One week on.....
And I need to start by saying a HUGE thank you to everyone
for your kind comments pre op, they were all very much appreciated!
Post Op
Two things changed this last week; 6 months of trying to
work through a shity debilitating pain that has severely reduced my range of
movement, coupled together with a deteriorating mindset that was becoming weary
of the pain and losing faith in any type of improvement for the future. Whereas
now, the pain has increased twofold and the movement is restricted even further
however, the mind is feeling focused and completely positive as it’s now able to deal with rehab rather than retirement! Lol...What
a Difference a week makes!?
Pre Op
Last week I was being wheeled into the pre op theatre where
I was assessed again by the highly skilled and much respected surgeon. We
quickly went over the problem (MRI scan showing a tear in Supraspinatus) and the
procedure he would be carrying out (Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery).
I was then passed back to anaesthetists to be, as they called it, put to sleep!
Now, that was the strangest and probably most disturbing part of the whole
procedure. It really didn’t hit home until I was lying
on the bed with an actual oxygen mask being held over my mouth and nose, whilst
I was being injected with a combination of drugs for a general anaesthesia. Its
the strangest feeling ever, lying helpless whilst you have to put your total
trust in someone else to put you into a state of controlled sleep. You can’t help thinking; I hope I wake up again! I began to feel
dizzy as a sense of fainting swept over me which was quickly followed by my
whole world going Black, nothingness (if that is even a word).
The Aftermath
No sooner does the darkness block everything out than I am
awake again, albeit in a state of disorientation. It’s a strange feeling, a feeling of nothing, like i had just
closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again. Once I was responding like a
sober human being, rather than someone on the good end of 3 bottles of wine,
they wheeled me back to the ward. In the ward I was properly looked after to
make sure I was comfortable and in no pain. Between bouts of falling asleep I
was rewarded with the best post op meal ever created...
Tea & Hot Buttered Toast!
I’m
serious when i say, the smell and taste of tea & toast is sooo comforting when just out of theatre. It wasn’t long before the surgeon did
his rounds, with a number of followers & his Physiotherapist. So here is
what he actual did during the surgery; when he went in he found that the
suprasinatus was only partially torn and was not the root of the problem, it
was the proximal head of the bicep tendon which had a nasty tear that he had to
repair to solve the problem. So after all the consultations with
physiotherapists and even after an MRI, the real problem went undiagnosed until
he actually got in to have a close look. I am not moaning or complaining I’m just so thankful that the problem has been identified and
resolved and that the guy doing the job was top class!
Rehab
So I now have to keep the shoulder joint immobilised, 4
weeks in a sling, and then i will move onto the physio to rehab, beginning with
passive movement of the joint. I will continue to post updates on my rehab which
may or may not be of interest!?
Right now I have resigned myself to doing exactly as I am
told, as I would normally ignore this advice and try to move around so I can
get back to the gym!! In doing so I will have the best Christmas ever, time
off, good food and maybe a cheeky glass of wine or two. 6 Months lack of
exercise sees me back up to my ‘fighting weight’ and I feel good for it! Bring on 2013!!
Ps, I have attached a couple of pics of my shoulder inside
out! Strange seeing what lies beneath. LOL.
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