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Right Shoulder Surgery: One Year Later

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Night Wing:
Looks like this forum could you use a little love topic wise.

Just over a little over a year ago on Mar 29th (Wednesday), 2017; I had my right shoulder operated on to remove a very large bone spur which cut 90% through my rotator cuff in my AC joint. The operation was out patient and it only took 45 minutes from start to finish.

If anyone has to have a shoulder operation of this type, if they offer you a nerve block, take it! If they don't offer you a nerve block, request it. When I got home later that morning; my right shoulder, right arm, right hand and fingers were "numb". I had trouble gripping anything since I kept dropping things with my right hand.

The nerve block is supposed to last 24 hours. In my case, it started to wear off after 21 hours. I could feel my pain level in the right shoulder increasing. Two hours later, I took two hydrocodone tablets. Four hours later after that, I took two more hydrocodone tablets. My prescription from my orthopedic surgeon was for 90 tablets. In the end, I only took 16 of those tablets.

The first four days is the absolute worst for this type of operation. My first night after my procedure, I had to sleep with a sling on and that was the only time I slept with a sling. If my rotator would have been entirely cut through, I would have had to wear a fixed sling which would have immobilized my shoulder for "2 months" so I dodged a bullet.

Two days later after my procedure (Friday Mar 31st), I went to physical therapy. I had a very good physical therapist and she and I got along real well. The first thing we discussed, what was my goal? I told her my goal was to get back on my sup board. She told me, since my surgeon had told her, it would take one year for my shoulder to heal since I was double stitched inside the shoulder. And there was no way to speed up time. In order to be totally pain free without any complications, after my one month of physical therapy with her, I would have to do the same exercises at my home for the next 11 months and I have.

She also reminded me that I had 12 sessions with her and those session were to be one hour long sessions, but if I wanted to come early, I could get an extra 30 minutes on my own without her since she was helping someone else out who had a knee replacement. My sessions were 3 times a week for 4 weeks (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays).

The only restriction I had was to stay off of, at that time, my Hammer since they didn't  want me to take the chance of me somehow falling on my shoulder on my board if I took my board for a flat water paddle. Ditto for sup surfing because if a wave came crashing down on my shoulder, since the shoulder was "fragile", it would damage those stitches internally. This was the hardest part to accept.

But I must admit, I did cheat "one time". While I was off the water, during the summer of 2017, I was searching for streaming webcams for Lake Conroe. I was lucky and found one at the Palms Marina on a Saturday afternoon.

http://www.lakeconroewebcams.com/palms-marina-webcam/

I went early Sunday morning with my wife to check this spot out. This was when I met two women who were coming back from an early flat water paddling session on the lake. One of the women was paddling her Starboard 11'2" x 30" Blend. Naturally, I enquired about her board. To make matters short, she asked me if I would like to demo her board. Since I was in wearing a t-short, shorts, socks and shoes, I took her up on her offer. I paddled around the marina's covered slips for about 20 minutes.

Since I was going to get a longer sup than my 8'11" Hammer and I was looking at a custom 10'6" Hammer, this short demo ride is what made me switch from a custom 10'6" x 30" Hammer to consider a custom 11'1" x 30" One World and which I now have in my garage.

Getting back on track. My surgeon told me most people who have this type of procedure, they only do about 4-6 months of their shoulder exercises at home and then they stop. They stop because their pain levels go way down and there is more of a discomfort in their shoulder. They think doing the shoulder exercise is not needed anymore since time will do the rest of the healing without doing any more shoulder exercises.

When they do this, the nagging discomfort in their shoulder does not go away because the tendons inside their shoulder still need to be stretched out. If the tendons aren't stretched out properly, the tendons take a set and they'll always have from that time forward, a nagging discomfort in the repaired shoulder.

In conclusion, if anyone has a procedure to repair a partially torn (which I had) or a totally torn through rotator, if your surgeon wants you to do your shoulder exercises for a whatever length of time, do all of the time and don't slack off. Your repaired shoulder will thank you in the end.

burchas:
Good info! Thanks for sharing.

So, are you all healed up now? Are we going to see a tanker surfing video of you anytime soon? ;)

surfcowboy:
Yo man, great to hear you are doing well. Exercise and stretching are the key. I've upped mine in recent months and feel way better.

I've been out for a month due to crappy weather and it's actually been good for me. I always joke about this time of year that it's the only time I really get things done. So I hope you made the most of the time off as well.

Enjoy the summer and yeah, let's see some tanker surfing from you. That 11' is perfect for that.

Night Wing:

--- Quote from: burchas on April 01, 2018, 10:18:54 AM ---Good info! Thanks for sharing.

So, are you all healed up now? Are we going to see a tanker surfing video of you anytime soon? ;)
--- End quote ---

I'm all healed up now. My first two flat water sessions went very well and for my mindset, it felt great to be back on the water after 17 months in self imposed dry dock. Like being re-acquainted with an old friend.

I want to try a little tanker surfing. It would have to be with an incoming ship in the Galveston Ship Channel. I can park at the base of the North Jetty on the Bolivar Peninsula, paddle out from there and wait for an incoming ship and if I'm lucky, sup surf the bow wave back to my launching point.

The video won't be forth coming though. I don't have any type of equipment to make a video.

gone_foiling:
Glad you are doing well. Shoulders are the worst to heal. Had my right one bothering me for the last 6 months.

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