Info on options for are after surgery ? ?

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Need a little experienced info on options for after surgery assistance ?

I can no longer stand the pain and I am making arrangements for a rotator cuff surgery .

Any one had this procedure ?

How about rehab time ? I had Arthroscopic surgery way back in 05 and that is actually scraping the bone for spurs and stop the grinding pain . As it was explained to me . Is Orthroscopic Surgery more or less painful that a rotator cuff surgery ?

Is rotator cuff repair as painful ? I was in very bad pain and hurt very bad after the nerve block wore off !

ALSO A DIFFERENT TWIST ! I need some where to go for a short time after surgery ? Anyone know the options available ? My GF has to work and no family that I can ask to assist !

This is concerning to me along with rehab time ?

[Proximal]

Just going with basics here, because surgeries are going to vary depending upon the amount of damage the surgeon finds and his surgical approach and protocol to recovery/rehab (vary from surgeon to surgeon many times).

The surgeries are typically arthroscopic. Depending on the surgeon, you will be in an immobilization brace for 4 - 8 weeks, depending upon the procedure/damage. You will pretty much have to function with one arm. You will likely feel better and be very tempted to do more (even taking your arm out of the brace), which is common and deceiving - but DON'T RUSH AND DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON!

The pain shouldn't be a huge issue, but can be nagging for some.

You won't be seeing serious lifting again with that arm/shoulder for at least 6-8 months or more, depending on your damage and your surgeon's protocol.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

OMG ! 6 to 8 mths. it is already my weak side !!! I had that Arthroscopic when he just scraped the bone for bone spurs after my accident on the other side and the pain was through the roof and I am very pain tolerable ! I have much of my dental work done with no shots ! but I had a nerve block last time and when it wore of the pain was so intense ! I slept in a recliner for a week with all kinds of pillows to prop it up ! But that I will just have to deal with !

I am really concerned with the rehab and no assistance ? Not sure if I can get a day nurse from the VA , but I think I can ? I am taking care of my 86 year old parents now and can't really return to help them or expect any assistance from them ! As a matter of fact I would be in the way at their home !

Got to find some type of care assistance !

Just going with basics here, because surgeries are going to vary depending upon the amount of damage the surgeon finds and his surgical approach and protocol to recovery/rehab (vary from surgeon to surgeon many times).

The surgeries are typically arthroscopic. Depending on the surgeon, you will be in an immobilization brace for 4 - 8 weeks, depending upon the procedure/damage. You will pretty much have to function with one arm. You will likely feel better and be very tempted to do more (even taking your arm out of the brace), which is common and deceiving - but DON'T RUSH AND DO TOO MUCH TOO SOON!

The pain shouldn't be a huge issue, but can be nagging for some.

You won't be seeing serious lifting again with that arm/shoulder for at least 6-8 months or more, depending on your damage and your surgeon's protocol.

[Proximal]

Is the surgery mandatory Buzz? How did your surgeon determine that you had to go under the knife?

If you are the care-giver for your parents, you'd have to do it with one arm.

Really sounds like you are between a rock and a hard place Buzz, sorry!

[Beetlegeuse]

I'm six months post-op for the repair of a complete tear of the supraspinatus. Our situations are somewhat similar in that I'm a vet, too, and my procedure was funded by the VA. However, it wasn't the VA who did mine.

In case you aren't aware, the VA has a program to pay for getting you treated by an outside (civilian) physician. Veteran's Choice is supposed to help vets get access to health care all the sooner. It does a piss-poor job of that, and it can be a pain in the ass because it subjects you to an additional new level of beauracracy (versus 'regular' VA care), but it does give you the option to pick your own (civilian) doctor. If you're not familiar with Veteran's Coice and want more details, let me know.


The surgery itself should be painless. My new favorite pain killer is fentanyl, because this surgery was the first time I'd had it. It's 200x stronger than heroin! Good shit, Maynard! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) there's no euphoria from fentanyl like there is with heroin, just ten tons of "I don't give a fuck-ness."

My repair was arthroscopic. The waiver I signed before the surgery included a clause that authorized them to go old-school if they found problems making it necessary once they got inside, but they didn't see the need to go that route. I had five separate incisions, each less than an inch long. The scars are barely noticeable. My doctor described them as looking like "chicken scratchings," and that's about the size of it.

