Rotator Cuff Surgery Tody

[Dr! Still Bill]

Well. Had rotator cuff surgery today. Went well. Arrived at 8AM, supposed to start at 10:30, but was delayed until about 2. Had a good nap. I elected NOT to get the nerve block. Have had them before, and hate the numb all-over feeling, and itching as it wears off. Pain right when I woke up was about a 7+? They kept giving me more IV Dilaudid until I was quite buzzed (walls were melting), then some oxy pills. Got home 2 hours ago and had a nice "nap" (twilight zone). Feel pretty good now - not too buzzed, and pain is a 3 - maybe less if I stay very still in just the right position. Glad I skipped the nerve block. Throat and mouth SO DRY! Haven't eaten in 22 hours, but not hungry - drinking lots of water and had a quart of OJ.

Doc had graft ready (capsular reconstruction) in case the tendons were too shot to repair, but did not need. Said tendons were great, and I should get back to full strength. Recovery time shorter without graft.

I planned ahead and have a nice new recliner to sleep in. Ordered 6 Chinese back scratchers. Hose attachment for shower, and long scrub brush. Made sandwiches in advance, and got some heat&eat frozen foods. New hot-tub ready to go - a few days to wait though.

 

[Jim Wallin]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Then Go Racing

 

[Shaun Foutch]

Ugghhh... Good luck, mine rehab was not fun!

 

[Dr! Still Bill]

Feeling pretty good. 5 days after now. No pain at all - unless I move wrong. Much better than my last time about 6 years ago - probably because this was just 2 tendons. Last one was major joint damage (RC, Labrum, Biceps tendon, AC-sep, dislocation).

 

[Randy Faul]

Glad to hear you're on the mend Bill

 

[Daniel Puszczewicz]

Best wishes. Hope all goes well

 

[Dr! Still Bill]

I also asked the doctor to re-connect my go-fast glands when I was on the table. Apparently, they got disconnected when I had surgery after my bad crash several years ago.

 

[Larry Kuhn]

Why would you want to have a vasectomy reversed?

 

[Dr! Still Bill]

Based on the written surgery report my doc gave, this is the system he used for my RC repair. I find it interesting. Maybe others will also.

Animated Video:

FiberTak® DR Anchor Bridge Technique

<p>The OrthoIllustrated^® animation for rotator cuff repair is an educational tool to help patients better understand this treatment.</p>

www.arthrex.com

More detailed animation (for doctors):

FiberTak® DR Anchor Bridge Technique

<p>A knotless, double-row construct is created using FiberTak^® DR soft anchors medially, and fully threaded SwiveLock^® anchors laterally. The FiberTak DR anchor was designed specifically for use as a medial anchor for double-row bridging constructs. It is loaded with both a...

www.arthrex.com

Actual video (on cadaver):

FiberTak™ DR Bridge Double Row Rotator Cuff Repair

<p>Laurence D. Higgins, MD, MBA, (Boston, MA) demonstrates the use of "all-suture" FiberTak™ DR (double row) anchors that are loaded with LabralTape™ suture for the medial row of a double row supraspinatus repair. He uses knotless BioComposite™ SwiveLock^®anchors in the lateral row to...

www.arthrex.com

 

[Dr! Still Bill]

Well, almost 8 weeks since surgery. Doing great! Almost full range of motion. Still can't do any lifting, but feels normal until I try to use it. The worst part of everything was the sleep deprivation. I was not able to sleep for more than 1 hour at a time for at least 2 weeks. Not from pain really, but from discomfort, and not being able to lie on my side. Two days ago, I did some light jeep road riding at eh blueberry farm. Felt great to be in the woods on a bike again!

If anyone has questions about rotator cuff surgery, I will be happy to answer.

 

[Allan Santor]

Good to hear Bill. I'm sure you're itching to get back on the trail like the rest of us.
Be safe,
Allan Santor
FTR Class 66 #17x
SADRA
AMA

 

[Shaun Foutch]

Sounds like yours went better than mine. I agree 100% on the sleep... I should've taken all the advice I was given to buy a recliner!