Surgery @ 79

[Brat]

My husband had a shoulder joint replaced last week. His surgeon and a family member told him that recovery wouldn't be easy. He had two knees replaced at once about 10 years ago and he remembers that as a piece of cake.

He has had a rough recovery. The nursing staff wanted him to stay a 2nd night in the hospital but he would have none of that.

The night after discharge neither of us got any sleep, resulting in a run to ER for a catheter. He has not been a happy camper, demanding and exhausting me. Today he is much better, 5 days after surgery.

My advice is that at our age accept the advice of nursing staff to stay an extra day for the sake of your care giver. It isn't always just about you.

 

[Car-Guy]

I've seen some folks use a rehab facility to "transition" back home in such case for a few days or longer. Better than a hospital from what I've seen until you are a bit better able to come home.

 

[Brat]

Rehab under insurance kicks in after 3 days. DH was in the hospital 1 night, refused the offer of a 2nd night. The facility is top notch, single room. It was all about macho.

 

[W2R]

My husband had a shoulder joint replaced last week. His surgeon and a family member told him that recovery wouldn't be easy. He had two knees replaced at once about 10 years ago and he remembers that as a piece of cake.

He has had a rough recovery. The nursing staff wanted him to stay a 2nd night in the hospital but he would have none of that.

The night after discharge neither of us got any sleep, resulting in a run to ER for a catheter. He has not been a happy camper, demanding and exhausting me. Today he is much better, 5 days after surgery.

My advice is that at our age accept the advice of nursing staff to stay an extra day for the sake of your care giver. It isn't always just about you.

Thank you!!! I am not 79 yet but I just know that if I have surgery at your husband's age (or even at my present age of 68), I would not recover as fast as I would expect. But I hadn't really thought about it, so thank you for bringing this to our attention.

I am so sorry you two have had to go through this. Maybe your post can keep others from having to go through such a rugged time.

 

[braumeister]

My 75 year old neighbor had major surgery on his shoulder in early January. Much more complicated than simple rotator cuff surgery, but still not a total joint replacement. His recovery has been extremely painful and slow, and even after about two months he still has only about 75% of the range of motion his PT says he should have. This kind of stuff is hard after a certain age. And he had the best surgeon for this work in the city.

Talking with other older neighbors (I have lots of them) about their surgery recovery experiences, the big thing I come away with is that you have to be aggressive and fight through the pain to do the recovery therapy. Most of them didn't want to do that, and their long term outcomes have been suboptimal. The few who worked at it are doing fine.

 

[Meadbh]

There's a reason that they train, employ and pay nurses, and your experience just demonstrated it. These days, most hospitals discharge patients at the earliest possible opportunity. They have studied the data and know when most patients will be ready. Trying to push the envelope of early discharge risks overwhelming the caregiver at home. When he has recovered, I hope you will discuss future expectations with your DH.

 

[CardsFan]

We have a good friend having shoulder replacement surgery next month. She has been warned that it is one of the most difficult.

Of course, she is a bionioc women already, two knees, a plate in the back, and misc. others (and she is only 62!)

Keep us posted on the recovery. I hope all goes well.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Brat, I hope every day gets better and better and that your DH remembers what you did for him if the tables are ever turned. Too bad he didn't stay five more days! Having your wife take care of you including a catheter isn't very macho either.

 

[Bamaman]

I once asked our physical therapist what his most dreaded therapy was. Without hesitation, he said shoulder surgeries.

Not only does it hurt, but the patients have a difficult time sleeping well. It hurts every time they move.

And the recovery period for anyone (even in good shape) is pushing a year.

 

[splitwdw]

Brat, I can sympathize. My husband was diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago and has had several set backs. Some due to his own pig headedness. He left the hospital too early and ended back in 2 days later...twice. I try to understand what he's going through. Doctor's said that depression can be a problem. He can be hurtful at times. I don't say anything to him because he's not doing it on purpose. I talk with a good friend when he gets to me. I keep reminding myself it's just the sickness because he wasn't like this before he got sick. He is finally getting good health news so hopefully we'll be back to normal.

 

[Moemg]

Being a caregiver is not easy . I took care of my Mother several times after surgery and I love my Mother but there were days when I wanted to scream instead I sipped wine and prayed for strength .

 

[2soon2tell]

I can vouch for the difficulty of shoulder surgery as I have had three total shoulder replacements on the same shoulder. Why you ask, complications such as loosening of the implants and reactions to the bone cement. Recovery from these surgeries is painful and PT is a must to recover function. I would agree that it takes the better part of a year to recover. I had always been a side sleeper but after surgery I needed to sleep on my back in an elevated position to achieve any degree of comfort.

My surgeon cautioned me not to "John Wayne" it and suffer by not using pain medication. In fact I took a pain pill before I went to PT.