Shoulder blues Ridiculous update!

[Wojjie]

Hi Folks. I injured my dominant-side shoulder on Sunday [Happy Mother’s Day to me!]. X-rays are clean, and the MRI is today. Thanks to this discussion [and other threads on this Forum] I have been able to figure out that the bicep must not be involved [- and that sounds encouraging - ] and I also have questions to ask once results are in and pathways forward are discussed. AND I did not have to wade through websites with potentially sickening [ELGT here…] photos and diagrams. The anecdotes and advice for Laurierace are so much more… enjoyable? in that awkward FaceBook Thumbs up way…coming from horse people. Thanks for sharing.

Larurierace, hope things go smoothly and the tooth thing heals double quick.

[Laurierace]

Best of luck to you Wojjie, hope the MRI brings good news.

[Laurierace]

The tooth extraction has caused a sinus infection. I guess the pin from the root canal left a tiny hole when it was removed. Yeah me! I haven’t ridden in like two weeks between this shoulder and now the tooth mess. I was hoping to get a summer’s worth of riding in before the surgery. Maybe today I can get an easy ride in without my eye popping out from the sinus pressure.

I am having a lot of trouble sleeping lately due to a number of factors. Fitbit said I got about 3 hours of sleep last night, and that is with being able to get into my preferred sleeping position (side sleeper) am I going to be a vegetable from sleep deprivation during my recovery?

[beaujolais]

^^^ :no:

[atr]

Oh, darn it, Laurie!!

Yeah, my dentist nightmare was some guy drilling into my sinuses during a root canal. After repeated sinus infections I ended up at an oral surgeon who went in from the top to fix it. Another “don’t want to go through that again” experience, but it has been good since–kind of like the shoulder really.

[Laurierace]

They switched my antibiotic today so hopefully that will do the trick. I am feeling better but not back to normal. My shoulder on the other hand is ridiculous. I can barely lift my arm enough to put on deodorant now.

[beaujolais]

Spray deodorant, you will need it for after you surgery, too.

[Laurierace]

Yeah I bought some, it just illustrates how much worse it has gotten recently. Definitely makes it easier to agree to doing the surgery.

[beaujolais]

“Definitely makes it easier to agree to doing the surgery.”

You poor thing. Yes, I hear you on the above. I thought to myself, "What am I going to do, live with the “stabbers”? Then my “stabbers” were multiplying in number, as it sounds is happening to you. Thing to remember, too, is that usually shoulders keep degrading and that makes them harder to fix.

[Laurierace]

Ok, enough whining, the second antibiotic is doing it’s job and I am moving on from the tooth portion of this saga. So, let’s say I make it through the month in the sling, then what? I assume movements and such are limited to some extent right? Like I can’t just go about my normal life like nothing happened right off the bat. Lifting restrictions? Can I wash my hair with both hands?

[Bristol_Bay]

http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Patients_Visitors/pcs/rehabilitationservices/Physical-Therapy-Standards-of-Care-and-Protocols/Shoulder%20-%20Arthroscopic%20RCT%20Repair%20Protocol%20Hybrid%20Patient%20-%20Therapist.pdf

I found that very informative.

[Laurierace]

[QUOTE=Bristol Bay;8662377]
http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Patients_Visitors/pcs/rehabilitationservices/Physical-Therapy-Standards-of-Care-and-Protocols/Shoulder%20-%20Arthroscopic%20RCT%20Repair%20Protocol%20Hybrid%20Patient%20-%20Therapist.pdf

I found that very informative.[/QUOTE]

Thank you!

[beaujolais]

“Can I wash my hair with both hands?”

No, nor would you be physically able to. It’s a “b” to get your arm back up to speed again, but what choice is there? I think after a week or two, I was given the pendulum exercises on Pg. 8. Your PT will give you different exercises along the way to bring you back to movement that are in accordance with your time frame, healing and Doctor’s orders.

[beaujolais]

“Can I wash my hair with both hands?”

No, nor would you be physically able to. It’s a “b” to get your arm back up to speed again, but what choice is there? I think after a week or two, I was given the pendulum exercises on Pg. 8. Your PT will give you different exercises along the way to bring you back to movement that are in accordance with your time frame and healing.

[JanM]

After working with someone who had a broken shoulder blade one year, and a broken shoulder the next (different shoulders, same rotten luck), the range of motion will be limited. What my co-worker did was went to a local salon for a shampoo, and dry.

However, I wash my hair in the kitchen sink, use a screen device over the drain (they sell them at the grocery store) to catch hair, and only really use one hand. I just wet my hair under the faucet, turn the water off, shampoo (you can get pump bottles for the shampoo to make it easier to use one handed, rub the shampoo around, rinse out. Then dry a little, put conditioner on, and then rinse that out. It’s quick, and easy. I just use a hand towel and start with it folded length-wise on the sink edge (I hate hitting cold counter).

Then just dry with the towel, and comb out with a wide-tooth comb. If you need to blow dry, then just do it one handed. There are stands for blow dryers too, so you can dry without hurting yourself. Amazon has a few, and here’s one example (I searched “floor stands for blow dryers”):

http://smile.amazon.com/HAIR-DRYER-STYLING-STAND-HOLDER/dp/B0002VQ0WO/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1463236026&sr=8-2&keywords=floor+stands+for+blow+dryers

[Laurierace]

Thank you for the shampooing tip, I can do that relatively easily in my kitchen with the sprayer assuming I can handle bending over a little.

[beaujolais]

I think you will be fine and more comfortable washing your hair in the shower. The sink, bending over and all that sounds lots harder, imo.

[Laurierace]

Went to Walmart and bought myself some big athletic shorts, my husband was embarrassed!

[Zu_Zu]

Spend some$ be kind to yourself !
go have your hair washed after a few days at the salon …you will not shower for a few days .

Take a shower while in a cotton sling that you will just use in the shower to support your arm while out of the immobilizer .

Practice showering before attempting to wash your own hair … showering will prove quite exhausting for awhile / without the hair washing added !

• there was no way I could have bent over the sink to wash my hair :eek: for months !

just separate the showering and hair washing for awhile …

think of your arm / marionette / strings are cut !

Arm will not work … till dr. Ties it all back together and it heals = months !

God the tht of bending over the sink to wash my hair with my arm in that ‘state’ is :eek: ! No way … Bumping that shoulder and arm against that sink ! :eek:
Holding that position ?! No way ! If you do that I expect a video clip with sound ! Mercy !

[JanM]

I have put the handheld shower devices in all of the tub/shower, or showers in my house. It give a stronger water pressure, while still saving water. At first, you’ll probably want to dial the water pressure back, because I suspect the usual water pressure for a shower could cause some pain. Be careful about using hair conditioner in the shower, or tub/shower, because it will make the tub or shower slippery. I think the sink method using one hand (the good one) will be for when you’re well past surgery. You don’t want your arm to have pressure on it, or to move at all, and that could happen with the sink method.

I hope the entire procedure will be one surgery, healing, and never again, and it’s not worth it to risk that.

Just go to the nearest salon for a wash, and condition and treat yourself.