. And now, maybe only doing these a couple times a week, I may only notice a slight sensation from the nerve once or twice a week.

After my appoinmtment Wednesday, the doctor will most likely release me to return to work with a 5# lifting limit on my left arm. I'm actually taking the following week off as a vacation week to give it another week to heal and get some strengthening in.

Thanks to all who shared information. Our procedure is a very scary one, and just having information from those with experience can be a measuring stick (even if we can't do apples to apples exactly)to gauge progress.
Nov 23, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		RT Surgery 9 Weeks ago
by: Anonymous

I'm a 60 year old male and I had a 1" full thickness tear that was scoped 9 weeks ago. I had a tear and an open surgery on the same shoulder in 1990. I have been a regular weight lifter since my early 20's and I lifted weight up until 2 days before the surgery.
I started PT 4 weeks after the surgery. The PT said my range of motion was better than 95% of post op RT patients. I started lifting light weights at pt after 8 weeks. I saw the surgeon a few days ago and he told me not to lift any weights until the end of December. I'm happy with my progress.
My first 2 or 3 weeks after surgery was very difficult. Things do get better with time. I referred to this board pre and post op and want to contribute as others have. Thanks for all the insight. Hang in there everybody!
Nov 23, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		RT Surgery 9 Weeks ago
by: Anonymous

I'm a 60 year old male and I had a 1" full thickness tear that was scoped 9 weeks ago. I had a tear and an open surgery on the same shoulder in 1990. I have been a regular weight lifter since my early 20's and I lifted weight up until 2 days before the surgery.
I started PT 4 weeks after the surgery. The PT said my range of motion was better than 95% of post op RT patients. I started lifting light weights at pt after 8 weeks. I saw the surgeon a few days ago and he told me not to lift any weights until the end of December. I'm happy with my progress.
My first 2 or 3 weeks after surgery was very difficult. Things do get better with time. I referred to this board pre and post op and want to contribute as others have. Thanks for all the insight. Hang in there everybody!
Nov 23, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		RT Surgery 9 Weeks ago
by: Anonymous

I'm a 60 year old male and I had a 1" full thickness tear that was scoped 9 weeks ago. I had a tear and an open surgery on the same shoulder in 1990. I have been a regular weight lifter since my early 20's and I lifted weight up until 2 days before the surgery.
I started PT 4 weeks after the surgery. The PT said my range of motion was better than 95% of post op RT patients. I started lifting light weights at pt after 8 weeks. I saw the surgeon a few days ago and he told me not to lift any weights until the end of December. I'm happy with my progress.
My first 2 or 3 weeks after surgery was very difficult. Things do get better with time. I referred to this board pre and post op and want to contribute as others have. Thanks for all the insight. Hang in there everybody!
Nov 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstar 		surgery on nov 23, 2010
by: Anonymous

I had surgery this past tuesday on a torn muscle in my rotator cuff and after the first 4 days I must say I am surprised my arm doesnt feel bad. I admit the first 2 1/2 days were not nice, pain all the time, slept on my couch most of the time. I had a 24 hour post-op appointment the very next day and my doctor told me not wear my sling at all? Don't know if this is correct but this is what he told me. He also told me to start doing shoulder exercises. I will admit this advice made me nervous because when I broke my collar bone i had to wear the sling alot longer and i think it was trying to do too much that caused my tear (I still dont know how I got the tear). I will say that if you find out you have a tear dont suffer with pain like i did for over two years before having the surgery. I think I am lucky because my arm is just real sore now, not hard pain but pain/soreness that is tolerable. My only worry is that I have a job that requires my to lift up to 50lbs on a daily basis, I work for walgreens and we have two trucks a week with 500-900 pieces on it, so we are always lifting. Two years ago I took my DM my doctors note saying I wasnt supposed to lift nothing and his response was you cant work here and lift nothing, you need to find out how many pounds you can lift. Should I find another job???
Nov 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstar 		surgery on nov 23, 2010
by: Anonymous

