upcoming surgery :(

[hulkie]

Hello, I haven't been on here for awhile as i've been having shoulder problems. It all started in june as a slight pain on top of my shoulder and radiated sometimes down my arm and especially through my trap area up into my neck. I continued to train some, only to have the pain worsen. It got so bad that i could hardly sleep, let alone train.

So..i see a ortho specialist...get xrays, he says everything looks fine just ac joint is inflamed. Get naproxen and cortisone and told to return to gym. I return and am fine for 3 weeks then back to the same pain as before.

I return to doc where i am given a MRI. Results were a problem at the end of my clavicle on ac joint. (not connected or its impinging it) He said i was most likely born like this and it just now got bad.. I wanted fixed and asked if i could continue to lift. His reponse was to take naproxen and only lift when it doesnt hurt. Other words, i was told to live with this..obviously he didnt care if i could continue my desire to lift.

So after this, i decided a second opinion would be wise. I scheduled an appt with a sports ortho specialist who is known to be the best in the area. Upon his first examination he knew what lifts would aggravate it, what movements of arm, and he pressed right on the point and i was in extreme pain.

He kept saying the prior doc messed up on me, and there was no reason i shouldnt have been fixed before. He said i am a candidate for the mumford procedure..basically he said he will go in orthoscopically and shave a little off the end of my clavicle. He said a sling for a few days, few stitches, and i can begin light lifting in 2 weeks with a good improvement within a month.

So, my question is...Has anyone ever had this done before. I've read some online and some people say they wish they havent had it done. In pain..etc.
I started back working out this week and im weak...pain is still there but seems to have improved (though it will improve with cessation of lifting).

My surgery is FEB 14, just getting nervous about what to expect, and i would like to hear from someone that has had this done. This has been a great setback for me and im just feeling depressed lately. Sorry for this being so long but that about sums up the whole store of what ive been through.

 

[ALIN]

Best wishes, hope you a quick recovery.

 

[bluejay]

Good luck with it all.

 

[RearNaked]

Unfortunately, I have no info for you bro. I am however, debating the same procedure, doc told me basically the same thing. Except h gave me a much longer recovery time than you for some reason. Please keep us up to date post-surgery, I am very interested in what your results may be. Only reason I have not done it yet, is I have heard both good and bad stories of the procedure. Some say it was the best thing they ever did, and others say shit somehow got totally worse. The sleeping thing certainly does suck major ass. The corticosteroid shit worked great for me for about 4 months, the second shot did sweet fuck all. Just don't work out period, and you can also try a non addictive otc med called SleepMD or simply melatonin to help you get some rest when the pain is intense. I know no amount of otc pain meds help me. In any event, good luck my brotha!

 

[GUARDIAN]

Hello, I haven't been on here for awhile as i've been having shoulder problems. It all started in june as a slight pain on top of my shoulder and radiated sometimes down my arm and especially through my trap area up into my neck. I continued to train some, only to have the pain worsen. It got so bad that i could hardly sleep, let alone train.

So..i see a ortho specialist...get xrays, he says everything looks fine just ac joint is inflamed. Get naproxen and cortisone and told to return to gym. I return and am fine for 3 weeks then back to the same pain as before.

I return to doc where i am given a MRI. Results were a problem at the end of my clavicle on ac joint. (not connected or its impinging it) He said i was most likely born like this and it just now got bad.. I wanted fixed and asked if i could continue to lift. His reponse was to take naproxen and only lift when it doesnt hurt. Other words, i was told to live with this..obviously he didnt care if i could continue my desire to lift.

So after this, i decided a second opinion would be wise. I scheduled an appt with a sports ortho specialist who is known to be the best in the area. Upon his first examination he knew what lifts would aggravate it, what movements of arm, and he pressed right on the point and i was in extreme pain.

He kept saying the prior doc messed up on me, and there was no reason i shouldnt have been fixed before. He said i am a candidate for the mumford procedure..basically he said he will go in orthoscopically and shave a little off the end of my clavicle. He said a sling for a few days, few stitches, and i can begin light lifting in 2 weeks with a good improvement within a month.

So, my question is...Has anyone ever had this done before. I've read some online and some people say they wish they havent had it done. In pain..etc.
I started back working out this week and im weak...pain is still there but seems to have improved (though it will improve with cessation of lifting).

My surgery is FEB 14, just getting nervous about what to expect, and i would like to hear from someone that has had this done. This has been a great setback for me and im just feeling depressed lately. Sorry for this being so long but that about sums up the whole store of what ive been through.

I had it done in Dec 2006. Best thing I ever did for my shoulder. i had such pain benching or doing simple things such as putting on any long sleeve shirt or jacket. i couldnt sleep cuz i would roll over on the shoulder and wake up in pain. the vicodin was only a bandaid.