My suprapinatus tendon was completely severed. Tendons are notoriously slow to heal, so in my case they didn't even bother to try. Instead they stretched the remaining supraspinatus muscle down to the arm bone and attached it mechanically to the bone. In time, the bone and muscle will fuse and function just as the old tendon did.

They also shaved a bit off the bottom of my subacromial arch because growths that tend to accumulate on it with age can impinge on the underlying muscle, even wear clean through it. So I also had to spend a couple of months guarding against damaging the surgically weakened bone structure there.

Post-op pain is highly individual but the mechanics of re-attaching a muscle to bone to re-route a torn tendon involves stuff that causes most people considerable post-op pain. In most cases like mine, they would have used an electronic nerve block device to get me through the first few days. However, one of the complications of me using Veteran's Choice is that the VA wouldn't spring for the extra $350 for the nerve block device because a $10 bottle of oxycodone (pain killer) is cheaper. Whether that also means the VA doesn't use nerve blocks for post-op pain when they do the surgery, I couldn't tell you.

I had no post-op pain at all, but then I never do. I have an extensive orthopedic history, and I just don't do post-op pain. It's not that I have a high pain threshold, because I prefer to be heavily medicated, even when I'm having my teeth cleaned. There's just something odd about me that I don't feel pain when I come out of anesthesia.

But the real misery isn't the post-op pain, it's staying trussed up like a rack of lamb for weeks on end. It's not that the immobilization device itself is uncomfortable, it's the simple fact of keeping that limb in the same position for so long. At times it's maddening.

In my case, for a month, all movement of the affected arm had to be "passive," meaning the only time I was allowed to move that arm was when the other arm was moving it. I also spent that month wearing a DonJoy shoulder cradle essentially all the time.

The function of the DonJoy (or other shoulder immobilizing device) is to keep the joint aligned into the position that optimizes healing, as well as preventing re-injury to the healing tissues from accidental bumps and whatnot. So they'll want you to stay in it as much as possible, but you obviously can't change clothes when you're wearing this thing, or bathe.

Having the one arm immobilized complicates caring for yourself but doesn't make it impossible. I live alone and was able to get by. For me, the biggest complication was bathing. You shouldn't get the DonJoy wet (or probably any similar deice) so be sure you've got a simple sling that can be got wet beforehand to wear in the bath/shower. Something with velcro or fastex closures than can be put on and removed one-handed.

Bathing generally is more complicated than showering for the simple fact that it can be hard to get into and out of a bath tub without the use of one arm. It's worse if the outside arm (when you're sitting in the tub) also is on the affected side.

In either case, even the passive range of motion of the affected shoulder will be so limited for the first few weeks that it will be difficult to keep that armpit as clean and as deodorized as you might prefer.

Lack of mobility also means that that armpit will get less than normal ventilation, so it will tend to stay damp. If you can dust it with baby powder after every bath, that will help prevent "diaper rash," and at least you'll smell like a baby's ass instead of an old pair of sweat socks.

Also consider how you eat, and stock your kitchen accordingly. It would have been impossible for me to use a mechanical can opener for that first month, and I don't own an electric one. If I couldn't get by that long without some canned food or other, I'd have had to get one. As it was, I'm a pizza junkie, and I make homemade pizzas. You can't do much of a job kneading bread with just one arm, so the day before the surgery I made and froze a bunch of pizza crust dough balls, enough to get me through the first six weeks or so. Consider how you eat and think ahead what you'll need to buy and what changes to your preparations you'll need to make, particularly for that first month.

For the first week or so I was expected to sleep in a recliner, sort of sitting up. The point was that this position would let the cradle control the position of my shoulder. If I had been lying in bed, flat of my back, the mattress would have pushed the shoulder joint around any way it wanted, putting unnecessary strain on healing tissues.

But I absolutely cannot sleep sitting up, not without chemical assistance, and I only got through this with the help of Ambien. After the first week, I was allowed to sleep in bed but I still had to wear the damned cradle. My sleep resembles a trout that some fisherman has caught and tossed up on the bank, so even once I was out of the immobilizer, sleep was my biggest challenge.

