Torn rotator cuff

A mellow place for Bobcats to discuss topics free of political posturing

Moderators: rtb, kmax, SonomaCat

Post Reply
User avatar
gocats
2nd Team All-BobcatNation
Posts: 1198
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 11:35 pm
Location: Bozeman

Torn rotator cuff

Post by gocats » Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:13 am

Anyone ever have the surgery to fix this. I just found out two days ago, after dealing with some of the worst pain in my life for 5 months that mine is torn. Was it worth the surgery to have it fixed. I would like to think that it would get rid of this pain. I've been eating oxycodone like breath mints since January. Not sure why my doc didn't catch it months ago when I went in.


Alcohol doesn't make you fat, it makes you lean.... on chairs, tables and random ugly people....

canyoncat
Member # Retired
Posts: 2058
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 1:36 pm
Location: Helena

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by canyoncat » Fri Jun 03, 2011 9:20 am

My younger brother had surgery for a torn rotator cuff some years ago. He was able to bounce back pretty quick. You'll be fine! Just do what the doctors say and follow what ever rehab they have for you.


MAGA!!!

User avatar
seataccat
1st Team All-BobcatNation
Posts: 1899
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2005 2:40 pm
Location: Portland or Seattle

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by seataccat » Fri Jun 03, 2011 12:48 pm

It sounds like you need to get it done. I was asking the same advice on here about shoulder labrum surgery a while back. The best advice I got and can give is ice and heat every day, multiple times. Work hard at your physical therapy and stay positive. The anti-inflammatory, ice and heat actually gave me more relief than the narcotics which caused me a lot of anxiety.
Shoulder surgeries are notoriously painful. I have had shoulder trouble all of my life including a couple surgeries. I had a torn pec from a lifting incident and the torn labrum was a hockey incident. I didn’t really consider either surgery a success. The torn pec caused muscle imbalance and impingement which led to bad bursitis and the torn labrum I had about 5 months ago and is still a work in progress. I am still doing physical therapy twice a week and at least once on my own. It still is painful but seems to gradually be improving.
Keep us posted of your progress. I will be rooting for you and statistics are on your side for a full recovery.


"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
Voltaire

User avatar
gocats
2nd Team All-BobcatNation
Posts: 1198
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 11:35 pm
Location: Bozeman

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by gocats » Fri Jun 03, 2011 2:46 pm

I see the surgeon Tuesday, hopefully if I do have to have the surgery, he can get it done soon, so I am better for the start of football season.
I guess on days when I have to cover a newspaper rt because a carrier doesn't show up, I won't be able to put the english on it like i used to. :D Gonna have to pitch them softball style.


Alcohol doesn't make you fat, it makes you lean.... on chairs, tables and random ugly people....

User avatar
D-Wreck
Honorable Mention All-BobcatNation
Posts: 796
Joined: Mon Apr 28, 2008 7:23 am
Location: The Magic City

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by D-Wreck » Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:22 pm

Don't get a pain pump! Those things are trouble.



User avatar
gocats
2nd Team All-BobcatNation
Posts: 1198
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 11:35 pm
Location: Bozeman

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by gocats » Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:33 pm

Oh yea, never again. I had a morphine pump when I had my gall bladder taken out, they had a hard time finding it because it was so shriveled up and did a lot of exploring looking for it, and my buddy was there visiting and he would hit the button every 10 minutes or however long it was between doses they let me have. I went through $1200 of morphine in a little over 2.5 days. He is no longer allowed to visit me in the hospital anymore. :D


Alcohol doesn't make you fat, it makes you lean.... on chairs, tables and random ugly people....

ChiOCat
BobcatNation Hall of Famer
Posts: 3456
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 5:25 pm
Location: Down Under

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by ChiOCat » Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:51 pm

I teach Silver Sneakers (for active older adults). The number of shoulder issues I see in there I say fix it now! And them rehab it and treat it well.


