shoulder subacromial decompression - has anyone else had this op. or am I very special indeed..?!

[DottyDot]

So I've just been put on the waiting list for this operation which sounds quite small and routine but I'm SUCH a baby I'm just wondering if anyone else has had it done and can tell me it's a walk in the park..?!

Tut. Just me then?

thats what i got told today im having have you had it done yet dotty? how did it go?

bump is dottydot still around on here?

Hello!! I'd forgotten about this thread! Yes, I'm still here and waiting for my shoulder op. I had a date of March 18th but we're going away the following week and I've got to drive so am going to re-schedule the op. for after our break

When are you having yours - do you know how long your wait will be yet?

How bad is your shoulder day to day? Mine's OK-ish but bloody kills me if I jar it and I find it difficult to get dressed on that side - putting coats on and pulling up trousers.

hi Dottydot my op is going to be in the next 3 weeks, 4 weeks maximum the surgeon said. Hes put it down as urgent i saw him yesterday and had my pre op done so waiting for the phoen call now.

Mine is at the stage where it is keeping me awake at night and i cant do muchduring the day using it.

Looks like i'm going to be having my op first then lol i'll be able to tell youhow i get on. Plus we are going away the end of May and me and dp need to be able to share the driving.

ooh - good luck and keep me posted! I've had my pre-op and feel a bit guilty about cancelling the op but it's dp's 40th birthday and that'll only happen once, so sod it!

Did you try having a steroid injection before your op was scheduled? I had one in June and it was fantastic - reminded me what my shoulder's supposed to feel like! Shame it wore off - which is when the T&O doc told me that was it, operation next.

Mine's bad at night too - most annoyingly I can't do daft things like pull the duvet over me or turn over without making a huge palaver of it and waking up dp 'cos I have to use my whole body rather than that arm to turn! And trying to sit up from lying down's not easy either is it - can't put weight on that arm (and I have a lot of weight for it to take, it was to be said... ).

Talking of which, I'm trying to lose some weight before the op - the pre-op nurse was very nice about it, but tactfully suggested I might want to try losing some weight as a BMI of 30 something isn't ideal...

Anyway, keep me posted!

hi dotty yeah i had 2 steroid injections neither of which worked . i no what you mean about the hassle of turning over at night its a nightmare isnt it.

I'll let you no how it goes with my on handed typing lol. hope your dps birthday is good. im hoping that by the middle of march mine will be ok as its my 30th birthday and would like to be able to have a couple of drinks lol

bumping as am being referred to ortho for torn rotator cuff. had a steroid shot back in sept and it was brilliant once it kicked in, to the point where I didn't follow up my ultrasound results til today when it got too bad again.

have you got a new date dotty?

tj, have you got your date yet?

Hi there - back here because I've got a new date of next Thursday

I phoned them because the date I had was too near when I had to drive, so I asked for April/May (wasn't in any rush at all - am complete coward...) but that would have been past their wait times, so the only date they could do was February 11th.

Oh joy - so I'm going in next week - 2 days before my birthday and of course it's half term the following week so the kids will be at home. Basically, crap timing!

Never mind - will report back (typing very slowly with one hand) as soon as I can after next Thursday.

Wish me luck!

oh crumbs, still at least you will have it over and done with. There's never a good time for these things.

well I had my op on Thursday last week!

It went well apparently and I was out the next day - lots of discomfort (but not very painful) and the weirdest sloshing sensation in my shoulder as the water drained (ewww....!).

So, 6 days later I'm feeling not bad at all - no pain, off all painkillers and during the day it's not bad at all. I can't move my arm above my elbow but am trying to exercise it - am out of the sling. Night time is still tricky as I can't get comfy for more than a couple of hours at a time, but I'm hoping this will improve soon.

So, just to say good luck tjacksonpfc and let me know if you've had yours done and we can compare notes!

hi dotty no i havent had mine done yet
due to winter pressure my op has been moved to the private hospital but still being done on the NHS with in the next 4 weeks i have been told. its looking like the week before easter hols. Which means at leats the dc can go to my mums which will help.

