Skip to main content

And if you suddenly run out of gel packs, a bag of frozen peas works just nicely.

I have both of my natural knees but have had a bunch of sinus surgeries.  The last one was to open up a passage on the left side that had grown shut due to previous scar tissue gone wild.  My ENT guy was also the surgeon, a car guy and had a great sense of humor so before I went under, pre-surgery, I had one of the pre-op nurses write the following on my left cheek:

”THIS SIDE”

They told me he laughed like hell when he saw it.

Last edited by Gordon Nichols
ALB posted:

Good morning, Robert. Hope everything is going as well as can be expected. And good to see you still have your sense of humor...  Al

Thank you Al. Everyday is an improvement over the last. Sleeping very well now. Last night I slept from 11-2 and from 2-7 this morning. I’m sleeping on my side with a pillow between my knees. Dreams are much stranger though. Probably the pain meds. Lol 

Last edited by Robert M

I've been reading about all the knee replacements out there, so I thought I'd up the ante a little and show you my brand new bionic titanium "ass-backwards" shoulder. I put Speedie in her storage locker Oct. 1st, poured in some STA-BIL, covered her up and kissed her goodbye until next Feb. This year's hibernation wasn't because of the usual winter weather; it's because there's no way I'll be turning the wheel (left hand) while shifting (right hand) for at least 16 weeks. Check out the left shoulder x-ray on 10/14/19 and compare it to the x-ray taken 10/16/19. You Mechanical Engineers out there might notice why the procedure is called a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement : See how the "ball" head of the humerus was sawed off, replaced with a titanium "cup" driven 6" into the arm bone, ...and a new titanium ball was screwed into the scapula with THREE friggin' 2" titanium screws - This is why I'm enjoying R&R for such a long time. I had my left hip replaced 5 years ago @ 70, this now at 75, and I've got a tentative appt. scheduled next July for the total replacement of my left knee. Me and Arthur Ritis are on a first-name basis! Let me know if any of you knuckleheads want an autographed 8X10 glossy @ two for the price of one! BEFOREAFTER

Attachments

Images (2)
  • BEFORE
  • AFTER

Paul....Your shoulder looks very much like what the showed for a hip joint replacement in the class I attended today for knee and hip replacements.  They talked about that they usually enter from the rear and cut thru some muscles in the process but now are slowly changing and going thru the front and don't cut any of the muscles.  Any of this is invasive as hell but the results are usually pretty good.  I guess I'll find out next week.

Bruce

aircooled posted:

Paul....Your shoulder looks very much like what the showed for a hip joint replacement in the class I attended today for knee and hip replacements.  They talked about that they usually enter from the rear and cut thru some muscles in the process but now are slowly changing and going thru the front and don't cut any of the muscles.  Any of this is invasive as hell but the results are usually pretty good.  I guess I'll find out next week.

Bruce

The Anterior (front) Hip Arthroplasty has become the "norm" for several years. Mine was done in 2014 by an orthopedist in Napa, CA, (John Diana, MD) who really specializes in ONLY knees and hips, and he's actually done thousands of them. You're absolutely right in that this procedure is, by far, the way to go. With the minimal damage to muscles and the prosthetics so precisely fitted, I was home in 3 days and pretty much fully recovered in 6 to 8 weeks. That said, I'd take the hip replacement over the friggin' shoulder FOR SURE! As for the knee, my surgeon is a co-founder of the St. Helena Coon Joint Replacement Institute, where they do minimally invasive robotic assisted replacements. This procedure has the patient WALKING OUT and going home the day after surgery, and full recovery within a month.  Good luck with YOUR replacement, Bruce! 

 

Wow, those recovery times are amazing.  I had a shoulder cleaned up (nothing artificial added) and the recovery was over 3 months of a lot of PT and the associated pain and limited usefulness along with it (Does this hurt?)

OTOH, friends have had knees and hips replaced (full and partial) and walk out of the hospital in a day or so with very short recovery times.  Amazing.

Looks like I chose the wrong body part to screw up way back when!

Worker’s Comp has finally gotten their head on straight.  In home physical therapy starts on Thursday. Tuesday afternoon I took off the Aquacel Bandage and found I was “stitched” together with 27 staples. Looked like someone went crazy with a Swingline. Hard to tell if the bruising is lessening or just shifting around. Not feeling too much pain but when I stand or walk around I feel pressure in the leg especially around the new joint. That pressure is the only thing interfering with my flexibility. I’ll see how PT goes tomorrow and we’ll talk about the pain again. Lol

E9BAD35D-9CAD-4DC0-9615-5F7534C3CE91

Attachments

Images (1)
  • E9BAD35D-9CAD-4DC0-9615-5F7534C3CE91
Robert M posted:
Panhandle Bob posted:

When ALB gets his he will demand that they drill some lightening holes in the hardware.

Titanium is light but it can always be lighter  

I like the idea of titanium, but the idea of drilling holes will only come up if we're doing both sides. What I will also ask about is if they can make me taller...

