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maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 28, 2008 - 01:11pm PT
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Hi all, I'm back. I took your advice and I did a consult with the doctor of doctors, ElAttrache, who took one look at me and casually said, "Given your history, I think we should fix it." Curses to the doctors of SLO town.
Apparently I have a labrum torn and i have a structural anomaly in which I have one very strong tendon holding it on instead of three smaller ones. Tear that one and . . . adios muchachos. And I am such a toughie I just assumed I was being a baby.
Seems really stupid that I waited five years assuming that I was just weak or out of balance or a wussy or whatever. After doing physical therapy with the referring doctor assuming i was just weak, it's worse now that ever - can't ride a bike, can't sleep on that side, etc . . . oh well. Should have listened to you Jan, Kris, etc. . .
Anyway, going in for surgery in a couple weeks. Luckily for me (not her), Miss Curlie recently had the surg, so I'll know what to expect, but anything you guys can give me in the way of tips or expectations would be appreciated. I know how ya'll love to share.
Hopefully by September you'll return to seeing me flail on 5.8 in all your favorite places and by the Spring? Look the hell out. I will be back!
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snakefoot
climber
cali
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Feb 28, 2008 - 01:17pm PT
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Buford complex?
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Ouch!
climber
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Feb 28, 2008 - 01:21pm PT
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Seems like I recall either Locker or Woody had Labia surgery.
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nita
climber
chica from chico, I don't claim to be a daisy
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Feb 28, 2008 - 01:22pm PT
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Lol..................................Ouch.......
Edit: No disrespect-> tooo Maculated, any surgery is a huge drag! Hope all goes well and you have a complete recovery..
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Feb 28, 2008 - 01:23pm PT
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hey mac-- i was out just yesterday and thought of you and wondered if you'd had the surgery yet. glad to hear that you're scheduled.
they probably won't know exactly what's going on until they get in there. i'm confused by yr description of the tendons-- do you mean the rotator cuff in the back (posterior) of the labrum?
be sure to get yr doc to set you up with a GOOD pt afterward as you are going to be really dependent on a well-designed regime, and one that you will probably adapt and continue even after you've recovered from surgery. i'm missing one of the rotator cuffs muscles in my left shoulder and have to do daily exercises to keep it stabilized.
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maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 28, 2008 - 01:27pm PT
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Buford - that's it. I was trying to remember.
It turns out it wasn't rotator cuff at all. It became really obvious when my physical therapist did ultrasound from behind and it started to REALLY hurt in the joint. Funny how you can't label something if you don't know it's there to label.
It's the cartilage in the shoulder socket. Tendons hold it on and mine snapped off so it's all floppy in there. Apparently my right shoulder is way, kind of nasty, way looser than my left.
K - that's funny you thought of me yesterday. i was doing a lecture yesterday and had to find something in my email and came across that paper . . .:)
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 28, 2008 - 01:38pm PT
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Hi Mac,
best to ya, hope all goes well.
Good one Ouch.
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Chaz
Trad climber
So. Cal.
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Feb 28, 2008 - 01:47pm PT
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It's going to be good feeling better every day instead of feeling worse.
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taco bill
Trad climber
boulder, co
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Feb 28, 2008 - 02:12pm PT
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Embarassingly enough, I tore mine playing frisbee golf.
Had it fixed in 97. At the same time, I had a capsular shift to shrink the pocket where the humeral head sits.
My surgeon was out of town for my post-op visit and assumed that her partner would tell me to start rehab, which he did not. 6 weeks later my shoulder was totally frozen.
Had another procedure to break up all the scar tissue. Basically they put me under and cranked on my arm to move it around. That night I could lift my arm over my head with a stick in the other hand. Completed rehab and did a 6 pitch climb in RMNP 4 weeks after the second procedure.
These days, shoulder is totally fine for climbing. I occasionally tweak it a little bit if I have to really reach for a crimp. I can't really throw a ball without pain, but all things considered am pretty functional.
Do your rehab and you should be fine.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
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Feb 28, 2008 - 02:17pm PT
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Dr. El'Attrache is a real artist with shoulders. And he has a great track record with climbers. I think I know 7 climbers just locally in S.C. who are back in the game thanks to this one Doctor. Myself included.
Good luck, and get psyched to really go after the physical therapy aspect of your recovery. Find a P/T or group who are sports oriented and make them your best friends for a few months.
Trust me. This here was my shoulder, you are seeing full thickness separation of the cuff, and now it is strong, stable and 100% pain free with full range.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Feb 28, 2008 - 02:34pm PT
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find a good Physical Therapist, do everything that they say, let them own you, your entire existence should be given over to doing what they tell you... it is an S&M relationship and you are on the "M" side of it... do it and love it!
Then, after the relationship ends, you must continue to do strengthening exercises for your shoulder for the rest of your life! I am not kidding, I have troubled shoulders and from time to time I stop exercising and get injured and have to retrench... better not to let it go!
Be motivated, and find a way to incorporate good shoulder health into your existence.
Good luck with the surgery. I expect to see you out there afterwards. And since you are being physically modified, I think you have to come back to the Sunol wide crack and re-sign it... after sending it!
