Saturday, June 4, 2011

Stupid Shoulder

I had a pretty tough day yesterday. I went to see my shoulder surgeon, following up from my CT scan. Indeed, I need my shoulder replaced, but it seems that they can't complete a full replacement as there is not enough bone left to adhere the plastic glanoid piece to.

I am so upset, mad, sad, grieving, and emotionally drained. How did this happen? I have been under an orthopedic surgeon's care for 2.5 years, and somehow, this slipped past.

Some history: I had a consult in December 2008 to determine both shoulders needed to be replaced. I opted to have my left shoulder replaced, and that happened in May 2009. At my 6 and 12 month follow up, I asked about my right shoulder, and my surgeon said to wait, and let my left shoulder settle.

Finally, at my 2 year follow up, it was me who reminded him that I needed my right shoulder replaced. I know he sees thousands of patients, but I think he has some level of responsibility. If I hadn't driven this, who knows where it would have gone. So, as it turns out, my shoulder deteriorated at an extremely rapid rate and in the short space of 2 years, I can't have a full replacement, which means many revisions and more pain and a fairly unknown future.

Wanna know how to clear your consult room? Start crying and see how quickly the surgeons need to return calls. In my case, they both left within a minute. Poor guys, they just didn't know what to do or say.

Actually, I didn't either. And I still don't.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am so sorry to hear this! I need wrist fusions or replacements. They prefer to do fusions in younger folks for wrists. I can't afford to pay for it, or afford to take the time off work. I don't know what this will mean long term.
Chelsea

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