I was in the cradle for six weeks, transitioning out of it and into a sling for the next four weeks. Then I was a month transitioning out of the sling. Toward the end of that month, it mostly was used as a visual indicator to others that there was something wrong with that arm and it shouldn't be messed with.

About four months out I was allowed to resume my passion, bicycling, but only very cautiously, and under a number or specific restrictions. If I'd crashed or just fallen over, and had reached out to catch my fall with the wrong arm, it would have meant the waste of a lot of pain and suffering.

I'm six months out now, the VA won't pay for any more therapy but I'm still far from 100%. Still doing the same exercises I was in therapy, but only with slightly heavier weights. I'm sure my age has some impact (I'm 60) but I won't be fully "released" by the surgeon probably until I'm nine months or so post-op.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Thank you so much for the detailed info just what I needed and did not want to hear !


My self I will be 57 in August I have had 2 shoulder ops and as you lots of orthopedic surgeries ! The post op pain is my primary concern due to previous experiences ! I may be a wus but the 1st week post op I need assistance in food prep and even getting out of the recliner ? I also have no one to assist me past a ride to and from the outpatient procedure . I have Etna and have had to deal with Veterans choice a real PITA ! I have not been evaluated by my Dr yet still dealing with Veterans Choice I have to report to the VA a few times a year for check-ups due to being 40 miles away from and no home care care giver , but stll ! It may be possible that I have just a tear that will mend if I stop all use & go through rehab ? I at times now have to hold my t - shirt when I walk or the pain is unbearable ! Still when I saw the 1st signs of pain I only lightened my weight and continued to train ( Being a DA Jarhead ) I had an issue before and actually used TB - 500 to repair , that time and it worked ! I have only been on TB - 500 for 2 weeks and stopped training .

With the info you were kind enough to share I do KNOW now I will continue to wait up to 6 mths and only train back legs and abs ! I have read in other articles that it is possible to still train some body parts and not the injured one and still aid in the repair of the shoulder ? I know I have to either rehab the shoulder , have surgery or be in a lot of pain ! I do not mean to sound anal about this . As you due to age the 8 to 10 mths of non training would be a huge loose ! But I know I am to the point of required to do something !

One question is I had a hip implant and they did not reconnect the blood vessel to the hip joint due to age and I am curious as to how well all the re connection has gone for you ? When I had my shoulder and Bicep repaired before the pain was through the roof and I have used Fentynal patches before and they made it all but impossible to drive ! and had to be changed ever 2 days if I am not mistaken and after about a mth of use was already addicted to it ? How long did it take you to tirate down ? It has bee 12 years since my past surgery is why I ask ?


I truly am thankful for all of your 411 ! I want to give the TB - 500 a chance and try to avoid surgery ! Due to down time either way and experience with TB - 500 the repair time with no surgery is about 6 mths so a chance on no surgery as opposed to surgery and the pain and inconvenience is worth a chance ! So I am going to attempt Veterans Choice again on Monday and see my specialist in hopes he will go along with a rehab program and let the TB - 500 do it's magic !

AGAIN I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THE DETAILED INFO ! YOU ARE TO KIND TO SHARE THE DETAILED EXPERIENCE !

I'm six months post-op for the repair of a complete tear of the supraspinatus. Our situations are somewhat similar in that I'm a vet, too, and my procedure was funded by the VA. However, it wasn't the VA who did mine.

In case you aren't aware, the VA has a program to pay for getting you treated by an outside (civilian) physician. Veteran's Choice is supposed to help vets get access to health care all the sooner. It does a piss-poor job of that, and it can be a pain in the ass because it subjects you to an additional new level of beauracracy (versus 'regular' VA care), but it does give you the option to pick your own (civilian) doctor. If you're not familiar with Veteran's Coice and want more details, let me know.


The surgery itself should be painless. My new favorite pain killer is fentanyl, because this surgery was the first time I'd had it. It's 200x stronger than heroin! Good shit, Maynard! Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) there's no euphoria from fentanyl like there is with heroin, just ten tons of "I don't give a fuck-ness."

My repair was arthroscopic. The waiver I signed before the surgery included a clause that authorized them to go old-school if they found problems making it necessary once they got inside, but they didn't see the need to go that route. I had five separate incisions, each less than an inch long. The scars are barely noticeable. My doctor described them as looking like "chicken scratchings," and that's about the size of it.

