Wife planted our garden

[charles p]

I have a fully torn rotator cuff - surgery is Wednesday.  Can't do anything with my left arm.  Yesterday the wife cranked the tiller and tilled the garden.  She made rows, knocked them off, fertlized, and planted all our cool weather plants.  She even mulched with wheat straw.  I stood on the sideline watched.  Almost killed me.  Never wanted to play in the dirt so bad in my life.  She didn't do everything the way I would have, but it got done and will work just fine.  

Now I'll have to hear about it for all year, especially if we get a good yield.  Maybe she will make a habit of this - not.

[bearmgc]

Well bless her, she got it done. Hope all goes well with your surgery and you'll be back playing with dirt. Nothing feels so peaceful to me as working in the garden.

[longwinters]

Got the beginnings of rotator cuff problems myself.  I'm thinkin too much bow shooting over the past 30+ years.  I'd hate to think of how many thousands of arrows I have shot....enjoyed each one of them.

We are still chipping ice and will probably get at least another blizzard or two.  Someday I gotta move further south so I can start gardening a couple months earlier.

Nice that your wife would get in there and get it done.  I have no doubts it was tough not getting your hands in there yourself.  Good luck with your surgery.  Hope you heal up quick.

Long

[torpedoman]

yea i'm recovering from bypass and  really limited (as in do NOTHING) and friends come over and do anything that needs done and it is a killer to have to watch and not even be able to help. 6weeks down and another 6 to go and the doc says don't mess up now or we have to redo it and you get to start all over.

[charles p]

Don't know what happened to my shoulder(s).  I'm 63.  This will be my second repair on the left side and had one done on the right as well.  All three were fully torn.  I think spurs might be causing my problems.

[DalesCarpentry]

Lucky you for having such a great wife. I can't even get her or my daughter to pull weeds. Dale

[FourBee]

At 63 don't expect to jump right back to gardening to soon.   Your wife may have to finish this year out now that she's started it.  I've seen bone spurs do that to young men.  Hope your surgery goes well.
4B

[charles p]

The surgeon showed me pictures he took with the camera before he had to open me up for repairs.  Two pictures show a piece of white braided cord.  He said they were old stitches that tore loose from the tendon, splitting it the long way.  My last surgery on that shoulder was eight years ago.  The stitch could have recently pulled out during the MRI when I had to lay in a very painful position for 55 minutes.  Felt like my arm was being torn on the inside and shoulder was much worse following the MRI.  If it didn't come loose then, it probably happened during therapy eight years ago, in what I call "twist and shout".  Got first therapy tomorrow.  Eight weeks of "twist and shout" coming up.

Ain't much fun being all worn out in the joints.  Spent two nights in the hospital this time.  Received morphine for pain - to no avail.  They let me come home once I could pass water without a tube.  

GB, aren't you in line for some good ole shoulder surgery yourself?

[Graybeard]

GB, aren't you in line for some good ole shoulder surgery yourself?

Not as long as I can avoid it. It is badly needed but for now I'm still hoping the shoulders hold out as long as I do even if I stay in pain. I'm just not willing to endure what follows the surgery and take that much time out of my life at this stage of life.

I know I have a partial tear on left and the right hasn't been looked at to the degree that will tell on it. Until the partial tear I thought the right one was the bad one. Now I know it is bad but the left is worse.

[jager]

Charles, good luck on your surgery! Like you, I had no choice but surgery after a massive tear caused while lifting a hospital patient onto a stretcher.  Even though I did follow-up physical therapy to the letter, I could only get to 75% extension and had to have it "manipulated" (ouch and more ouch!!!). It took me a full 9 months before I had 95% extension. A friend of mine had both Rotators done within the same year and recovered in a much shorter time, so it really depends on a lot of factors and not just age. (I had a displaced shoulder that had to be pinned, a "spur" impinging on a muscle, and a lot of scar tissue that had to be removed; whereas, my friend did not on either shoulder.)
   My right shoulder has recently started to give me trouble, but like GB (wise man indeed!) it will be a cold day in the "hot place" before I visit another surgeon for that problem. One good thing that came out of my accident, was the Fish and Game department game me a "wavier" to hunt during bow season with a crossbow if I so choose.
   "Kudos" to your wife for pitching in with the gardening chores! Best regards!

[nodlenor]

I've had both shoulders and one elbow operated on and am not sorry I had it done but don't want to go through it again. My only problem is that I tried to do some things too soon after my left shoulder was worked on, therefore I still have some pain, but not enough to go through it again. Don't make that mistake! Give yourself 9 months to a year before doing any strenuous work. Good luck, I hope your surgery goes as well as mine, just behave yourself afterward, unlike me. Good luck with the garden also. I'm looking forward to getting back in mine as soon as it warms enough and dries up.