9.04.2008
from pre-op to post-op
so i'm just over 2 weeks post-op, and i think things are going well. i saw the doc and SuperSean (P.A.) last week and they seemed happy with how the surgery went. we went through what all was done and looked at pictures, talked about a timeline for rehab.
let's see if i can gather all my thoughts from pre-op until now.
Pre-op
i don't know if any of you have been to the Menl0 Park surgical hospital, but i distinctly remember thinking it was a bit of a strange place. much smaller than i had expected, and once we were inside i thought maybe it was a renovated hotel. the pre-op room i waited in after all the paperwork was taken care of was exactly like a hotel room. a bed all made up with linens, a desk and telephone, an adjoining bathroom. anyhow, we watched tv and waited for the surgery room to open up. while waiting, we went through the usual routine - meet the anesthesiologist, meet with the doc, and this time i got set up with my post-op polar pack - a device that pumps ice water through an attachment, in this case a shoulder wrap.
once everything was ready to go, a kind nurse came and got me and for the first time in my life, i walked into my own surgical room. i'm used to being wheeled in on a a gurney and then shifting over to another gurney, but it was kind of nice just walking in. i talked a bit of hockey with SuperSean and then the anesthesiologist got my iv hooked up. it took a few tries since i was dehydrated and the room was cold. 3 sticks in my wrist, 3 sticks at the elbow, 1 stick in my left foot and then finally the clincher in my right foot. i think i was only conscious for 4 of the pokes, though.
Recovery room
one of the things i dread most about any surgery is the immediate recovery. i get the chills and shake all over, but i don't remember too much of that this time, thank goodness. i do remember hearing that my blood pressure was high but that it was coming down, then waking up more and seeing Justin. he told me that the doc had stopped by and voiced much pleasure about how the surgery went and that he thought they had probably gotten what was getting me.
Monterey recovery and pampering
once i was discharged, Justin drove me home to Monterey, where i stayed for just over a week before coming back to work. i could have been in Santa Cruz, but Justin was out of town for a week, so i needed to be near able-bodied folks. just a bonus that it was with the folks, who, by the way, were awesome as usual. they dutifully changed my ice every 6 hours, woke me to make sure i took my medicine at the right time, with food, if necessary. i spent most of my time sleeping, since i picked up an allergy somewhere along the way. Maddy would come in and kiss my toes, then just rest alongside my bed for a bit.
Checkup, 6 days after surgery
what was done:
1) released the long head of the biceps tendon.
2) fixed a small tear in my labrum.
3) removed a bone spur that had grown in the area that was operated on last year.
4) cleaned up scar tissue and other crap that had built up in the ball-and-socket joint.
short-term use:
minimal. they prefer i not use my arm too much at work, so i'm trying to be careful. i've been icing (not in the hockey sense) with a small pack at work, using my wrap at home. i will try to go to PT next week, and i should have almost full range-of-motion in 3 weeks.
prognosis:
right now, i don't have enough rom to determine if the preoperative pain is gone or not, so it's hurry up and wait. the doc did all he could to fix whatever seemed to be wrong, so it'll be very disappointing if pain persists. i just have to hope that it's all fixed and that, in a couple of months, i'll have a pain-free shoulder for the first time in 2.5 years.
hockey prognosis:
i haven't signed up for the fall/winter season, and it's really eating at me. i keep thinking that since i've been out before, i'll be used to it. instead, i just miss it more each time. maybe i'll be able to sign up mid-season, around November or so, but i'm not betting on it. whenever it is that i am back, it'll be worth the wait.
let's see if i can gather all my thoughts from pre-op until now.
Pre-op
i don't know if any of you have been to the Menl0 Park surgical hospital, but i distinctly remember thinking it was a bit of a strange place. much smaller than i had expected, and once we were inside i thought maybe it was a renovated hotel. the pre-op room i waited in after all the paperwork was taken care of was exactly like a hotel room. a bed all made up with linens, a desk and telephone, an adjoining bathroom. anyhow, we watched tv and waited for the surgery room to open up. while waiting, we went through the usual routine - meet the anesthesiologist, meet with the doc, and this time i got set up with my post-op polar pack - a device that pumps ice water through an attachment, in this case a shoulder wrap.
once everything was ready to go, a kind nurse came and got me and for the first time in my life, i walked into my own surgical room. i'm used to being wheeled in on a a gurney and then shifting over to another gurney, but it was kind of nice just walking in. i talked a bit of hockey with SuperSean and then the anesthesiologist got my iv hooked up. it took a few tries since i was dehydrated and the room was cold. 3 sticks in my wrist, 3 sticks at the elbow, 1 stick in my left foot and then finally the clincher in my right foot. i think i was only conscious for 4 of the pokes, though.
Recovery room
one of the things i dread most about any surgery is the immediate recovery. i get the chills and shake all over, but i don't remember too much of that this time, thank goodness. i do remember hearing that my blood pressure was high but that it was coming down, then waking up more and seeing Justin. he told me that the doc had stopped by and voiced much pleasure about how the surgery went and that he thought they had probably gotten what was getting me.
Monterey recovery and pampering
once i was discharged, Justin drove me home to Monterey, where i stayed for just over a week before coming back to work. i could have been in Santa Cruz, but Justin was out of town for a week, so i needed to be near able-bodied folks. just a bonus that it was with the folks, who, by the way, were awesome as usual. they dutifully changed my ice every 6 hours, woke me to make sure i took my medicine at the right time, with food, if necessary. i spent most of my time sleeping, since i picked up an allergy somewhere along the way. Maddy would come in and kiss my toes, then just rest alongside my bed for a bit.
Checkup, 6 days after surgery
what was done:
short-term use:
minimal. they prefer i not use my arm too much at work, so i'm trying to be careful. i've been icing (not in the hockey sense) with a small pack at work, using my wrap at home. i will try to go to PT next week, and i should have almost full range-of-motion in 3 weeks.
prognosis:
right now, i don't have enough rom to determine if the preoperative pain is gone or not, so it's hurry up and wait. the doc did all he could to fix whatever seemed to be wrong, so it'll be very disappointing if pain persists. i just have to hope that it's all fixed and that, in a couple of months, i'll have a pain-free shoulder for the first time in 2.5 years.
hockey prognosis:
i haven't signed up for the fall/winter season, and it's really eating at me. i keep thinking that since i've been out before, i'll be used to it. instead, i just miss it more each time. maybe i'll be able to sign up mid-season, around November or so, but i'm not betting on it. whenever it is that i am back, it'll be worth the wait.
Labels: shoulder
