Posted: 3/5/2011 1:35:25 PM EDT
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Last year I took a spill on my road bike and suffered a grade 3 AC shoulder separation. I wasn't going to have it repaired but I continued to have pain in the shoulder. My Dr orders up an MRI and in addition to the separation i have a rotator cuff tear as well.
I am scheduled for surgery on Tuesday to fix both issues...Has anyone had the AC surgery and what can I expect? |
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Had rotator cuff surgery on my R/H shoulder two times nine years apart.
Not sure about your surgery but physical therapy was a major part of recovery in my case. I package of cheap frozen peas or corn or one of those gel freeze packs will probably be your friend. |
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I have replied to many of these threads.
It all depends upon HOW they fix the tear. IIRC there is arthro/laproscopy, a mini-open and a full open. After I was attacked by 2 rottweilers and they came back for seconds, I "supermanned" a fence. I separated my Rt. shoulder and had a full thickness tear. MRI confirmed full tear. I had the full open surgery and, I hate to tell you, it was the most horrible experience of my life. I had my hip replaced a couple of years after that and that surgery was like stubbing my toe compared to full open shoulder recovery. Pain meds did NOTHING! Honestly, I was suicidal from the pain. Here's some advice from someone whose been there. Dont let them discharge you from the hospital for a few days. They can give you meds there that actually work. At a minimum get a PDA or pain pump. Buy 10 bags of frozen peas. Cold will be your best friend over the week that follows. BUY the ice cooler/shoulder cuff thing that pumps ice water to your shoulder. Google should find it, If you have a mini-open or arthroscopy procedure you will be 100X better off than I was. I hope this is your procedure. Do what the PT says. It's 3 phase. 1) break up scar tissue 2)Range of motion 3) regain strength. Range of motion lasted 14 days for me and I cursed the therapist every time he came near me. I wanted to kill him. Remember ice is your friend. Other than the first week after surgery and the range of motion exercises it was easy... 
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What Zoomer said.
Shoulder surgery hurts like hell, especially if it is open. If it were me... 1. I would get an InterScalene Block (the anesthesiologist or CRNA will do this. If they say they don't do them, get someone else) 2. General Anesthesia 3. ICE!!!!! They now have these shoulder wraps that are connected to a cooler and it circulates cold water through the wrap. Good luck. |
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I have a partial rotator cuff tear and that will be done arthroscopic. The separation surgery will be open. They did tell me that they would do a block and they are keeping me overnight in order to manage the pain.
I t don't know about the surgeries pain, but the separation was the most pain i have ever experienced. I expect this to be the same. Morphine and dilaudid didn't help a whole lot. |
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I've had an arthroscopic Grade 2 SLAP repair and an open biceps tenodesis. Hurt pretty bad after the block wears off. Took me about a year after each until somewhat back to normal.
I am an anesthesiologist and if you were my patient, I'd place an interscalene catheter and send you home with an On-Q pain ball. |
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Quoted:
I've had an arthroscopic Grade 2 SLAP repair and an open biceps tenodesis. Hurt pretty bad after the block wears off. Took me about a year after each until somewhat back to normal. I am an anesthesiologist and if you were my patient, I'd place an interscalene catheter and send you home with an On-Q pain ball. Can I request this? The pain ball that is |
| OP, Not to hijack the thread but I also have a shoulder injury. It happened about 16 years ago and have been to the hospitol many time to get it popped back in. I has probably popped out over 30 times but, not in the last 8 years. When the doctor examined it more closely he said I would have to have a prostetic rotator cuff put in if that sounds right. I damaged it quite bad since it has popped out so much. My question is do you happen to know how much the surgery is going to cost you? I would like to get it fixed sooner that later but, want to know a ball park of $$ im looking at spending!! Any info would be great! Good luck on your surgery, just remember to do PT as recomended by the doctor since that is why I still have my injury. I did not listen and I still have the problem! |
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First, where does it hurt? I thought I had strained my shoulder in a mosh pit at a Sevendust show (yeah, I'm a little old for that) back in Sept. Well, it hasn't stopped hurting. When I extend the arm, there is a shooting pain in the front of the joint. It wakes me up 3 or 4 times a week.
