Shoulder???

[O'Dell]

I got the bad news from my orthopedist today. He gave me two choices - surgery to hopefully [He's not near 100% on this] repair my shoulder within a month, or lose the use of my right arm. The answer seems obvious, but there are a lot of factors involved. First, my day job would be gone, and I'm way to old to start something new. Although my dealers are loyal to me, they can't go without service for the 4 to 6 months recovery time so my business would cease to exist. Second, I've been trying to do things left handed since I left his office, and so far, the list of things I can do is zero. Vickie has offered to put me up, but there's no way I could do that. Of course shooting a pistol is out of the question, but that's a minor point in the grand scheme of things.

[jocko]

wow, u got problems my friend. what about a second opinion???

[getsome]

Man I'm sorry to hear that O'Dell....If you want a 2nd opinion I told you before about Dr. Lee Kelley at Peachtree Orthopedic across from Piedmont Hospital...He corrected my neck nerve problem that had my right arm totally usless and I'm 100% right handed..It would be worth a 2nd opinion and if is the same then you have no other choice than to do it...I live real close to you and will be willing to help you out in any way you need...Trust me I have been where you are and it's no fun....Good luck with your decision my friend...

[TheTman]

Is it what they call a "frozen shoulder"? I had one of those a couple years ago, really bothered me a lot, but the therapist said they often work themselves out, and she was right, in about a year I had full movement again. Dr.'s always want to cut on you and sometimes it's just not needed.

[O'Dell]

Getsome, my doctor is also with PO, So I doubt that they would look kindly on a followup of their own doctor. Of course, the surgery would be at Piedmont.

themanski, no, this is a badly torn rotator cuff. This was my first appointment since he had the MRI, and he's not even sure he can repair the tendon at this point. There's a wide separation between it and the connector on the bone. it definitely will not heal itself.

[JFootin]

O'Dell, I sure hope it turns out better and quicker than expected. Any way you could hire someone to fill in for you so your job doesn't dissolve?

[jocko]

I must have missed it but how i the heh did this all happen??

[getsome]

Well good luck old boy if you do decide to go with the surgery which sounds like the only choice at this point...You are too young to go through the rest of your life with only one wing and in pain....Trust me, you will heal and life will be good again and you will kick yourself for waiting so long...Been there, done that and got the scars to prove it...

[Popeye]

Sorry to here the bad news, O Dell my brother and I are both carpenters. He tore his rotator cuff very badly and could not raise his arm at all. After the operation and fairly long recovery period and physical therapy he was able to return to work but he never could get his right hand above head level ever again. He is pain free though and does have quite a bit of movement and was able to finish his carreer out. This was over 20 years ago and modern medicine is much better now. So think positive about your recovery. I myself waited for years to get carpal surgery done on my left hand. That was the dumbest thing I ever could have done as I suffered for years for nothing. After the operation I was able to reurn to work in 6 weeks.(light duty) I was in my early 50's at the time. Think positive and good luck...........Popeye.

[O'Dell]

Thanks guys! It takes six to eight months to train someone to do what I do and for me to feel comfortable with them representing the company.

Jocko, I don't know how it happened, but somehow I did something to break the tendon loose from the bone in my shoulder. I may have done it doing military pushups. Up until two months ago I did 50 to 75 a day, until the pain got too much for me.

[TheTman]

OUCH, I tore my rotator cuff in a skiing accident, one of those ass over teakettle crashes. I never did get it fixed, it just healed up after awhile, and some physical therapy that my Dr. had me do on my own. I had to stand against a wall with my elbow crooked and forearm parrallel with the wall, then "walked" my hand up the wall until it was as far as i could reach. I was much younger then and healed a lot quicker than now. I suppose surgery is the best option for you, sorry to say. Is there someway you could hire a replacement and look over his shoulder while you recover?
I have no idea what you do, so that's just a guess that you could keep and eye on someone trying to do your job. Good luck with it all, and wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Armybrat]

Ouch!

