Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
G_Gnome
Trad climber
In the mountains... somewhere...
|
|
|
Feb 28, 2008 - 06:30pm PT
|
Congrats! At last!!!!!
One thing they don't really tell you, it is going to hurt worse than anything you have ever known. Second, don't even plan on trying to sleep in a bed for a while. You are gonna want to sleep sitting up so make sure you have a comfy chair, preferably with an ottoman, preferably a recliner.
After they actually let you move it again, it won't. This is where that S&M thing comes into play. You only have so many months to get full range of motion back. Listen to and obey your PT. Work harder at recovery than you have on anything else in your life and you will be perfect in the end (well, as close as you are ever going to get).
Don't forget to strengthen the other side at the same time. It would really suck to start climbing again and f#ck the other shoulder up.
|
|
maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 19, 2008 - 07:30pm PT
|
Two days from the cut, I wanted to look over all the advice. Awesome. Thanks guys. :)
|
|
scuffy b
climber
up the coast from Woodson
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2008 - 07:37pm PT
|
Get plenty of rest beforehand,
Good Luck,
drink your prune juice!!
|
|
Forest
Trad climber
Tucson, AZ
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2008 - 08:00pm PT
|
I had a labral separation. The labrum itself wasn't torn, just separated from the bone. In my case, the Doc was able to access it all arthroscopically, where he drilled a platic screw into the bone and sutured the labrum to it. Life sucked pain-wise for 4 or 5 days. Then, I was in a sling for a few weeks. Then, I just couldn't pull hard with it. I was allowed to ride my road bike at 1 month. 3 months after the surgery, I could climb easy stuff. at 4 months, I could do whatever I wanted, tho I of course, I was pretty weak from all the inactivity. I'd second the PT recommendation. Remember to ask for it if the Doc doesn't prescribe it. Mine didn't until I asked since I was young, active, and in good shape, but I still found the direction to be helpful.
Good luck!
|
|
klk
Trad climber
cali
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2008 - 08:01pm PT
|
hey, good luck w. the surgery. post up after and let us know it went well.
|
|
maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 19, 2008 - 08:20pm PT
|
Forest, thanks for posting. I found this site: slaptear.com and it is just scaring the heck out of me with their "doctor told me 3 months but now it's a year" stories. I'm glad to know I might be cleared to bike sooner than I thought - I bike commute. It's going to be sad to not climb, ride, anything . . . :(
Thanks for the well wishes guys. I hope you're wrong, Gnomish one, about it being the pain being unimaginable. I have to fly to Texas next week, too. Weeee. That's what Vicodin or whatever is for, right?
|
|
aaronj
Big Wall climber
injured reserve
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2008 - 09:50pm PT
|
the pain ain't no joke homie.
i drove to utah for the trade show 1 week after surgery. 12 hrs in a car crammed with 4 dudes and gear. f*#king awesome, not!!
set yourself up well before the surgery food, bedding or a chair. all you will need must be within arms reach, especially the vicodin.
i am now 11 weeks out from surgery. 2 more weeks of pt and im on my own. i see the doc again in 3 weeks. hopefully i will get cleared for climbing by may but more likely july. wishful thinking maybe, maybe not.
|
|
Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2008 - 10:11pm PT
|
Mac - You are going to one of the best Doctors on the planet for this repair. If you choose your P/T as well, and do the work with complete diligence you will not be one of those "He said 3 months but now it is a year" people. I have worked a lot this past year in a P/T environment and I have seen those people. Of course there are exceptions like really serious injuries etc., but nine times out of ten it is their fault when they fail.
You'll be fine. Ask for Percaset (sp?)
Don't let that Gnome dude mess with you. Yeah, it'll hurt but it's not the end of the world. A good broken heart hurts worse..
Your plane trip might not be a wise idea right after surgery. You will not want to be in places where people can bump into you for several weeks. The last thing you want to do is undo Dr. El'Attrache's beautiful work because some numbskull pulls his bag out of the overhead and it lands on your shoulder...
Cheers and good luck.
|
|
Forest
Trad climber
Tucson, AZ
|
|
|
Mar 19, 2008 - 10:19pm PT
|
Mac, I really couldn't imagine doing that a week after the surgery. At that point, I was just about done entirely with the vicodin (I really didn't like the way it made me feel, and I hated sitting around all day since I was too stoned to work), but if anything bumped into it, or I leaned on it, or grabbed something and pulled, it was pure agony.
Really, consider not having to go anywhere or anything for at least a week or two. Also, the first two or three days, it'd be really good to have someone to check in on you, help you get to the bathroom, get food, etc. You'll be a lot more incapacitated for a couple of days than you might think.
Also, get your bed set up now for a comfy sitting position if it isn't already. Lying down to sleep was out of the question for me for a good week to a week and a half, maybe more.
I never realized before this just how hard it is to avoid moving your shoulder...
|
|
maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 20, 2008 - 01:40am PT
|
Really good input guys.