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Sounds like my right shoulder. I've always had a loose ligament and could roll the ball out of the socket. It would gross out my friends in elementary school. School sports was a different story. I dislocated it every single football game from 7th grade through the 12th. I even dislocated it once raising my hand in class. The 20+ years since high school has been better but I'll still accidentally knock it out of place a few times a year. I've become an expert at rotating my arm a certain way to allow the ball of the bone to move back into the socket. Is this fixable? Is it like the torture described above? I can live with it then. Heck, I can live with my left shoulder issue as well if repairing them is that painful.
OP, Not to hijack the thread but I also have a shoulder injury. It happened about 16 years ago and have been to the hospitol many time to get it popped back in. I has probably popped out over 30 times but, not in the last 8 years. When the doctor examined it more closely he said I would have to have a prostetic rotator cuff put in if that sounds right. I damaged it quite bad since it has popped out so much. My question is do you happen to know how much the surgery is going to cost you? I would like to get it fixed sooner that later but, want to know a ball park of $$ im looking at spending!! Any info would be great! Good luck on your surgery, just remember to do PT as recomended by the doctor since that is why I still have my injury. I did not listen and I still have the problem! |
I just saw this today  ;
Cop dies after shoulder surgery All surgeries have risks. Good luck with yours. |
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You'll never be the same. I have not been the same since i wiped out.... I have had a lot of friends who had surgery and were not impressed with the results. I have been putting off surgery for roughly a dozen years for a separation on one side and rotator cuff on the other. As another poster said, therapy was the bigger issue in recovery, as it has been in mine. So, I don't have a big neck and shoulders from doing lots of shrugs and other shoulder-specific work. At least I didn't get cut on for nothing. Only you know whether you stand to benefit from cutting after therapy, but I would warn about jumping to the orthopedic surgeon before doing a good deal of physical therapy. |
| The Surgery is more painful then the injury for a while is what I am told. I have a 3rd degree separation in my right shoulder from skiing 94 and think about getting it fixed everyday. 8 to 12 weeks out of work at best....... I cannot afford that kind of down time. Good Luck |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I've had an arthroscopic Grade 2 SLAP repair and an open biceps tenodesis. Hurt pretty bad after the block wears off. Took me about a year after each until somewhat back to normal. I am an anesthesiologist and if you were my patient, I'd place an interscalene catheter and send you home with an On-Q pain ball. Can I request this? The pain ball that is You can ask, but a lot of folks don't have the skills or equipment to do it. Another choice would be a single shot interscalene block with a dilaudid PCA for the first night. Then transition to Percocet or Vicodin. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I've had an arthroscopic Grade 2 SLAP repair and an open biceps tenodesis. Hurt pretty bad after the block wears off. Took me about a year after each until somewhat back to normal. I am an anesthesiologist and if you were my patient, I'd place an interscalene catheter and send you home with an On-Q pain ball. Can I request this? The pain ball that is You can ask, but a lot of folks don't have the skills or equipment to do it. Another choice would be a single shot interscalene block with a dilaudid PCA for the first night. Then transition to Percocet or Vicodin. I am staying overnight at the hospital and the surgeon did mention a block. He also gave me a scrip for Percocet for pain. |
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Quoted:
OP, Not to hijack the thread but I also have a shoulder injury. It happened about 16 years ago and have been to the hospitol many time to get it popped back in. I has probably popped out over 30 times but, not in the last 8 years. When the doctor examined it more closely he said I would have to have a prostetic rotator cuff put in if that sounds right. I damaged it quite bad since it has popped out so much. My question is do you happen to know how much the surgery is going to cost you? I would like to get it fixed sooner that later but, want to know a ball park of $$ im looking at spending!! Any info would be great! Good luck on your surgery, just remember to do PT as recomended by the doctor since that is why I still have my injury. I did not listen and I still have the problem! I have no idea of the cost as I have health coverage |
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The Surgery is more painful then the injury for a while is what I am told. I have a 3rd degree separation in my right shoulder from skiing 94 and think about getting it fixed everyday. 8 to 12 weeks out of work at best....... I cannot afford that kind of down time. Good Luck I am a Project Manager in construction so I don't do anything physical anymore. Doc told me 6 weeks in a sling and 4 months of rehab. |