They gave me anesthesia in the form of a neck block. The doc first gave me some other type of general anesthesia and then waited awhile. he felt around my neck and push hard in certain areas that caused involuntary movement in parts of my body. he found the one for my right arm and injected more anesthetics there.

my doc made 3 tiny incisions, one over each deltoid head. u cant even see them now! and re-sectioned some of my ac and cleared out some bursitis that we didnt know about. he took lots of pictures. i can post them up if u want (if they scan ok - only got hard copies). the pix also show arthritis developing inside my socket and there is no fix for that other than complete shoulder replacement. he ventured to guess with all my years of heavy benching that the other shoulder could be affected if i wasnt careful.

i went home that day in a sling and had to constantly keep ice on it. i had quite a bit of bloody drainage and had to sleep with my back up at least at 45 degrees. i had to shower around it. i was very sick from anesthesia (but thats just me - i dont do well with very narcotic pain meds either). they gave me oxycotin for pain but it was too strong and ended up getting vicodin again. it hurt alot at first and if i accidentally banged it, it would kill. within a few days the sling was off but i was still babying it. i was back to work in 7 days, still a little sore. in two weeks the stitches came out. i was free to do whatever i wanted as long as i could handle the pain. the neat thing with this surgery was nothing was being reattached like rotator cuff so i couldnt cause any damage. scar tissue would eventually fill in the hole and cushion my ac. in 4 weeks i was lifting very light 10-20% max. by 8 weeks i was at 50% (and no pain!!!!) doc said it was common to have soreness and/or pain for up 2 six months. he said due to my advanced recovery abilities from lifting was why i healed so quick. and at 12 weeks i was hammering away as heavy as i could go.

i now shy away from barbell bench of any kind (shoulder presses are fine). i mostly do dumbells and hammer for chest just to be safe.

questions??

 

[RearNaked]

great info bro! that is exactly what i was just told 4-6 months. i guess it all depends o the doc/surgeon/individual. only for myself is, i he told me i can't work, or maybe light duty. well fuck, i build roads, it's essential i use a jackhammer/shovel/pick and toss fucking 6" concrete rings in the ground every day, no work for me = no job basically. putting on clothes and showering and shit also fucked with you too huh? did you find if you completely stayed out of the gym, and basically did nothing you could find, that you could possibly live with it a little longer? i am finding that, i am scared to do the surgery. if i am really careful in how i move it and use it, i can now sleep better and feel like it's not there all of the fucking time. what about physical therapy? did they mention anything about it to you 8? thanks bro, i am also learning a lot from this post, more than my doc/people on the street. thanks!

 

[GUARDIAN]

great info bro! that is exactly what i was just told 4-6 months. i guess it all depends o the doc/surgeon/individual. only for myself is, i he told me i can't work, or maybe light duty. well fuck, i build roads, it's essential i use a jackhammer/shovel/pick and toss fucking 6" concrete rings in the ground every day, no work for me = no job basically. putting on clothes and showering and shit also fucked with you too huh? did you find if you completely stayed out of the gym, and basically did nothing you could find, that you could possibly live with it a little longer? i am finding that, i am scared to do the surgery. if i am really careful in how i move it and use it, i can now sleep better and feel like it's not there all of the fucking time. what about physical therapy? did they mention anything about it to you 8? thanks bro, i am also learning a lot from this post, more than my doc/people on the street. thanks!

i am/was fortunate 2 have a desk job. though the doc gave me restrictions he privately told me i could do what i want w/o risk.

i was away from the gym for a long time but i couldnt avoid the sleep issue. pt was offered but no guarantees were made that it would work since we were dealing with bone against bone. plus it would be a hassle. surgery offered me the quickest recovery & highest sucess rate. my insurance paid for all but $50.

 

[RearNaked]

Yes, I was told exactly the same thing about the PT. What he said was post-surgery I would have to do sweet fuck all, basically lounge around for 2-3 months, then get into PT for another 2-3 (seems awfully long) and I should then be able to continue on with normal everyday living. I wish I had not been so reluctant and looked for info or posted something along this line 2 months ago, at the end of the construction season. It is now too late for me, I could not get surgery now until end of march, with the season starting up again in a month after that, it sadly has to be a no for me. Work is very important right now, if I stick out this years season, next year I jump up to foreman. This means, I can do a lot of sitting in the truck/paperwork, and a lot less physical labor. Then get this dreaded surgery done, and move on with my life. Can you give me any info/advice on things I can possibly do or not do to make it easier on myself/the situation? Excercises/meds perhaps, anything really? I have figured out certain things on my own, but ANY more advice I can get from fellow fitness oriented bros, in sure would be highly beneficial! Thanks again my brotha!

 

[702daswoll1]

great info bro! that is exactly what i was just told 4-6 months. i guess it all depends o the doc/surgeon/individual. only for myself is, i he told me i can't work, or maybe light duty. well fuck, i build roads, it's essential i use a jackhammer/shovel/pick and toss fucking 6" concrete rings in the ground every day, no work for me = no job basically. putting on clothes and showering and shit also fucked with you too huh? did you find if you completely stayed out of the gym, and basically did nothing you could find, that you could possibly live with it a little longer? i am finding that, i am scared to do the surgery. if i am really careful in how i move it and use it, i can now sleep better and feel like it's not there all of the fucking time. what about physical therapy? did they mention anything about it to you 8? thanks bro, i am also learning a lot from this post, more than my doc/people on the street. thanks!

Hey bro maybe it is time to change ur avi seeing as Liddell beat the fuck out of Silva. Eh? Just fucking wit ya.

 

[Selfcentor]

Good Luck bro