Napa Paul posted:

I've been reading about all the knee replacements out there, so I thought I'd up the ante a little and show you my brand new bionic titanium "ass-backwards" shoulder. I put Speedie in her storage locker Oct. 1st, poured in some STA-BIL, covered her up and kissed her goodbye until next Feb. This year's hibernation wasn't because of the usual winter weather; it's because there's no way I'll be turning the wheel (left hand) while shifting (right hand) for at least 16 weeks. Check out the left shoulder x-ray on 10/14/19 and compare it to the x-ray taken 10/16/19. You Mechanical Engineers out there might notice why the procedure is called a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement : See how the "ball" head of the humerus was sawed off, replaced with a titanium "cup" driven 6" into the arm bone, ...and a new titanium ball was screwed into the scapula with THREE friggin' 2" titanium screws - This is why I'm enjoying R&R for such a long time. I had my left hip replaced 5 years ago @ 70, this now at 75, and I've got a tentative appt. scheduled next July for the total replacement of my left knee. Me and Arthur Ritis are on a first-name basis! Let me know if any of you knuckleheads want an autographed 8X10 glossy @ two for the price of one! BEFOREAFTER

Wow, I just had an MRI done for  a fully torn rotator cuff so If the doc can repair it that's one thing, if he cannot, it means a full shoulder replacement like yours. Monday I will find out what direction he will take after he views the MRI. Wishing you all the best and a fast recovery from this shoulder replacement!

Dutch posted:
Napa Paul posted:

I've been reading about all the knee replacements out there, so I thought I'd up the ante a little and show you my brand new bionic titanium "ass-backwards" shoulder. I put Speedie in her storage locker Oct. 1st, poured in some STA-BIL, covered her up and kissed her goodbye until next Feb. This year's hibernation wasn't because of the usual winter weather; it's because there's no way I'll be turning the wheel (left hand) while shifting (right hand) for at least 16 weeks. Check out the left shoulder x-ray on 10/14/19 and compare it to the x-ray taken 10/16/19. You Mechanical Engineers out there might notice why the procedure is called a Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement : See how the "ball" head of the humerus was sawed off, replaced with a titanium "cup" driven 6" into the arm bone, ...and a new titanium ball was screwed into the scapula with THREE friggin' 2" titanium screws - This is why I'm enjoying R&R for such a long time. I had my left hip replaced 5 years ago @ 70, this now at 75, and I've got a tentative appt. scheduled next July for the total replacement of my left knee. Me and Arthur Ritis are on a first-name basis! Let me know if any of you knuckleheads want an autographed 8X10 glossy @ two for the price of one! BEFOREAFTER

Wow, I just had an MRI done for  a fully torn rotator cuff so If the doc can repair it that's one thing, if he cannot, it means a full shoulder replacement like yours. Monday I will find out what direction he will take after he views the MRI. Wishing you all the best and a fast recovery from this shoulder replacement!

Let's hope you've got the torn rotator because 90% of the time THAT can be repaired...and even better, it probably would be done with arthroscopic surgery. That is, MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY   consisting of one 1/2" incision and, most likely, in & out in one day. Yeah, you will have 30-45 days of PT rehab....BUT that's the "only way to fly" compared to a total replacement. I had that done about 25 years ago and everything worked and felt fine until about a yr. ago. An MRI showed the OA (osteoarthritis) had grown worse and worse and over the 25 yrs. had abraded all the muscle tissue, the rotator cuff, and everything else that makes the shoulder operate from the topside. A "normal" replacement of the ball and socket would not have lasted any time at all....so I had to go with the Reverse Procedure (MUCH MORE complicated and should be done ONLY by ortho specialists who have done 100's of them). So-o-o, I'll keep my fingers crossed that your MRI shows the rotator to be fixable and there's no further damage to muscle tissue. BTW: I had to have another MRI yesterday (Wed. the 11th) on my RIGHT shoulder. I've been experiencing some pain in that rotator - my specialist took an x-ray and told me the joint looked pretty good ...so he said the MRI would show if all I "might" need is another arthroscopy - Damn! I hope so! I should know the results by Monday, the 16th. That Arthur Ritis sure is one sumbitch!  

ALB posted:
Robert M posted:
Panhandle Bob posted:

When ALB gets his he will demand that they drill some lightening holes in the hardware.

Titanium is light but it can always be lighter  

I like the idea of titanium, but the idea of drilling holes will only come up if we're doing both sides. What I will also ask about is if they can make me taller...

It feels as though my left leg is slightly longer. Hopefully when they do the right knee in a month or so they get it all lined up. Lol

So I’m sleeping all night in a variety of positions, off the pain meds, walking without the cane, and doing a lot of walking. I can even put my socks and shoes on by myself like a big kid should. The physical therapist cane to the house yesterday for an assessment and some exercises. He said I was well ahead of where he expected me to be so he had me do some additional exercises besides what the hospital gave me. He had me doing squats and some quad flexors. While I was seated he bent my leg for me to just past 90 degrees. I was afraid of opening the incision but everything held together fine. 

Nancy and I went to her staff Christmas party and I drove. Climbing up into my truck was easy enough and getting out wasn’t an issue either. The only thing I had to do was put the seat all the way back before I got in or out. 

My wife did both knees in less than a year apart. It has been a life changing event for her after years of putting it off. She is even nice to me now. I hope they had the right length cable for the clutch. That can be a problem on these little babies of ours on occasion. Perhaps the replacement will mellow you out a bit, not a chance of that. I love you regardless. 

 

Post Content
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×