I had surgery this past tuesday on a torn muscle in my rotator cuff and after the first 4 days I must say I am surprised my arm doesnt feel bad. I admit the first 2 1/2 days were not nice, pain all the time, slept on my couch most of the time. I had a 24 hour post-op appointment the very next day and my doctor told me not wear my sling at all? Don't know if this is correct but this is what he told me. He also told me to start doing shoulder exercises. I will admit this advice made me nervous because when I broke my collar bone i had to wear the sling alot longer and i think it was trying to do too much that caused my tear (I still dont know how I got the tear). I will say that if you find out you have a tear dont suffer with pain like i did for over two years before having the surgery. I think I am lucky because my arm is just real sore now, not hard pain but pain/soreness that is tolerable. My only worry is that I have a job that requires my to lift up to 50lbs on a daily basis, I work for walgreens and we have two trucks a week with 500-900 pieces on it, so we are always lifting. Two years ago I took my DM my doctors note saying I wasnt supposed to lift nothing and his response was you cant work here and lift nothing, you need to find out how many pounds you can lift. Should I find another job???
Nov 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstar 		surgery on nov 23, 2010
by: Anonymous

I had surgery this past tuesday on a torn muscle in my rotator cuff and after the first 4 days I must say I am surprised my arm doesnt feel bad. I admit the first 2 1/2 days were not nice, pain all the time, slept on my couch most of the time. I had a 24 hour post-op appointment the very next day and my doctor told me not wear my sling at all? Don't know if this is correct but this is what he told me. He also told me to start doing shoulder exercises. I will admit this advice made me nervous because when I broke my collar bone i had to wear the sling alot longer and i think it was trying to do too much that caused my tear (I still dont know how I got the tear). I will say that if you find out you have a tear dont suffer with pain like i did for over two years before having the surgery. I think I am lucky because my arm is just real sore now, not hard pain but pain/soreness that is tolerable. My only worry is that I have a job that requires my to lift up to 50lbs on a daily basis, I work for walgreens and we have two trucks a week with 500-900 pieces on it, so we are always lifting. Two years ago I took my DM my doctors note saying I wasnt supposed to lift nothing and his response was you cant work here and lift nothing, you need to find out how many pounds you can lift. Should I find another job???
Nov 28, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstar 		surgery on nov 23, 2010
by: Anonymous

I had surgery this past tuesday on a torn muscle in my rotator cuff and after the first 4 days I must say I am surprised my arm doesnt feel bad. I admit the first 2 1/2 days were not nice, pain all the time, slept on my couch most of the time. I had a 24 hour post-op appointment the very next day and my doctor told me not wear my sling at all? Don't know if this is correct but this is what he told me. He also told me to start doing shoulder exercises. I will admit this advice made me nervous because when I broke my collar bone i had to wear the sling alot longer and i think it was trying to do too much that caused my tear (I still dont know how I got the tear). I will say that if you find out you have a tear dont suffer with pain like i did for over two years before having the surgery. I think I am lucky because my arm is just real sore now, not hard pain but pain/soreness that is tolerable. My only worry is that I have a job that requires my to lift up to 50lbs on a daily basis, I work for walgreens and we have two trucks a week with 500-900 pieces on it, so we are always lifting. Two years ago I took my DM my doctors note saying I wasnt supposed to lift nothing and his response was you cant work here and lift nothing, you need to find out how many pounds you can lift. Should I find another job???
Dec 03, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		5 wks post op
by: Anonymous