My suprapinatus tendon was completely severed. Tendons are notoriously slow to heal, so in my case they didn't even bother to try. Instead they stretched the remaining supraspinatus muscle down to the arm bone and attached it mechanically to the bone. In time, the bone and muscle will fuse and function just as the old tendon did.

They also shaved a bit off the bottom of my subacromial arch because growths that tend to accumulate on it with age can impinge on the underlying muscle, even wear clean through it. So I also had to spend a couple of months guarding against damaging the surgically weakened bone structure there.

Post-op pain is highly individual but the mechanics of re-attaching a muscle to bone to re-route a torn tendon involves stuff that causes most people considerable post-op pain. In most cases like mine, they would have used an electronic nerve block device to get me through the first few days. However, one of the complications of me using Veteran's Choice is that the VA wouldn't spring for the extra $350 for the nerve block device because a $10 bottle of oxycodone (pain killer) is cheaper. Whether that also means the VA doesn't use nerve blocks for post-op pain when they do the surgery, I couldn't tell you.

I had no post-op pain at all, but then I never do. I have an extensive orthopedic history, and I just don't do post-op pain. It's not that I have a high pain threshold, because I prefer to be heavily medicated, even when I'm having my teeth cleaned. There's just something odd about me that I don't feel pain when I come out of anesthesia.

But the real misery isn't the post-op pain, it's staying trussed up like a rack of lamb for weeks on end. It's not that the immobilization device itself is uncomfortable, it's the simple fact of keeping that limb in the same position for so long. At times it's maddening.

In my case, for a month, all movement of the affected arm had to be "passive," meaning the only time I was allowed to move that arm was when the other arm was moving it. I also spent that month wearing a DonJoy shoulder cradle essentially all the time.

The function of the DonJoy (or other shoulder immobilizing device) is to keep the joint aligned into the position that optimizes healing, as well as preventing re-injury to the healing tissues from accidental bumps and whatnot. So they'll want you to stay in it as much as possible, but you obviously can't change clothes when you're wearing this thing, or bathe.

Having the one arm immobilized complicates caring for yourself but doesn't make it impossible. I live alone and was able to get by. For me, the biggest complication was bathing. You shouldn't get the DonJoy wet (or probably any similar deice) so be sure you've got a simple sling that can be got wet beforehand to wear in the bath/shower. Something with velcro or fastex closures than can be put on and removed one-handed.

Bathing generally is more complicated than showering for the simple fact that it can be hard to get into and out of a bath tub without the use of one arm. It's worse if the outside arm (when you're sitting in the tub) also is on the affected side.

In either case, even the passive range of motion of the affected shoulder will be so limited for the first few weeks that it will be difficult to keep that armpit as clean and as deodorized as you might prefer.

Lack of mobility also means that that armpit will get less than normal ventilation, so it will tend to stay damp. If you can dust it with baby powder after every bath, that will help prevent "diaper rash," and at least you'll smell like a baby's ass instead of an old pair of sweat socks.

Also consider how you eat, and stock your kitchen accordingly. It would have been impossible for me to use a mechanical can opener for that first month, and I don't own an electric one. If I couldn't get by that long without some canned food or other, I'd have had to get one. As it was, I'm a pizza junkie, and I make homemade pizzas. You can't do much of a job kneading bread with just one arm, so the day before the surgery I made and froze a bunch of pizza crust dough balls, enough to get me through the first six weeks or so. Consider how you eat and think ahead what you'll need to buy and what changes to your preparations you'll need to make, particularly for that first month.

For the first week or so I was expected to sleep in a recliner, sort of sitting up. The point was that this position would let the cradle control the position of my shoulder. If I had been lying in bed, flat of my back, the mattress would have pushed the shoulder joint around any way it wanted, putting unnecessary strain on healing tissues.

But I absolutely cannot sleep sitting up, not without chemical assistance, and I only got through this with the help of Ambien. After the first week, I was allowed to sleep in bed but I still had to wear the damned cradle. My sleep resembles a trout that some fisherman has caught and tossed up on the bank, so even once I was out of the immobilizer, sleep was my biggest challenge.