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There is a big full shoulder front and back strap on ice thingamijig that you put in your freezer. It will do wonders for the post op shoulder without all the dripping water that screws up your wound and stitches. Get one or two. Cold is better for the pain than the pills. Pills will stop you up and getting off Percocet is no fun. |
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The Surgery is more painful then the injury for a while is what I am told. I have a 3rd degree separation in my right shoulder from skiing 94 and think about getting it fixed everyday. 8 to 12 weeks out of work at best....... I cannot afford that kind of down time. Good Luck The injury was the worst pain i ever experienced |
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Quoted:
I've had an arthroscopic Grade 2 SLAP repair and an open biceps tenodesis. Hurt pretty bad after the block wears off. Took me about a year after each until somewhat back to normal. I am an anesthesiologist and if you were my patient, I'd place an interscalene catheter and send you home with an On-Q pain ball. That's a good idea. |
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well i had it done tuesday and was in quite a bit of pain. it is less today
the block didnt fully work and i was in the o room and my surgeon was tapping my shoulder asking if i could feel it. told him yea then i was out. woke up in post op and they asked if i was in pain and told them extreme. hit me with dilaudid after that. tuesday night was pretty rough and the percs were not doing it for me. they hit me with demerol which allowed me to get some sleep. dr told my wife damage was more than expected but he repaired the grade 3 separation and rc tear. |
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What Zoomer said. Shoulder surgery hurts like hell, especially if it is open. If it were me... 1. I would get an InterScalene Block (the anesthesiologist or CRNA will do this. If they say they don't do them, get someone else) 2. General Anesthesia 3. ICE!!!!! They now have these shoulder wraps that are connected to a cooler and it circulates cold water through the wrap. Good luck. i have the ice cooler and it works pretty good. |
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Quoted:
What Zoomer said. Shoulder surgery hurts like hell, especially if it is open. If it were me... 1. I would get an InterScalene Block (the anesthesiologist or CRNA will do this. If they say they don't do them, get someone else) 2. General Anesthesia 3. ICE!!!!! They now have these shoulder wraps that are connected to a cooler and it circulates cold water through the wrap. Good luck. +2 here ... Worst pain I've ever experienced. Tore mine throwing BP. I've got the full 5" scar and had the bone "shaved" (dremeled). Woke up at 3:30 p.m. Made it home by 4:30. Popped the first pain pill at 5:30 p.m. Spent the entire night awake and MISERABLE from the pain. Rotated bags of frozen Publix peas every 1/2 hour. Took pain pills every 6 hours. Wife woke up at 4:00 a.m. to me pouring a triple jack & coke with a Hydrocodone in hand. She splashed my jack & ordered me to double up the pills. By 8:00 a.m., she was BITCHIN' out the surgeon. The pills I started taking at 10:00 a.m. dulled the pain. Finally fell asleep at noon. Slept in a recliner for three nights. Friggin' torture. On the bright side, can throw BP w/o pain. |
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I have replied to many of these threads. It all depends upon HOW they fix the tear. IIRC there is arthro/laproscopy, a mini-open and a full open. After I was attacked by 2 rottweilers and they came back for seconds, I "supermanned" a fence. I separated my Rt. shoulder and had a full thickness tear. MRI confirmed full tear. I had the full open surgery and, I hate to tell you, it was the most horrible experience of my life. I had my hip replaced a couple of years after that and that surgery was like stubbing my toe compared to full open shoulder recovery. Pain meds did NOTHING! Honestly, I was suicidal from the pain. Here's some advice from someone whose been there. Dont let them discharge you from the hospital for a few days. They can give you meds there that actually work. At a minimum get a PDA or pain pump. Buy 10 bags of frozen peas. Cold will be your best friend over the week that follows. BUY the ice cooler/shoulder cuff thing that pumps ice water to your shoulder. Google should find it, If you have a mini-open or arthroscopy procedure you will be 100X better off than I was. I hope this is your procedure. Do what the PT says. It's 3 phase. 1) break up scar tissue 2)Range of motion 3) regain strength. Range of motion lasted 14 days for me and I cursed the therapist every time he came near me. I wanted to kill him. Remember ice is your friend. Other than the first week after surgery and the range of motion exercises it was easy... Zoom, the RC Tear was done arthroscopically but the AC separation was open and the DR did a 4" incision to fix it up. Pain was killer as you noted for the first night. Percocets are worthless. |