Great site! Nice to know that I'm not alone. I had arthroscopic RC repair of supraspinatus tear Oct. 27. This was my second surgery on my left shoulder this year. I had a subacromial decomp. with distal clavicle excision July 12,2010. Long story short, I wasn't feeling any better after PT and told surgeon. He did an MRI arthrogram and found a full thickness tear so back to the OR I went. I was told I could stop wearing the sling during the day after 1 week but had to wear it at night or if I went out of the house. I was also told that I could drive as long as I wasn't taking any pain meds. I haven't started PT yet except for the stuff the surgeon told me to do. I go see surgeon today so I'm assuming I will get to start PT now. I have been "sleeping" in my bed the whole time (more like napping). I am still in pain. Mostly achiness with some sharp pain. Im scared to death of reinjuring this arm. I am almost out of FMLA time and was told that I HAVE to be back at work by the end of Dec. I work in the healthcare field so this should be interesting (and painful). We pretty much go nonstop all day so I'm pretty nervous. Good luck to all and happy healing.
Dec 03, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Kathy 2009
by: Anonymous

Kathy, if you were hurt at work and you're work was treating you that badly, I hope you had a good Worker's Comp lawyer. They're there for more than just a check. A good one will make sure you are taken care of throughout the process. Hope you are well.
Dec 03, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Kathy 2009
by: Anonymous

Kathy, if you were hurt at work and you're work was treating you that badly, I hope you had a good Worker's Comp lawyer. They're there for more than just a check. A good one will make sure you are taken care of throughout the process. Hope you are well.
Dec 03, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Kathy 2009
by: Anonymous

Kathy, if you were hurt at work and you're work was treating you that badly, I hope you had a good Worker's Comp lawyer. They're there for more than just a check. A good one will make sure you are taken care of throughout the process. Hope you are well.
Dec 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sling?
by: Anonymous

After my surgery I was in a sling for about 6 weeks. This was not just because of doctor's orders. I found that the sling reduced the dependance on my repaired RT. I wore it in bed as I slept on my non operated side. Wearing a sling when you go out is also advisable because it reduces the chances of people bumbing into you ect. All of the internet research sites I have looked at recommend using a sling for much longer than the 2 days the previous poster stated was his doctor's order. For me I knew when it was time to stop using it. Good luck.
Dec 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sling?
by: Anonymous

After my surgery I was in a sling for about 6 weeks. This was not just because of doctor's orders. I found that the sling reduced the dependance on my repaired RT. I wore it in bed as I slept on my non operated side. Wearing a sling when you go out is also advisable because it reduces the chances of people bumbing into you ect. All of the internet research sites I have looked at recommend using a sling for much longer than the 2 days the previous poster stated was his doctor's order. For me I knew when it was time to stop using it. Good luck.
Dec 04, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Sling?
by: Anonymous

After my surgery I was in a sling for about 6 weeks. This was not just because of doctor's orders. I found that the sling reduced the dependance on my repaired RT. I wore it in bed as I slept on my non operated side. Wearing a sling when you go out is also advisable because it reduces the chances of people bumbing into you ect. All of the internet research sites I have looked at recommend using a sling for much longer than the 2 days the previous poster stated was his doctor's order. For me I knew when it was time to stop using it. Good luck.
Dec 05, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Put your health first
by: Jacqui

Hey Guys

I got signed off on Tuesday as fit and healthy, great range of movement and operation 100% success. I'm nearly 6 months on and really proud of myself for the brilliant recovery I've made.

I did struggle for the first 6 weeks after the operation and stupidly went back to work two weeks after surgery because I wanted to honour a contract which I had worked hard on. Sleeping was a major struggle but I gritted my teeth and got through it. However, loyalty definately doesn't pay off because I got made redundant on the 22nd November.

Don't rush back to work if you don't have to because it's not easy for the first 6 weeks and in my case, my loyalty was misplaced. Put your health first. You may not have much to show on the outside if you've had keyhole surgery but remember there will have been a lot of cutting inside and you need to give it chance to heal.

Good luck with your recovery and think of me with my job hunting!