I was in the cradle for six weeks, transitioning out of it and into a sling for the next four weeks. Then I was a month transitioning out of the sling. Toward the end of that month, it mostly was used as a visual indicator to others that there was something wrong with that arm and it shouldn't be messed with.

About four months out I was allowed to resume my passion, bicycling, but only very cautiously, and under a number or specific restrictions. If I'd crashed or just fallen over, and had reached out to catch my fall with the wrong arm, it would have meant the waste of a lot of pain and suffering.

I'm six months out now, the VA won't pay for any more therapy but I'm still far from 100%. Still doing the same exercises I was in therapy, but only with slightly heavier weights. I'm sure my age has some impact (I'm 60) but I won't be fully "released" by the surgeon probably until I'm nine months or so post-op.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Well I cam barely walk with my arm hanging ? But I can still do some task ? Only totally stopped in the gym last Thurs. Lots of pain Fri. and still dealing with Veteran's Choice so it will be my Dr and free surgery or PT either of the 2 . Etna covers 24 days and th
e VA 6 mths of PT so with Veteran's Choice and Etna I can get top notch care and rehab ! I checked with DAV and the VA will send an in home nurse out and or as prescribed by the Dr. So have to arrange every thing in advance and cover all my bases !

Is the surgery mandatory Buzz? How did your surgeon determine that you had to go under the knife?

If you are the care-giver for your parents, you'd have to do it with one arm.

Really sounds like you are between a rock and a hard place Buzz, sorry!

[Proximal]

I just asked because it just sounded like it was an impossibility to find care for your folks. Sounds like you have the coverage for yourself though, happy to hear that!

Been living with a torn RC for many years myself, but never had pain as bad as you. Actually I am going in for another MRI myself this week, because I just might have to have the surgery myself.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

I have good kids that are grown and they will check in on my parents ! All 3 are busy 2 work & go to school and between the 3 they can check on my parents 2 x's a day and they have friends from Church that will check also , so for the short term I am not that worried about them . I hope to get the Green light from Veteran's Choice one day this week ? I am going to my MD today and see if he will do X - Rays or at least some pain meds until I can get to my Specialist !

I will keep you posted as to how things go ! I honestly think if I would have gone sooner and got on some goood PT I would not be in as much pain now and with the TB - 500 I am still going to shoot for rehab as opposed to going under the knife ! I have used it before with amazing results !

I just asked because it just sounded like it was an impossibility to find care for your folks. Sounds like you have the coverage for yourself though, happy to hear that!

Been living with a torn RC for many years myself, but never had pain as bad as you. Actually I am going in for another MRI myself this week, because I just might have to have the surgery myself.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

I got 411 from my MD and he said se a specialist and get an MRI ! He thinks I have a torn Librium , hoping forrehab and TB - 500 !

[Proximal]

MRI is a great idea to tell you exactly what is up with the shoulder. You might not be able to work around a torn labrum though, Buzz.

[Beetlegeuse]

I was going to suggest that an MRI might be worth its weight in gold. Some things therapy just can't fix, and I ain't gettin' no younger, so I tend to want to get it fixed and get it over with.

[Proximal]

Any update Buzz?

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Any update Buzz?

Sad but true VA red tape ! Goi to a Dr Aug 30th to get a chit to see a civilian Dr for MRI through veterans Choice ! However in the mean time have been doing cardio and legs with feather weigh lifting and TB - 500 - - - - - Shoulder is amazingly better and not in pain or need of a sling anymore actually have full range of motion with few catches ! I still want the MRi but it is amazingly improved ! This is my 2nd treatment with TB - 500 and positive results both times !

[Beetlegeuse]

Glad it's improved, BuzzardMarinePumper. And I hope you can avoid the surgery.

If you've not had one before, getting an MRI is a lot like sticking your head in a metal bucket while someone bangs on it as fast and as hard as they can with a crescent wrench. Wikipedia says it's a loud as a jet engine (120 dB) so you have to wear ear plugs during the scan.

Lying perfectly motionless for 20 minutes in that tiny little tube while that banging is going on gets on my nerves. Just to have some kind of distraction, I started counting my breaths, which also gives me a rough estimate of the passage of time, so I can have some idea of how much longer before it's over (because you can't wear a watch, and couldn't move your head to look at it if you had one).

