Broken shoulder, DH in agony

[Scottishflower65]

Hi all, DH, early 60s, has had a displaced broken shoulder since last Sunday. After a day in total agony, he attended A&E. The X-ray showed the ball is shattered and the socket is also broken. He was told he would need a CT scan to decide whether it could be pinned or needed a whole shoulder replacement. He was sent home with strong painkillers. These are ok when totally immobile but standing, lying down, any movement really causes horrible pain. He cannot manage anything that involves movement without me basically hauling him about (as gently as I can). He heard nothing until Thursday when he was told to come for a CT scan the following day. This confirmed the shoulder damage in more detail and he was told it would be looked at by the case team that day. Heard nothing so far. Just feeling so sad for him.

He’s been left almost a week with a broken shoulder on just painkillers? That’s appalling. I can imagine the outcry if an animal was left like that.
Try another hospital? Phone 111? I’m not a medic but leaving someone with a broken joint doesn’t sound d right. When I broke a (tiny) bone in my foot I didn’t go to A&E for a few days, thinking it was just twisted, sprained or whatever. Got a right telling off as it was X-rayed and plastered within an hour.

Sounds dreadful. You will need to push / chase, hard.

I’m sympathetic, I damaged my shoulder, not to the same extent, and had to go back the next day for stronger painkillers. Took a month to get surgery. I used a wedge pillow to help support lying in bed, I recommend that for comfort. It’s a shitty time and I hope he gets sorted out very soon!

In the absence of foam wedges for bed, try rolling up towels to wedge his arm into position at night.

Thank you for all your kind messages.
@Sapphirensteel yes, almost a week. I was thinking the same, you wouldn't leave an animal in this condition. Currently on the strongest painkillers at maximum dose.
We are using pillows to immobilise his arm when sleeping but wakes up when he moves at all. Found some special t-shirts for broken shoulders with Velcro fastenings. I’m managing quite well in a practical sense but emotionally feel very down.

He could try sleeping propped up with one of those v-shaped pillows. Has he been given like a collar and cuff thing (like a a support for his wrist). If so, try and leave his elbow down as our natural instinct is try and support the elbow but it actually makes it worse.

Yes we have the cuff and collar and I have been strapping it to support elbow as that’s how he came back from A&E. Will try it lower thanks.

When you say strongest painkillers - what exactly? And is it just one type? Has he told them he's still in awful pain?

Urgh that's terrible. I'd be on the phone every hour to get him into theatre asap.

Sadly with the NHS you have to advocate for yourself and speak up. If you don't sadly you're often ignored / forgotten.

@GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut Co-codomol 30/500 times 2 every four hours. He did say still in a lot of pain but they didn’t offer anything else.

I broke the head of my humerus years ago and it was extremely painful. I could only sleep sitting up and had my arm in a sling. Any movement was agony so I can sympathise, the strong painkillers made me sick so couldn’t take them. Took about 6 weeks to knit the bone and then many weeks of physio to get full range of movement. Hope he feels better soon

Is he taking something to manage constipation, too? I'm sure they advise you should. I know I need to! otherwise he'll be uncomfortable there as well!

Oh god poor him this sounds horrific.

When I had a complex break the only thing that made any impact at all (and even then there was still pain) was oramorph.

Cocodamol wouldn't have touched the sides for me personally.

I really hope you can get some more help soon - the loudest voices win out when it comes to pain.

My boyfriend at the time was my advocate and basically made himself a pain in the arse (luckily for me!) to the extent they finally gave us oramorph to have at home for him to dose out to me every few hours for a while.

Your poor DH, that kind of pain is absolutely horrific as you feel so helpless and vulnerable.

@Ginsmything
its mine too!

Shoulder pain is excruciating and co codamol wont touch it,, I would go back to the hospital for stronger painkillers and ask when is he having surgery.

@picklemewalnuts they didn’t advise but I knew from previous exp so he’s been getting the orange packets for that - still have difficulty tho.
@youvegottenminuteslynn thanks, I’ll try asking for that painkiller. I wasn’t aware there was anything stronger. On his first appt he had morphine when they saw the extent of the break but that wasn’t particularly good either.

I was reading up on it this morning because I'm taking it for tooth ache. Prunes, blackcurrants, grapes, figs and apricots are apparently a great combination! It was a recipe for a sort of cordial/paste that you eat for its stimulating effect!

Codeine didn’t work for me at all! Dr in the family pointed out something like 6% of the population can’t metabolise codeine in the liver into morphine, which is what is supposed to happen!

We had just this discussion was his morning with an A & E consultant about DD with 2 fractures (delayed diagnosis as the radiologist spotted later the fractures, not the jr dr we saw in A & E) - he said the problem with morphine is the side effects! He advised us to keep on with codeine 60 mg every 4 hours, alternating with paracetamol every 4 hours! But then, her fractures are subtle, not a shattered joint!

Hope it helps. I often dislocate my shoulder due to the breaks I had all over (long story!) and when it happens and the pain is bad I still have oramorph prescribed so definitely worth asking about. Will need to be his GP he asks (or consultant) rather than a pharmacist.

Reiterate to them how awful the pain is and that it's stopping him being able to live independently.

Bless him, there are few things as painful so he must be feeling terrible.

Gah! I recently broke my humerus in two places and had it pinned back to shoulder and elbow. It felt so much better after surgery but the pain didn't feel humanly possible.

That's a good way of putting it, I shattered my arm (now metal) and I honestly cannot believe I stayed conscious at times for the level of pain I was in. I was asking people to put me to sleep at some points, screaming, shouting etc.

It is beyond barbaric when you're in hospital in that level of pain and ignored when you're begging for relief. I had to have counselling due to that element of my experience.

Really glad OP's DH is home and has her there to advocate for him and chase people up for help.

Strong painkillers? Co-codomol isn't a strong painkiller. Does nothing for me. I'd be sorting that for something decent asap.

I broke my collarbone and ribs a few years ago (osteoporosis). Not as bad as a broken shoulder I know, but I positioned and immobilised my arm as per fractured clavicle guidance (any first aid manual will have a picture) and wrapped a very large/wide scarf in to a sling and wrapped it firmly round my ribs at night. I slept propped up on 2 normal pillows and a V shaped pillow. I did manage to get some sleep and the scarf kept everything stable.
Painkillers cause constipation so you need to get in some movicol and maybe some low dose dulcolax or similar.
I hope you get some news from the hospital soon. You have to keep chasing.

You need to ask your GP or 111 for stronger pain relief, he needs tramodol or oramorph, in the meantime he can take Ibuprofen in combination with the co-codamol.

Thank you for all the messages of support and practical suggestions. He did dislocate the other shoulder about 7 years ago and managed fine with the co-codomol but this is a different much worse level of pain. He is severely bruised from shoulder to elbow also on chest and back and his upper arm is swollen to twice the size of the other one. When I spoke to the chemist on Friday, he said he never used to hear of people being sent home with broken bones due to lack of surgical availability but it’s becoming more common. I shudder to think of the state of the people who are getting immediate surgery. He’s very touched by the support of MN so thanks all.