Best wishes for a quick & comfortable reecovery.

[Bawanna]

No choice but to do the surgery. Work sucks but your physical health and capabilities are job 1.

[OldLincoln]

Okay, the surgery is a must do. Next can you be the brains and get cheap labor to do the lifting? Don't know how sensitive the servicing is but if it's something you can leave extra to get by the first couple of weeks then maybe you can ride with somebody and direct them until you're off pain meds and can drive yourself taking them along.

You don't have to make a lot of money, just get by for a few months until you can do it all again. One of my BIL's waited too long and they lost the tendon going down across the back. He can still use it to drive some but no lifting and it always hurts so please don't wait.

Mine has 3 tears in the rotator muscles, impingement and arthritis. We are trying not to operate but we'll see in a couple months. Got a shot of cortisone in the meantime.

[mr surveyor]

I also crapped out my right shoulder in 1984 playing church softball (dislocated, torn rotater cuff and tendons). At age 30+ I still had the youthful ability to heal....part way anyway. I have about 75% in my (dominate) right arm. I can sympathyze with the thought of the down time problem though. I've had some deteriorating knee problems for most of my life, and now my right knee is at less than 50% and in need of total knee replacement pretty soon. As a self employeed s/p of a really "small business" I can neither afford the cost or the down time for the surgery. I've been able to work around the shoulder glitch, and the back injuries (high school football and rough stock rodeo), but the knees are gonna be a real problem.

O'Dell... I'm rooting for you. Believe me, I do know what you're up against on this one.


surv

[340pd]

I hope I can cheer you up a bit. I had a full tear in my right rotator cuff repaired on May 10, 2011. Five weeks in a sling lots of PT. Not much pain. Get a recliner to sleep in for a few weeks. I was shooting about four months into it with no pain. Now shoulder is good as new.
November 1, 2011 I did my left one. This one they only scoped. Two days sling and PT I am still into every day. Really not as big a deal if you do not work full time. I used virtually no pain pills. The sling does not totally stop you from doing things. Just follow the Doctors orders. You do NOT really want to screw it up a second time. I am off to the range tomorrow with 100 rds .45 and 100 9mm. All will be well. Good luck to you.

[Bawanna]

O'Dell sometimes it eases things a bit to do comparisons. I used Christopher Reeves (superman) when I broke my back. He of course had it alot rougher.

Torn and damaged shoulders are an inevitable occurrence to folks in wheelchairs, only a matter of time. I've talked to a few who have been there and it's ugly. One armed till recovery for however long, and then do it all over again for the other side.

A power chair would get you around I reckon but transferring from chair to bed, to tub, to toilet with one arm is impossible and is a crane event.

Go for the surgery, get it fixed and move on. You can come run the crane when it's my turn.

[melissa5]

Sorry to hear about this, O'Dell. Pretty soon I'll have to start praying for "my Kahr Talk buddies" instead of naming names. Too many of you are in need of knee mail.

[ruf45]

Ill second that Melissa,seems like quite a few of us are having problems.
Iam going to have my fifth surgery in a year on tuesday. All you kahr
folks dont get to out of control while Iam out of action. I would hate to miss anything while gone. Odell glad luck to you on your shoulder.

[Barth]

Over the years I’ve beaten myself up pretty badly.
10+ years martial arts, football, power lifting for 20+ years.
Tore both my rotator cups, MCL sprained both knees,
Stress fractured 2/3 metatarsals in both feet.
High ankle sprains.
Squats with 405 lbs free bar, no belt, tore/compressed something in my back.

Given time and opportunity everything healed without surgery.
I don’t power lift or do squats / heavy military presses any more.
And really have to protect and watch my joints and tendons these days.
I’m always working around some injury
Due to over training. Used to live on ibuprofen.
Got off pain killers and just use herbs these days.
SuperSissus by UPSLABS is amazing and I take it daily.