MRI machines are getting quieter all the time, but the VA naturally has the oldest and noisiest machines in existence. The last MRI I had, from civilians, before this last supraspinatus repair, the machine was noticeably quieter. Not only that, they had a non-magnetic (all plastic) headset for me to wear, sort of like the one's on commercial airplanes, and I got to listen to my favorite radio station. The fidelity sucked, but it was better than nothing.

The thing is, I still counted my breaths, but counting 12 breaths to a minute, this MRI only lasted 12 minutes. Except it wasn't really any shorter than previous scans, it's just that I was so much more relaxed (because I had some entertainment) that my respirations were that much slower.

So not only will Vet's Choice probably get the procedure done at least a little quicker than the VA could have got to you, it probably will be much less unpleasant.


One more point I should have added in my earlier post about the procedure. I asked my surgeon about giving me a script in advance of the operation so I could get post-op pain meds at a reduced cost from the VA pharmacy, in advance of the surgery, and have them waiting (even though I've avoided post-op pain in the past, I wasn't going to take any chances). He said that wouldn't be necessary because he would implant an electric nerve block that would keep me pain-free for about three days. But he was unaware the VA wouldn't pay for the implant. I only found this out from the anesthesiologist, and only while I was being prepped for surgery, and by then, it obviously was too late.

So if they ever get around to talking surgery with you, and if you have concerns about post-op pain, I would highly recommend you bring them up to speed on VA procedures and see if you can come up with a work-around.


Something else I might have mentioned, not directly pertinent to you, BuzzardMarinePumper, if your problem is the labrum, but I'm adding it for the benefit of anyone sitting on the fence over rotator cuff surgery who might come across this thread.

The suture they used to tie my supraspinatus to the humerus (so they could fuse) is a new-fangled material that neither dissolves, rots nor gets absorbed into your body. So even after the surgical repair heals, the sutures remain in place to serve as reinforcement to the repaired muscle, which reduces the likelihood of a re-tear. If the manufacturer's claims are accurate, my sutures will still be there, still reinforcing my supraspinatus, when I die (no, I can't feel them).

All of which, IMHO, if you're undecided, is another tick-mark in the "Yes, do have the surgery" column.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Very good 411 on the MRi ! I have had several and I could not have put it into words any better ! Also been dealing with the VA over 7 years and with Veterans Choice over 2 so both actually suck and different from state to state ! Even though Federal Govt., Employees come from the local area ! I am closest to the VA hospital in Atlanta and I drive over 90 miles north to a clinic to avoid the VA in ( Decatur ) Atlanta ! I am over 50 miles from any clinic yet still have to be refereed for a procedure by a VA Dr. 1st and each issue has to be re assessed by Veterans Choice ! Just a big screwed up mess in this area !

As stated before the TB - 500 is great stuff and Elite Fitness has a great write up on how it functions in the body and I have used enough to have IMHO to know a couple of dependable online suppliers ! Even the VA Dr I saw had actually heard of TB - 500 or Beta 4000 ! He did not react in a negative manner when I shared I had been self medicating , but VA procedure had to be followed even by Veterans Choice as I was told ? So back for more x - rays and then have them assessed and then he felt ? ?? ?? As from a physical exam that I would be refereed to rehab ?

I am not knowledgeable enough of my rights to know what to do ? No one I know of that can give me exact rights under Veterans Choice ? Not the VA and not Choice not even DAV reps in my area ? So goes the long drawn out process ? If you know a better way I welcome your knowledgeable advise !

Today is the Sept 5th and Shoulder much improved since my last post on the 26th ! Had 2 shoulder surgeries and spinal was paid for since I have Veterans Choice and Etna ! But due to all the hazards of a spinal I would never have for just an MRi ! I would just get a valium or Xanax from civilian MD after telling him the use I needed it for ! Even some herb if nothing else ! Not a big deal in this area if not a dealer not really frowned upon any more than personal use of gear ? But you again are on spot with the MRi ; very loud and not fun ! But since being ran over by a truck in 02 I have had uncountable # of Mri's and just learned to deal with them !

THANK YOU FOR YOU POST ~ !

Glad it's improved, BuzzardMarinePumper. And I hope you can avoid the surgery.