Its great doty that yours has gone so wel an your off all painkillers i no i wont be off all painkillers but thats due to a back condition that im having an MRI scan on today.

How long did you ave to wear the sling for?. did you get told like i have been that it will take 12 months to recover compleatly.

Hope you continue to recover well. ill update when i get my appointment.

badkitten hope your referal gets you sorted out

Hi there - sorry your date's been put back - hope it's manageable until then.

I wore the sling for the whole of the day after and then started to take my hand out of the sling on the day after that. I don't use it at all now except for going out, when I'm finding it's quite good to warn people to not bump in to me!

I haven't really been told much about the recovery but have looked at lots of websites, most of which seem to say around 3 - 6 months? I'm really hoping it's asap as not being able to blow dry my hair/put my bra/tights on is starting to eff me off!

update ive just had a phone call from the hospital. im going in for MRSA scan next weds then having the op on march 19th A week after my birthday so at least i will be able to go out and enjoy my 30th before going under the knife.

How are you doing now Dotty?

hooray for you

tys badkitten i did nearly cheer down the phone lol. how are you getting on with your appointment?

it is in april. feels like a long wait at the moment.

it will go quick badkitten weve nearly finished feb already.

That's great - good to have a date!

I'm doing OK but the physio at my post-op appointment told me my shoulder was stiffer than it should be and i needed urgent physio - so I start this Friday and have been doing my exercises every day - it's getting looser but is still painful (not trying to put you off!).

But it's getting better every day and 3 weeks off work can't be too bad...!

Good luck and keep us posted.

Been reading this thread with great interest. You fellow sufferers have all my sympathy and I wish everyone the best of luck with their treatment! .

I was diagnosed with shoulder subacromial decompression plus a frozen shoulder following an MRI scan last autumn. Physio didn't help at all, but I got lucky - a steroid injection last November seems to have sorted the pain completely and my shoulder/arm mobility is about 80% back to normal.

The only discomfort I get now is an occasional twinge at the site of the injection.

I'm about to embark on a fitness programme though, have just started swimming regularly and have joined a gym. I'm really worried that the problem will flare up again!

It was SUCH a debilitating condition - we moved house just when it was at it's worst. I couldn't even dress or wash without assistance, let alone pack/unpack/move furniture. The lack of sleep and side effects from painkillers didn't help either.

Can I ask anyone posting here who had temporary relief from a steroid injection, how long did the effect last before it wore off? I should have been sent a follow-up hospital appoitnment and seem to have slipped through the net. Should I be chasing them up?

Hello!

My steriod injection lasted about 6 - 8 weeks I think and then the pain came back - slowly but it came back fully after around 8 weeks.

So I went back for another steriod injection (because it was soooo brilliant to be out of pain!) and they said no, if the pain had come back it meant the operation was needed and they didn't give more than one injection - so I was put on the waiting list and here I am a few weeks later with a very sore shoulder....!

Thanks Dotty and good luck with your recovery! I was also told I might need an operation to sort the problem, but I'm hoping that after 3 months with no flare ups the steroid effects will continue to last.

I still find it difficult to blow-dry my hair, put on my bra and pull off tight jumpers. Can't scrub my back either, and still avoid sleeping on my bad side.

I'm going to ring the hospital about my appointment thought just in case. I probably need more physio.

Yes, all those things are really bugging me at the moment - although getting ds1 to blow dry my hair has given him (and me) much amusment over the past week! As long as I can do it by the time I'm back at work that'll be OK.

Can't believe I'll ever be able to do my own bra up though - my arm just won't bend behind my back at the moment, which is annoying as it used to be able to do it fine before the op...

40 minute physio sessionon Friday will probably sort me out though (gulp).

I found it really helps to take some painkillers just before a physio session. They are unlikely to have enough effect to allow you to overstretch yourself and do something damaging, but they do help with the soreness afterwards.

oooh - good idea, will do - thank you!