Jacqui
Dec 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		scar tissue
by: aparrently whinny

had small tear in right shoulder. surgery late july..I got to sit 4.5 weeks with my lovely foam block..almost gave it a proper burial once I could lose it. I started p.t. in 5th week. I am in my 13th week and NOT doing so good. I have been diagnosed with frozen shoulder. The p.t. is very painful. No one else there screams!!! I have went in the bathroom and vomited. So after reading this site, Im thinking maybe Im not the biggest baby afterall. So thanks for the info. My next step is 4 more weeks of pt, and then if no improvement- off to surgery for scar tissue removal. I hope that I can get back to normal soon...
Dec 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		scar tissue
by: aparrently whinny

had small tear in right shoulder. surgery late july..I got to sit 4.5 weeks with my lovely foam block..almost gave it a proper burial once I could lose it. I started p.t. in 5th week. I am in my 13th week and NOT doing so good. I have been diagnosed with frozen shoulder. The p.t. is very painful. No one else there screams!!! I have went in the bathroom and vomited. So after reading this site, Im thinking maybe Im not the biggest baby afterall. So thanks for the info. My next step is 4 more weeks of pt, and then if no improvement- off to surgery for scar tissue removal. I hope that I can get back to normal soon...
Dec 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		scar tissue
by: aparrently whinny

had small tear in right shoulder. surgery late july..I got to sit 4.5 weeks with my lovely foam block..almost gave it a proper burial once I could lose it. I started p.t. in 5th week. I am in my 13th week and NOT doing so good. I have been diagnosed with frozen shoulder. The p.t. is very painful. No one else there screams!!! I have went in the bathroom and vomited. So after reading this site, Im thinking maybe Im not the biggest baby afterall. So thanks for the info. My next step is 4 more weeks of pt, and then if no improvement- off to surgery for scar tissue removal. I hope that I can get back to normal soon...
Dec 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		scar tissue
by: aparrently whinny

had small tear in right shoulder. surgery late july..I got to sit 4.5 weeks with my lovely foam block..almost gave it a proper burial once I could lose it. I started p.t. in 5th week. I am in my 13th week and NOT doing so good. I have been diagnosed with frozen shoulder. The p.t. is very painful. No one else there screams!!! I have went in the bathroom and vomited. So after reading this site, Im thinking maybe Im not the biggest baby afterall. So thanks for the info. My next step is 4 more weeks of pt, and then if no improvement- off to surgery for scar tissue removal. I hope that I can get back to normal soon...
Dec 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		scar tissue
by: aparrently whinny

had small tear in right shoulder. surgery late july..I got to sit 4.5 weeks with my lovely foam block..almost gave it a proper burial once I could lose it. I started p.t. in 5th week. I am in my 13th week and NOT doing so good. I have been diagnosed with frozen shoulder. The p.t. is very painful. No one else there screams!!! I have went in the bathroom and vomited. So after reading this site, Im thinking maybe Im not the biggest baby afterall. So thanks for the info. My next step is 4 more weeks of pt, and then if no improvement- off to surgery for scar tissue removal. I hope that I can get back to normal soon...
Dec 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		scar tissue
by: aparrently whinny

had small tear in right shoulder. surgery late july..I got to sit 4.5 weeks with my lovely foam block..almost gave it a proper burial once I could lose it. I started p.t. in 5th week. I am in my 13th week and NOT doing so good. I have been diagnosed with frozen shoulder. The p.t. is very painful. No one else there screams!!! I have went in the bathroom and vomited. So after reading this site, Im thinking maybe Im not the biggest baby afterall. So thanks for the info. My next step is 4 more weeks of pt, and then if no improvement- off to surgery for scar tissue removal. I hope that I can get back to normal soon...
Dec 06, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		PLEASE submit your comment ONCE
by: Anonymous

You type the comment. At the bottom is the code word you prove you are not spam. Then just click the SUBMIT COMMENT BUTTON ONE TIME!
It will not show up for a while, that is normal.
Be patient it will be there.
No need to hit it over and over.
Dec 07, 2010