If you've not had one before, getting an MRI is a lot like sticking your head in a metal bucket while someone bangs on it as fast and as hard as they can with a crescent wrench. Wikipedia says it's a loud as a jet engine (120 dB) so you have to wear ear plugs during the scan.

Lying perfectly motionless for 20 minutes in that tiny little tube while that banging is going on gets on my nerves. Just to have some kind of distraction, I started counting my breaths, which also gives me a rough estimate of the passage of time, so I can have some idea of how much longer before it's over (because you can't wear a watch, and couldn't move your head to look at it if you had one).

MRI machines are getting quieter all the time, but the VA naturally has the oldest and noisiest machines in existence. The last MRI I had, from civilians, before this last supraspinatus repair, the machine was noticeably quieter. Not only that, they had a non-magnetic (all plastic) headset for me to wear, sort of like the one's on commercial airplanes, and I got to listen to my favorite radio station. The fidelity sucked, but it was better than nothing.

The thing is, I still counted my breaths, but counting 12 breaths to a minute, this MRI only lasted 12 minutes. Except it wasn't really any shorter than previous scans, it's just that I was so much more relaxed (because I had some entertainment) that my respirations were that much slower.

So not only will Vet's Choice probably get the procedure done at least a little quicker than the VA could have got to you, it probably will be much less unpleasant.


One more point I should have added in my earlier post about the procedure. I asked my surgeon about giving me a script in advance of the operation so I could get post-op pain meds at a reduced cost from the VA pharmacy, in advance of the surgery, and have them waiting (even though I've avoided post-op pain in the past, I wasn't going to take any chances). He said that wouldn't be necessary because he would implant an electric nerve block that would keep me pain-free for about three days. But he was unaware the VA wouldn't pay for the implant. I only found this out from the anesthesiologist, and only while I was being prepped for surgery, and by then, it obviously was too late.

So if they ever get around to talking surgery with you, and if you have concerns about post-op pain, I would highly recommend you bring them up to speed on VA procedures and see if you can come up with a work-around.


Something else I might have mentioned, not directly pertinent to you, BuzzardMarinePumper, if your problem is the labrum, but I'm adding it for the benefit of anyone sitting on the fence over rotator cuff surgery who might come across this thread.

The suture they used to tie my supraspinatus to the humerus (so they could fuse) is a new-fangled material that neither dissolves, rots nor gets absorbed into your body. So even after the surgical repair heals, the sutures remain in place to serve as reinforcement to the repaired muscle, which reduces the likelihood of a re-tear. If the manufacturer's claims are accurate, my sutures will still be there, still reinforcing my supraspinatus, when I die (no, I can't feel them).

All of which, IMHO, if you're undecided, is another tick-mark in the "Yes, do have the surgery" column.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Well an update I still have not been able to get an appointment with my Dr through Veterans Choice ! They say they will make me an appointment and I went to my Dr and they failed to fax the proper documents proving coverage from Veterans Choice . SOS ! I do have great news with regards to TB - 500 . I am almost pain free and I am amazed ! Once the TB-500 starts working it is a miracle and works really fast ! This is my 2nd time to use TB - 500 and at one time it was part of my TRT protocol ! It will be in the future ! I have read everything I can find on this peptide and IMHO the way it works on actual tissue rebuilding / stimulating growth ; it would seem to have to assist in muscle growth ! There are many smart people on this forum ! I am stating this from my personal research and use on me as a research subject ! TB - 500 even aids in the healing of exterior wounds and ulcers ! I had blood clots in my left lower extremity ( from below my knee to my ankle ) I have bad circulation in that area and numbness in my toes on both feet ! I think I have really abused my body ! 57 and have to take Gabapentin and that is used for Fibramylgia , it works and the numbness is almost painful and very uncomfortable to say the least ! Due to the lack of circulation and thin skin in that area I have ulcers ! TB - 500 even aids in the healing process ! This is not water cooler talk ! This is from actual use and experience ! I do not keep a log but I front load for 3 weeks with 1 mg 2 x's a week reconstituted at 1 ml of BAC water per MG of TB - 500 and then at the end of 3 weeks I back off to .5 ml or .5 mg 2 x's per week and if TimesRoman is still around I welcome his opinion on this dose ! This is nothing short of a real miracle and I see no reason to go under the knife ? I never got an MRI but I have a very high pain tolerance level and my shoulder hurt even when I was not moving and now the only issues I have are in dexterity and a little clumsy with my left arm ! I feel with simple on-line rehab exercises or / and ones I used in shoulder rehab in the past , I will be back in the gym in a week at the most ! Very pleased with the results of TB - 500 ! I have not worked upper body in 3 mths I have lost lbs of good muscle in a short time and I doubt just not training is the reason for the healing process however it has to help ! It will be a challenge when I do get back in the gym to start training all over again and I can see my areas that need the most work to become symmetrical !

