's story for Jeff

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeff.

Okay I hope I don't bore you to death. !!

I had a scuba diving accident at the age of 35, by the age of 37, I had my

hip replaced, I went from a very active sporty girl,

To a cripple in under a year from Avascular Necrosis. So it ended up in

both hips shoulders and one knee

..

So one by one they were all replaced, last December 08 I went into have a

revision of the right shoulder,it was 14 years old. That went fine, had 8

weeks in a sling day and night.

Until my physio got too aggressive with getting a good range of movement,

the supraspinatus tendon came off the bone.

( it is one of the rotator cuffs). I think there are 4

So 6 months after the revision I still couldn't lift my arm told my surgeon

about the the aggressive physio and he said to stop immediately,

And go back to him which I did. So Then I went to theatre the same week,

June 09 to have the tendon repaired with only a 50/50 chance,

Of it working.spent 11 weeks in a sling. I dislocated my left hip during

this time also.

Started with a new physio but I still couldn't lift my arm at all,not even a

little bit to waist height. CT scan and the tendon is floating around

unattached, so this

Meant that the new joint was no good as I had no rotator cuff any more as it

was irreparable so I went in the following week for a reverse shoulder

replacement.

Nov 30th 09,I had a reverse shoulder replacement, woke with pins and needles

in my fingers and the thumb, . The nurse said it was due to the nerve block

I went home.

Then the fingers and running up my arm was going numb with pins and needles

also, rang surgeon went straight back up there, and each way for me is 3

hours,

I wasn't dressed I had to get my son to come help me as hubby was out of

phone range, and back I went to Brisbane for a follow up, I didn't ever have

a nerve block

..

I now had a brachial plexus injury.

So the next day Dec 9th 09, I went back to theatre again, to relieve the

pressure on the nerves etc I had to have a smaller joint put in,

I still had the sutures in from the last surgery.

The surgeon only had a small window of time to make this a success,

He told me my nerves etc responded in the theatre, but I still couldn't use

my arm in any way shape or form, spent another 12 weeks in a sling,

As it took that long for the paralysis to resolve.

I have to thank Ann for her HUGE support during this time, I wouldn't care

to think how I would have been without her advise and support.

..I would even go so far as to say she saved my life.

I got the go ahead to do more physio only a month ago, but I had to rush

off to the UK from here to attend my father in laws funeral.

So I have only really been right into it for the last 3 weeks, and I can

see a huge improvement already. I have weakness still but I think that's to

be expected.

Each time I go I get a new exercise to do, and I can see its helping, I

think I spent 29 weeks total.in a sling.

When this is at its best I have to re-do the left one. Then figure out what

s going on with the dislocated hip.

Shoulder surgery is very hard , and so slow. re-hab is very painful rotator

cuff surgery is excruciating.as is the replacement,

The only way to go with a replacement shoulder when there is no rotator

cuff , is a reverse shoulder.

That's my story. xx

-- Re: TKR: Nerve icky feeling and pain

Great being released.from surgeon but I am confused, does that mean you don

t have to se him again??

When I have a joint done I have to see the doc at 2 weeks to remove sutures

then again at 6 weeks with a check x-ray,

I do feel like I am forever going to surgeons, as I have a shoulder, knee

and hip one.



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