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
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Feb 28, 2008 - 02:52pm PT
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A current trend in sports oriented P/T is to incorporate Pilates training in to the program. This is what I did, and I fell in love with it (some friends say I "drank the coolaid") to the degree that I changed careers to become a Pilates Teacher/Trainer. If you want to become stronger and then continue to have great posture, strength and movement as you age, this excercise method is a great way to go.
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Chip
Trad climber
Wilmington, DE
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Feb 28, 2008 - 03:07pm PT
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Having had both shoulders repaired, I've done well in general but still have to be careful with one. No iron crosses for me. Working for myself, I returned to work both times a week later and did the PT. Most importantly, take off the recommended 3 months from climbing and pushing motions or you may get to do it all over again.
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aaronj
Big Wall climber
injured reserve
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Feb 28, 2008 - 03:20pm PT
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i had surgery for a torn labrum on jan. 11 this year. i had the "open" bankhart lesion repair. the one were they filet a 6'' incision right abovemy right arm pit. multiple subluxations and finally a dislocation while walking amsteel. surgery sucks ass. procedure was fine and only took 2 hrs. out an hour after that.
back in bed i was eating vicodin like candy, 8 a day to start. weened myself off after 1st week though. couldnt sleep for first week. tried sitting up but it wasnt gonna happen. after the first week it was fine.
started doing pendelum excercises the day of surgery. did that 5 minutes 4x a day until the 4 week mark. total time in sling 4 weeks.
4 weeks went to the doc again to clear me for physical therapy. he also cleared me for running. finally something physical. 40 miles e very week since then.
ive gone to PT for 2 weeks now. quickly gaining overhead mobility back. external (side to side) rotation is still lacking. 2x a week to pt and 4x 30 minutes of at home pt daily.
almost no constant pain after first week. pain caused me to blackout a few times early on though. almost no pain now except for at outer range of motion.
im 7 weeks out now. another 5-8 weeks of PT followed by likely another 2 months without climbing. docs expect full recovery especially because im 21. i hope to be back climbing by may/july.
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Feb 28, 2008 - 03:31pm PT
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Physical Therapy and more physical therapy.
My wife tore her labral ring during a hard cartwheeling fall while skiing that required surgery. The surgeon made a number of arthroscopic incisions around the armpit to access the joint and then sculpted the loose material to reform a socket. To attach the ring to the underlying bone - permanent staples were implanted.
This is where the PT comes into play - the shoulder joint is quite prone to developing massive amounts of scar tissue and calcification deposits. My wife found this out the hard way after her 6 weeks of PT were completed and she got sloppy on keeping up the home PT exercises.
Three months after her PT had ended - she jerked her shoulder walking the dog and separated her bicep from its upper attachment. Scans showed that a calcium deposit had formed a ridge under the bicep that combined with the sudden jerk of that arm - had severed the bicep. Back for more surgery and more staples.
The doctors told her that her failure to adhere to the at-home PT exercises was a contributing factor to the development of the calcium deposit.
Morale of this story - expect to keep up some form of active PT for months after your surgery - maybe as long a 6 or 7 depending on how you heal.
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DavisGunkie
Trad climber
Davis, CA
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Feb 28, 2008 - 04:15pm PT
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that sucks. my shoulders have been feeling progressively weaker since I haven't been climbing and am out of rafting season. to the point where I can't stay on my side for more than a a couple hours, shorter when its particularly sore.
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maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 28, 2008 - 04:46pm PT
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Okay, focus on PT it it (frankly, I am excited about it anyway - I do really well with someone focusing on my training - I lost a bunch of weight from training with the therapist before seeing El Attrache - just work harder that way).
But like, life stuff I should be ready for. What do I need to get? Like, I have long hair - I guess a girl's not going to have ponytails for a while. What else?
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
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Feb 28, 2008 - 04:59pm PT
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Get one of those backrest pillows with arms which come around the side. Plus extra pillows. When you sit in bed for a while, a pillow under the back of the knees can be nice too.
Laxative if you take lots of vicodin.
One handed food stuff.
Lot's of good movies.
I would get a haircut. It's going to be hard to take care of for a little while. It'll grow back.
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Feb 28, 2008 - 06:20pm PT
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For what you need according to my wife (she's dictating - I'm typing)-
Ditto on the laxative idea - Vicodin all but shuts down your innards.
To that end - start stocking up on yogurt with live critters.
Get an automatic transmission car- shifting and steering is a bitch with one arm.
If the arm that will be operated on is your dominant side - start practicing now to learn to wipe with the "wrong" hand! (Must be a girl thing)
Get plenty of pillows for bed - you will not be able to roll onto the fixed side for many, many, many months - use the pillows to build a nest that cradles you in a fixed position. (I can attest to this - nothing like being woken up by screams of pain cause the pillows shifted!)
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scuffy b
climber
post-gristle dreamland
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Feb 28, 2008 - 06:21pm PT
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As KSolem says, you want to act preemptively if you're using
any opiates. Lots of liquids, fiber, etc.
Constipation is a complication you want to avoid.
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