Get a second and third opinion before any surgery.
Wait as long as possible and try any rehab first.

Good luck

[jdlott74]

If you lived closer, I'd recommend going to Duke and seeing Dr. Allison Toth. She's AWESOME!!!. jlottmc messed up his shoulder years ago in the military and the VA, military and some civilian doctors (orthopedics, neurologists) could not figure out what was wrong with it. It took 7 years, FINALLY going to Dr. Toth at Duke (who happens to be the orthopedic doctor for the women's' basketball program at Duke to look at the 2nd time (she knew after the first but wanted it confirmed) and know exactly what was wrong it. jlottmc will tell you that he HATES doctors and a lot of them don't know what they are doing and use patients as experiments and pin cushions. He is usually not someone that recommends doctor's to anybody but he has said he will go back to Dr. Toth in a heartbeat if we lived closer and he needed an orthopedic doctor again

[johnh]

That is terrible news. I certainly sympathize as I have all sorts of joint/muscle issues. Had to give up a lot of my hobbies due to it. So far I have avoided surgery as the doc says just hold out until you cannot live with it. He admitted it might or might not make a difference in the case of my shoulder and knees. Whatever happens, I hope it all works out the best for you in the end.

[ltxi]

Wow, after reading through this I count my blessings. All I got out of decades of too much type A physical insanity, aside from a few successful repairs along the way, is a really screwed up but containable with with care lower back.

O'Dell....my opinion, considering the consequences is you should definitely get a second opinion. No rational doctor or practice should be offended by that and if they are, well all the more reason.

[O'Dell]

Thanks, everybody, for the suggestions and good wishes. I've always been blessed with good health so I tend to be a bit of a baby when things go wrong. I've only had one real problem before, a hernia operation in 2000, so it seems that my problems are also self inflected. I spoke to my regular doctor yesterday afternoon, and after looking at the MRI disc, he said the problem was obvious, even to him. At least I'm going to be in the right place. The Braves, Hawks, and Falcons all use the same hospital for sports related injuries.

[Bawanna]

Hey I got a van and can drive. Iffen your not embarrassed riding in a Ford. I quit using the sack over my head after a short 7 months. Everyone knew it was me anyhow. I can come down and do the chaufeur thing to keep the business flowing. I can pick stuff up and put on acts of politeness and professionalism with a minimal of training but constant supervision. I don't answer phones and I ain't wearing no little chaufeur hat but I will try to learn how to spell it.

Lets see Georgia is south and kind a east ain't it. Maybe we can stop and say howdy to Melissa on our route? Hope there ain't too much snow and ice, I need a 4 wheeler van. Need it here too soon.

Let me know. My bags are packed.

[O'Dell]

Hey I got a van and can drive. Iffen your not embarrassed riding in a Ford. I quit using the sack over my head after a short 7 months. Everyone knew it was me anyhow. I can come down and do the chaufeur thing to keep the business flowing. I can pick stuff up and put on acts of politeness and professionalism with a minimal of training but constant supervision. I don't answer phones and I ain't wearing no little chaufeur hat but I will try to learn how to spell it.

Lets see Georgia is south and kind a east ain't it. Maybe we can stop and say howdy to Melissa on our route? Hope there ain't too much snow and ice, I need a 4 wheeler van. Need it here too soon.

Let me know. My bags are packed.

Yeah, it's kinda south and east. Melissa is a bit north and east from here but not too far. Vickie drives an Expedition, so I've been desensitized to Fords. Snow and ice in Atlanta?? I've been out in the roadster all day and I keep the top down all year.

I've been an old music collector for many years, starting with 45's and LP's, then cassettes, and now MP3's and burned CD and MP3 discs. I've got over 10,000 of them on my computer along with over a thousand old music videos. I was rooting back through my MP3's last night and found my new theme song - "Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer".

It used to alternate between "Mr Wonderful" by Teddi King and "To Know Him Is to Love Him" by the Teddy Bears. :D