healing
Last Thursday, 6/10/10, I had surgery on my shoulder. I know I just had it this past February, but I wasn't doing any better and got another opinion over at UVA. The surgery went well and took about 2-2.5 hrs to finish. The doctors did find a rotator cuff tear and some bicep muscle frays which they repaired. I was glad they were able to find out what was wrong and why I wasn't feeling any pain relief after my first surgery. What I kept questioning was how could my first doctor not see / repair my cuff tear and see / repair my bicep frays. It was a painful 5 mo after surgery and even though I'm in post-operative pain, I am glad to know the doctors were able to repair what needed to be repaired.
Like last time, I requested a nerve block. So I couldn't control my arm/fingers for a good 12-24 hours. It was numb. The difference was that the anesthesiologist offered to put in a temporary port that delivers lose doses of pain medication/nerve block for 48 hours. So I decided to accept the offer. I was able to go home the same day of the surgery and still go home with the catheter port in my neck. I was awake when they put the port in, and it was pretty painful..imagine having a needle stuck into your neck! OUCHIE! But it was well worth the two days of "no pain"..I mean I had some on the backside of my neck/shoulder but it was controlled well with just Tylenol. After the 48 hrs (Saturday morning), mom helped untape all the tubings and stuff and help pull the port out which itself didn't hurt. I was surprised on how small the catheter tubing was. I wish I were able to have it longer though, but the doctor explained to me they are afraid to do it longer than 48 hrs in fear of developing infection or other such complications. I noticed a BIG difference after the numbing/nerve block ran out because I began to feel a lot of pain.
Pain now is still somewhat rough. I need to be on a pain management schedule because I noticed if I don't take it w/in the 4-6 hr time frame, my pain would spike so high that the meds wouldn't work; so the nurse suggested me to take the meds every 4 hrs whether I feel pain or not just so that i can be controlled. I sleep okay during the night but wake up at times with pain, especially in the mornings. I haven't really slept in as many would think I would. I'm usually up by 7:30 or 8:30 due to my pain; so when I get up for pain meds, I usually just stay up and awake.
Overall, I'm doing okay other than pain. I go back to the doctor on Monday 6/21 for my post op and also going for a Brain MRI (nothing to do w/ my shoulder issues....it just happened to be on the same day). I'm thinking I might be referred to PT as well. People have asked if I was up for visitors and that is fine. In fact, today a friend and her baby boy came by for a visit and it was nice to be able to socialize with people! It doesn't wear me out too much; it also depends on when I took my pain meds as well!
Thanks to all of you who have kept me in their thoughts and prayers. I will continue to keep everyone updated.
Like last time, I requested a nerve block. So I couldn't control my arm/fingers for a good 12-24 hours. It was numb. The difference was that the anesthesiologist offered to put in a temporary port that delivers lose doses of pain medication/nerve block for 48 hours. So I decided to accept the offer. I was able to go home the same day of the surgery and still go home with the catheter port in my neck. I was awake when they put the port in, and it was pretty painful..imagine having a needle stuck into your neck! OUCHIE! But it was well worth the two days of "no pain"..I mean I had some on the backside of my neck/shoulder but it was controlled well with just Tylenol. After the 48 hrs (Saturday morning), mom helped untape all the tubings and stuff and help pull the port out which itself didn't hurt. I was surprised on how small the catheter tubing was. I wish I were able to have it longer though, but the doctor explained to me they are afraid to do it longer than 48 hrs in fear of developing infection or other such complications. I noticed a BIG difference after the numbing/nerve block ran out because I began to feel a lot of pain.
Pain now is still somewhat rough. I need to be on a pain management schedule because I noticed if I don't take it w/in the 4-6 hr time frame, my pain would spike so high that the meds wouldn't work; so the nurse suggested me to take the meds every 4 hrs whether I feel pain or not just so that i can be controlled. I sleep okay during the night but wake up at times with pain, especially in the mornings. I haven't really slept in as many would think I would. I'm usually up by 7:30 or 8:30 due to my pain; so when I get up for pain meds, I usually just stay up and awake.
Overall, I'm doing okay other than pain. I go back to the doctor on Monday 6/21 for my post op and also going for a Brain MRI (nothing to do w/ my shoulder issues....it just happened to be on the same day). I'm thinking I might be referred to PT as well. People have asked if I was up for visitors and that is fine. In fact, today a friend and her baby boy came by for a visit and it was nice to be able to socialize with people! It doesn't wear me out too much; it also depends on when I took my pain meds as well!
Thanks to all of you who have kept me in their thoughts and prayers. I will continue to keep everyone updated.
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