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

UPDATE !

9.29.16
I am near healed ! TB - 500 is amazing ! Takes a while to get into your system ! I am able to do a complete back workout except heavy on pull downs due to still tender shoulder ! Front Lateral raises are a challange and hammer curles ! Also the only way to do chest is light weight !

But listening to my body and still being pacient I am able to get a good bump and do a 95% Back , Shoulder , Bies , Tries , and ( still limited on chest ) But really very able to be back in the gym and only 3 mths of non lifting and I feel by Christmas I will be at 100% even on chest ! Just for now really have to listen to my body and take it slow and smart !

So much better than going under the knofe and out for a year ! This is my 3rd repair with nothing except backing off or stopping time in the gym ! Unless I have severed a tendon . ligament , or muscle I will never have another surgery ! The normal phycial therapy and TB - 500 are amazing and will repair even tings not claimed to effect ! Such as external wounds like ulcers ! Cuts and abraisions !

Any specific questions about TB - 500 I will answer according to my personal experience and how I have been healed by the use of this peptide and at a very reasonable cost ! ! ! ! !

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

WELCOME ANY NEW FEEDBACK ; NEW ISSUES !

I am able to train with super light weight all of shoulders , back, Bicepts , and tricepts , chest uses to much shoulder to use yet !! But I have a certian spot in my shoulder that I loose control of and like it is dead and i can be holding a 5 lbd weight and almost drop it ? That almost sounds like nerve damage ? An ideas ? Please offer up !

[ScotchGuard02]

I had rotator (supraspinatus) almost exactly a year ago. My overhead press strength is 100% but when I do a front raise with dumbbells the rotator area is still tender. It's been 12 months since the surgery. It's getting better but slowly. You could still have scar tissue in that area that's affecting your motion. Go slow, it will work itself out over time.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Thanks man for the encouraging words ! I went the TB - 500 route as opposed to surgery that my Dr. recommended ! I have had shoulder surgery before and the Pain levels during recovery and the thought of getting knocked out and go under the knife made me more than willing to try the TB - 500 and it worked for the 3rd time ! So I was out of the gym 3 solid mths and now back lifting at 75% using light weight and no added pain working smart ! So I am all in with you and the go slow ! !

THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO READ AND RESPOND !

I had rotator (supraspinatus) almost exactly a year ago. My overhead press strength is 100% but when I do a front raise with dumbbells the rotator area is still tender. It's been 12 months since the surgery. It's getting better but slowly. You could still have scar tissue in that area that's affecting your motion. Go slow, it will work itself out over time.

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Well been very busy with life and all types of new news ! I have got all Veteran's Choice worked out and Occupational Therapy unlimited visits and paid to go , about $30.00 a visit and no co pay ~ ! Ask enough questions to dance through the VA and Veteran's Choice and got all I wanted out side the VA and my Dr's . Physical therapy , and Approval for Right Hip Replacement , reattach left labrum , Rotator Cuff , left shoulder ...... right shoulder hoping for only physical Therapy ! target left shoulder , trip to hell end of April , then 90 to 120 days later will have right hip replaced - walk home from hospital the same day . Then do Physical Therapy for 6 mths. and soonest I can hope to get back in the gym is 2019 .But should be good for another 40,000 miles . Hope to do 500 + miles on the AT in 2019

[kelkel]

Damn Buzz! That's a ton of stuff going on. Best of luck with it all!

[BuzzardMarinePumper]

Thanks ! Just have to accept it as life and keep moving forward with an end goal and back , as close to normal as possible ! Again thanks !