"We are all vulnerable, and all fallible, with mortality our only certainty..." - Dr Kenneth Bock

gtapp
Golden Bobcat
Posts: 4951
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:09 pm
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by gtapp » Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:31 pm

Definitely get the surgery and see how it responds. It will heal, the time is variable depending on how bad it was and how good a surgeon you have. I had my surgery on Friday and was back in the gym on Monday. I had a bunch of pain pills but didn't use them. It felt better almost immediately. My mistake was waiting almost 2 years to get the surgery. I was so worried about the recovery time I just kept putting it off and it kept getting worse. Wish I had that decision to make over again! Good luck and get a phsycal therapist. I used to think those guys were useless. Not anymore!


Gary Tapp
Graduated MSU 1981
Hamilton High School
Minneapolis, MN

bobcat mom
New Recruit
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2010 8:47 pm

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by bobcat mom » Sun Jun 05, 2011 11:21 pm

Torn rotator cuffs are very painful. They do respond well to surgery and Physical Therapy. Find a good ortho doc who specializes in shoulders. It's usually 6 months until you can return to normal activities and sports and lots of rehab. Don't skip the rehab and ice whenever you can you will be much happier. Good luck!



User avatar
gocats
2nd Team All-BobcatNation
Posts: 1198
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 11:35 pm
Location: Bozeman

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by gocats » Mon Jun 06, 2011 1:39 pm

I can usually handle a good bit of pain, but for some reason this injury seems to hurt worse than anything I have ever tried. I have been alternating beween ice packs and a heated sock full of rice, which seems to be helping, but it still hurts like hell most of the time. I have noticed that a good hot shower with the water just running over my shoulder feels the best, but that only last about 10 minutes before the pain returns. Im really hoping that things go good at the ortho surgeon Tuesday. I will still have to wait until the end of the month for any kind of surgery though. I have a guy here at work on vacation for 2.5 weeks starting Thursday that I have to cover for.


Alcohol doesn't make you fat, it makes you lean.... on chairs, tables and random ugly people....

User avatar
gocats
2nd Team All-BobcatNation
Posts: 1198
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 11:35 pm
Location: Bozeman

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by gocats » Wed Jun 08, 2011 9:45 am

Well, I went and saw Dr. Diebert yesterday. He doesn't think that I have a tear, just something catching in my shoulder that he thinks should clear up with some physical therapy. Thank God, I didn;t want to go through yet another surgery. With open heart and gall bladder in the last few years, it has been enough.


Alcohol doesn't make you fat, it makes you lean.... on chairs, tables and random ugly people....

ChiOCat
BobcatNation Hall of Famer
Posts: 3456
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 5:25 pm
Location: Down Under

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by ChiOCat » Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:04 pm

gocats wrote:Well, I went and saw Dr. Diebert yesterday. He doesn't think that I have a tear, just something catching in my shoulder that he thinks should clear up with some physical therapy. Thank God, I didn;t want to go through yet another surgery. With open heart and gall bladder in the last few years, it has been enough.
That's GREAT news! I'm sure you'll get the PT done to avoid the pain, pilates is great for shoulders also. I'm not sure about traditional pilates but one of the principals of Stott Pilates is shoulder blade placement, minimizing stress and strain on the chest and shoulders. http://store.stottpilates.com/store/~/C ... -DVDs.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; For shoulder strengthening I'd recommend the Flex band, Strength and Agility, or Back Care series.

When did you have open heart? What for? We just went through that in March with my husband - not fun!


"We are all vulnerable, and all fallible, with mortality our only certainty..." - Dr Kenneth Bock

User avatar
gocats
2nd Team All-BobcatNation
Posts: 1198
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 11:35 pm
Location: Bozeman

Re: Torn rotator cuff

Post by gocats » Wed Jun 08, 2011 5:34 pm

I had an infection that moved into my bloodstream into my heart in 2003, by 04 it got so bad they had to replace a valve because it was covered with bacteria. Not fun.

Sent from my HTC Liberty using Tapatalk


Alcohol doesn't make you fat, it makes you lean.... on chairs, tables and random ugly people....

Post Reply