I don't have much of a choice with the plane flight. It's the once-a-year Board meeting for the club I'm a director of. The only way I get out of it is if I get the interview for a full time teaching position I want (and that will be interesting if I have to do that next week . . .).
I understand that I can get labeled as 'disabled' for the flight and get my seats all accommodated and things. I guess I'll just tough it out. I don't have the luxury of not doing things for a couple weeks, unfortch.
Luckily, my best friend who is a nurse is coming a couple days after and my dad is here through the weekend. We'll be good, I think.
Again, seriously, thanks for the advice. Kris, I keep telling myself they are just dealing with crummy docs and it is worth all the driving and such to see Dr. El'Attrache.
Great to hear how fast some of you are out there again. The doc said six months for me. I have a stock of MSM/Glucosamine/Chondritin, plan on doing everything I can (eat organic, no alcohol, etc) to be perfectly fit and speed it along. . .
|
|
HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 02:00am PT
|
Maculated if you can go see these guys: http://www.centerimt.com/location.asp?siteno=4
They will fix it, or at the very least allow you to recover from surgery much, much faster and more completely. They do incredible stuff. Toss me an email if you have questions.
Also, as I understand it glucosamine is a sham. People don't have the ability to absorb it.
|
|
SteveW
Trad climber
Denver, CO
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 02:32am PT
|
I hope your surgery and therapy goes well, Mac.
Best of luck.
|
|
Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 02:58am PT
|
DJ - Torn connective tissue will not get fixed with non invasive manual therapy. They can help with inflammation and pain, but the joint will remain unstable and over time develope arthritis and atrophied muscles, as joints do when they are unstable.
Aslo, it appears that glucosamine is absorbed by some people and not by others. It works - with heavy front loading - on a case by case basis. It has no effect on me, but I know people who have been well served.
The IMT center you linked to looks pretty interesting. Still the fact is that with an injury like a torn labrum or full thickness rotator cuff tear if you want to go climbing it has to get re-attached surgically.
|
|
maculated
Trad climber
San Luis Obispo, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 20, 2008 - 10:44am PT
|
Oh, man. The supplement works for me. When I was 17, I dislocated my right knee tying my shoe (hyperextension) and from then on I've had patellar destabilization. I've got crepitis in both knees and it sometimes just HURTS to go up hills with packs on. Yet, I count myself lucky.
At 17, I could barely make it up stairs. Glucosamine/MSM/ chondritin totally helped regenerate my knees to the point where I can do pretty much everything with minimal discomfort. Hail the fishies that gave their lives for mine.
|
|
Chip
Trad climber
Wilmington, DE
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 11:29am PT
|
I think you will find that flying will feel very bad and can set you back. The tissue in your shoulder is already inflamed and the drop in pressure will aggravate this, as the shoulder fluid will not be able to adjust to the pressure change as it does when healthy. I say this having not taken any narcotics after my surgeries but having a very healthy respect for pressure changes on healing joints. Many of my patients experience big problems much later after foot and ankle surgeries when they fly.
|
|
TradIsGood
Chalkless climber
the Gunks end of the country
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 01:34pm PT
|
Chip, I am not following your logic. Fluids - I believe here you are referring to liquids and not gases - are incompressible.
EDIT:
Further the pressure difference between sea level and 8000 feet is pretty unremarkable as well. Maybe the difference in O2 per volume plays a role?
|
|
HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 01:43pm PT
|
Ksolem you'd be pretty amazed what those people are capable of. The routinely have patients who are told they "have" to have surgery. They do their treatment and then surgery time comes and the surgeon can no longer find anything wrong.
And as I said at the very least it will allow her a faster and more complete recovery.
|
|
bringmedeath
climber
la la land
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 03:16pm PT
|
My brother just told me that for him it was 18hrs of pain, but I think his was seperated from the bone like someone mentioned not torn. After the 18 he no longer had much pain and quit taking any pills. I always thought he was a lightweight too... hmm maybe not.
Mine is torn and is getting worse it seems, but fukk it. It has a cyst in there too, not sure what that means. Probably gonna need the surgery no matter what but I just had surgery on my ankle and want to get some distance between my heels and the ground first.
Injuries suck... good luck!!!
|
|
Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 04:36pm PT
|
DJ, I do not disagree with the approach. I've seen remarkable results from all kinds of "alternative" therapies, and lots of people are referred for surgery who might be better servd some other way. But I also know the Doc who Mac is seeing, and he is known for being conservative to go to surgery. That said, when he looked at my mri he said two things. First, to a visiting Fellow, "Look here, this guy tried to tear his arm off but the skin held it on..." and then to me "I don't say this to many people, but for you surgery, the sooner the better, is your only option."
I was climbing light in 6 months. Full on in one year. Now it is coming up to three years and I never give that shoulder a second thought. So if I were in Mac's shoes I would do exactly as this guys recommends.
I did have a hard time transitioning from the ROM aspect of P/T into strength training until I took up a serious Pilates practice. That has been a miracle for me.
|
|
HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
|
|
|
Mar 20, 2008 - 04:43pm PT
|
And I'm not dissing the Doc, just sayin these people do amazing stuff.
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!