Anyone had a full shoulder replacement surgery?

[Graybeard]

I'm going in on November 3 for a full shoulder replacement on left shoulder. I've looked at some images online about it and decided I best not look anymore, I might back out. Heck I've already almost backed out several times just thinking about it.

I think he's gonna make a 3" to 4" incision in the shoulder then take a chainsaw, OK maybe just a bone saw, to lob off the end of the upper arm bone. He will then insert a metal rod down into the arm bone with the new ball on it.

I'm totally unclear on how he will deal with the socket part of the ball and socket shoulder joint. By the time I heard about lopping off the end of arm bone and ramming a rod down the bone I stopped asking questions.

My next door neighbor had this operation well over a year ago and she is still trying to recover. He told me not to expect improvement in arm motion and that in fact I likely will have less. Main reason to do this he said is pain reduction. I sure need that desperately.

As I understand it I'll be in a sling perhaps as much as 6 weeks and once that's gone there will be twice a week therapy sessions for 3 months.

So have any of you gone thru this? If so how did yours turn out. Even second hand stories of folks ya know who've had it if you haven't would be helpful.

[Dee]

Bill I've torn the rotator cuff on both shoulders, and torn the bicep muscle loose on both arms. They hurt all the time, but I ain't gonna let'em operate.
I've got several friends that had the surgery to fix my problems and they all said if they had it to do over again, they wouldn't.
I guess you just have to determine whether you'll be better off afterwards.
I had three friends get knee replacement, but several years later they caught curable forms of cancer. The kemo drove their immune systems down, and their bodies started rejecting their knee replacements.

They all three died of infection from the knees. Something to think about.

I've been told I need total knee replacement in both knees, but given the experience of my 3 friends, I'll just continue to hurt, and limp.

I'm sure this helped your anxiety so your back to "will you be better off"?

[Ranger99]

Have to agree with this ^ ^ ^
I've known several people that
had replacement this and that
and everything is dandy at first
but each had different complications.
Last doctor told me I have nerve
damage in the one shoulder that
hurts and makes one or more
fingers numb on occasions 
As long as I can get up out of
bed and walk and take care of
my own bathroom chores I'll
not be going to the hospital
again.  It's a bad place to be

[mcbammer]

       You sound like myself ,when the Doc told me I needed  hip replacement surgery ,I kept putting it off hopping around like Chester on Gunsmoke . Until the pain got so bad I wouldnt have cared if they had amputated it . I still cant bend over to tie my shoes but the pain is gone, now going on 25 years since my  surgery . Those type surgeries have  advanced  tremendously since then . A  3'' incision is nothing compared to the 12'' slice they made down the outside of my thigh .

[Casull]

No shoulder replacement, but had a hip replacement two years ago.  I would think it is similar (new ball inserted on end of bone).  Based on my experience, I'd say get it done.  I feel good now.

[oldandslow]

My two cents: My son, now 62 years old, just had a full shoulder replacement. At 75 I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder and 8 months later on the left. My son's surgeon told him there was much less pain  with a complete shoulder replacement than with rotator cuff repair, only around 30% as much, although rehab would be just a long. My doctor told me rotator cuff surgery is about the most painful surgery you can have and I certainly won't argue with that. It hurts like blue blazes with it wakes up and is terribly position sensitive. My son was driving to town after two weeks and I was setting in the passenger seat trying to get my stack of pillows under my arm just right at two weeks. I went to rehab 3 times a week for three months and it was a stone bitch. He is doing the same but driving himself and running a 54" riding mower between appointments compared to me just sitting trying to find a comfortable position for my arm until the third month. In fact he rode his Harley this week, not very far, but certainly more than I could have done at the same point in time. One of the tricks is having good therapists and doing exactly what they tell you. I now have 100% movement back in both shoulders with no pain but the jury is still out on him although the doctor did tell him he would lose a little range of motion. His scar is about 6" long and extended down into his armpit. He said wearing shirts with sleeves was difficult for about 4 weeks because of rubbing on the tender scar.

As to knees my wife had a full knee replacement around 18 years ago. Other than the new knee not bending quite as far as the original she has no pain and has had no problem with it. Pick someone that knows what they are doing for the surgery and people that are good at Pain & Torture and you should do just fine. Modern medicine is progressing at an amazing rate.

Ps: If it's your strong side shoulder you are going to get a surprise in the bathroom and about when you learn to use your off hand reasonably well you will have no need to. 

[TrumpWon]

The replacement parts are metal and plastic. Because they’re not organic it’s hard for the body to kill bacteria on them. Gotta watch infections. I have to take a penicillin like drug every time I go to the dentist.
That being said, two knees and a hip and I’m very happy I had them done.

[Graybeard]

I had the rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder done several years ago. Pain was minimal really, I didn't even take any of the pain med they sent me home with. I think it was at 3 weeks he removed the staples and another week or so before I started therapy. I had little pain during therapy either. In fact I was quite surprised how little pain the entire process produced.

Dan, I figure I only need the new parts to last around 10 years or so. I don't really expect to be around any longer than that. I don't think this old body has more than that left in it. Besides that's about how long I understand ya have after a CLL Leukemia diagnosis which I also have.

At this point I've tolerated this level of shoulder pain about as long as I can. Kinda like the old Jerry Clower thing about shooting up here among us, one of us has to have some relief.

Oldandslow, I had that experience back when I had the right (strong side) shoulder done. I can't do anything with the left hand really and yup wiping yer butt with the wrong hand is an experience you have to have to understand.

At least this time the good side will be OK and hopefully recovery won't be too much worse than when I had the rotator cuff done.

My neighbor lady who had this same surgery but by some other doctor says she'd sure not do it again. Hers went badly but then she didn't have a proper surgeon doing it. The doctor who will be doing mine is about the best this area has.

TM7, I'm no where near the places on the map in your link. I'm not traveling for this and am committed to the surgery on the 3rd of next month.

Good, bad or indifferent I'm doing it.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive had 4 joint replacements. The only thing good on me are my shoulders. Dad had a knee and shoulder done and said the shoulder was easier but then he still had problems with it and pain right up till he died last year. He said it wasnt as bad as before the surgery though. Man im sure sorry about the Leukemia Bill. You will get some prayers this sunday in church! Matter of fact one right now.

[Dee]

Well Bill I wish luck, sounds like you don't have a lot of options.

[ironglow]

  It was about 20 years ago, when an orthopedist doctor told me I was a good candidate for shoulder replacement.  I asked him how that would affect my blacksmithing ..he said there "would be no blacksmithing".

  So, I told him there would be on shoulder replacement !  Were it not for my smithing, I may have opted for the surgery.
  Well, I still have the pain and stiffness, but figure it is too late to bother with any surgery now.  I do regular exercises for it.

  That thing TM suggested could be an answer for me perhaps, but I don't know of any nearby clinics for that.

  The surgery the orthopedist i spoke to, entails reversing the shoulder.  The replacement parts would have the cup on the arm and
  the ball on the shoulder...supposed to last longer.
 

[oldandslow]

A note on what you can do now after shoulder replacement. My son asked this question and the surgeon told him he would be able to do anything he wanted after a few months except lift something heavy over his head. In my book that is a small price to pay for going from a shoulder that hurts all the time and is pretty much useless to one that doesn't hurt and only has a limit for overhead work. His is 100% on the VA and they gave him a choice of doctors. He looked at ratings from patients and chose the one with the best. I don't know the material options now but his is titanium which doesn't hold infections.