"The Slump"

[AlArchie]

Believe it or not, this orthopedic surgeon I have the appointment with is NOT a great fan of carving people up! He's got my brother-in-law on some meds that seem to help (along with some PT), so I'm hoping that will be the recomendation, here, too. Either way, this has got to stop! Besides the hurt of this dumb thing, I find I'm dropping stuff a lot, still got a good grip, but find it's just not as FAST as it used to be.


Thanks for everyone's well wishes......I'll just have to wait till tomorrow to see where we go from here.

Oh, the "golden years" are STILL pretty darn good!

Al

[Callynne]

Al, I'm sorry to hear you are having such a rough time and hope they get you fixed up quickly!

I had posted this a while back and will again, in hopes that it helps you. My brother-in-law had a lot of trouble with one shoulder, his Doctor advised this and it worked wonders for him. Stand in a hot shower, with the water running down your back, very slowly 'walk' your hand up the shower wall, as far as you can comfortably do it, then do the same with the other arm (okay, I know, one of them is going to be walking up the shower door or pretending to walk up the shower curtain!). Everyday try to walk your hands a little higher.

My brother-in-law couldn't lift his hand more than head high when he started, know he shows off by 'throwing' it up over his head, with no pain at all! Hopes this helps! Take care, good luck!! Deborah

[dart]

Hi Al, my friend, 60 years old, had the cuff operation on his shoulder. Did not work for him. He runs a Christmas tree farm and works hard all year 'round. The shoulder still hurts him a lot. But from the type of work he does , no wonder. Best of luck with the doctor. I'd try the pills before the operations. If you can't carve, maybe you could do something else? Sharpen your tools or something like that? Always works for me. I never get in a "carving slump" but I do hit a "brick wall" and need to do something else for awhile.

[AlArchie]

Well, got to see the doc today.....left sholder looks OK, just a bit inflamed and can be treatred with a different anti inflamatory or a cortizone shot. BUT, the bad news is the right shoulder has a couple tears that look to be more than 3/4 way through the rotator tendons. Got an exploratory surgery lined up for the 23rd. Doc says no guarantees but it shouldn't be any worse than it is now,at the very worst, and it looks like it should shape up OK. Be out of comission for 6 weeks if they need to go beyond the initial look around. It may be something they can fix laporoscopically and that would a little easier on the mend. Either way is an outpatient procedure . Ain't exactly looking forward to this, but I an't lookin' forward to any length of time like this, either.

Oh, well....guess I'll just sharpen all those tools, and Karen's kitchen knives, and the lawn mower blade, and.........

Al

[Callynne]

I'm sorry, Al, I'd hoped for better news on both shoulders!! I'll be praying for your complete AND speedy recovery, with the least amount of repair work possible!! Good luck!! Deborah

[Ron Davidson]

Al- Sorry about the shoulder news. I hope it recovers well and sooner than expected. It might give you time to come up with some more unique ideas for carvings. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Ron


P.S. I would take a peice of wood with you when they give your cortizone shot. It will give you something to bite on for pain.

[AlArchie]

I asked him about a 2nd opinion, and he said, "OK, you're ugly, too, but I'm not a cosmetic surgeon!"


Al

[Thor]

Al,
I did not expect to get a laugh on this thread. I'm glad you still have your sense of humor.
I too am among the rotator cuff problems, but mine did not require surgery. I had the rubber band therapy which helped a good bit. It brought it back to use from "frozen". I know the pain, and the frustration of having your arm stuck behind you when you lay down on your side. My husband gets a big kick out of flopping my arm back over my side when I get it stuck.
It's not surprising that so many of us share aches and pains that are similar. I suppose most of us have led very physically active lives and worn out a lot of body parts.
I certainly hope the surgery goes very well, and that you recover quickly.
Thor

[Kenny_S]

Heck of a note 2 days before Christmas. Yep ALA, if it is torn that much, usually surgery it the only way to fix. Son had his turn lifting a 400 lb man in the ambulance. Kept getting worse. ANyway, My prayers go out to you.


God's Blessings

[BasketballJones]

You're a braver man than I. Good time to get it done now in time to heal for those springtime chores. Good Luck.