My Toughest Fight: Shoulder Surgery at 38 years old PART 3

{I’m writing this in Lafayette, Louisiana. I’m here with one of my boxers coaching him in this National championship and Olympic trials tournament. I’m just past a month out of surgery}

The First Week:

The first few days post surgery are a blur. I was laid up on the couch watching the Lord of The Rings, extended edition and icing my shoulder. The nerve block kept my arm numb and I was napping and resting all day. Nights were more difficult, I tried to sleep on the couch but found no comfort. I’ve never been a back sleeper so I couldn’t stay asleep long, waking every couples hours to fidget with the sling or reposition pillows. I was waiting impatiently for the nerve block to wear off, I was anxious for whatever pain was coming.

Three days post surgery the nerve block wore off and I was able to remove the dressing on my shoulder and take a careful shower. My wife was so helpful here, peeling countless bits of tape carefully off my back and withdrawing the catheter from my neck. She helped me shower, my arm was still slightly numb and hung limply at my side.

I was surprised the pain didn’t hit hard, there was definitely pressure inside my arm and shoulder but no sharp pains. I’d been on a regiment of ibuprofen and had a supply of heavier pain killers. I took a half of an oxy in anticipation of a flood of pain but it never came and I never took another one of those pills.

Sleep was beginning to be the hardest part of the ordeal. I would fall asleep decently only to wake up two or three hours later and be uncomfortable and aching. I started moving out to the couch in the middle of the night to try not to disturb my wife and try to sleep. I’d usually catch another two hours of sleep on the couch in the early morning.

I took a full week off work and tried to rest as much as possible. I started getting cabin fever though, and began daily walks around my neighborhood to burn off energy and anxiety. I came up with a leg strengthening routine of lunges, squats calf raises and more. This kept my mind satisfied and wore me out enough to sit on the couch again. Daily activities like cooking, cleaning, washing myself and brushing my teeth were difficult but not impossible. Getting dressed was hard, I needed help that first week. Staying in sweat pants and button up shirts or zip up hoodies made it bearable.

Pain and discomfort was constant, and I had a few incidents that clearly reminded me of my condition. One night in the first week I tried to pick up one of my cats in a mid sleep stupor and set off a firestorm of pain deep in my shoulder. I was up the rest of the night icing and hoping I didn’t mess anything up. Thankfully I didn’t and it was no big deal in the end. Another time I made a fast movement with my arm and that shoulder began to spasm in a way that felt nearly like a dislocation, but again the pain subsided and there was no damage to the surgical area. I’m wearing the sling nearly 24 hours a day at this point and still managing to tweak the shoulder. Makes it obvious why they want you to stay locked in the sling.

Week 2:

I started doing the at home physical therapy exercises religiously. Stretching and swinging the shoulder felt like progress, and I was ready for progress. Patience is the key to healing a surgery like this, and mine was being tested.

I went back to work at 10 days, working clients through boxing routines. I’m certainly not holding the mitts anytime soon but I can sure give ‘em a hell of a workout without em anyways.

I’d get sore after a few hours and need to ice after work, but nothing felt terrible and it was nice to be back in the gym doing what I love to do. I decided to keep an easy part time schedule to start back and I’m glad I did, I was still not getting good sleep.

Week 3:

I managed a trip to Los Angeles for thanksgiving during the third week of recovery. The flight wasn’t too bad, and the pain and discomfort had subsided to a dull background noise. The time away from home kept me out of the gym and gave me a good week of rest with family. I rode a stationary bike and took some walks. The worst part, as I’d come to expect at this point, was sleep. I’d take ibuprofen before bed in anticipation of the 2 am pain train.

Things felt good in the surgical area, i didn’t have the vulnerable feeling of the first days, doing the stretches and exercises three times a day was a labor of love. I felt like every move was bringing me closer to being whole again.

Week 4:

The fourth week went quickly, I was starting to notice my shoulder feeling more normal again. The sling became the real struggle. I felt I didn’t need it when I was around the house doing regular tasks. But doctors orders said it stays on for six weeks! I kept it off as much as possible, which led to a lot of hibernation and rest. I was finally getting decent sleep, thankfully. I started working on my posture this week. Doing a series of exercises to keep my shoulders back and stretching my neck. The sling really pulled my right shoulder forward and rounded my back. I’ve already got bad posture and boxers shoulders so it was really difficult and very necessary exercise.

Week 5:

This last week I’ve been in Louisiana. Flying with the sling is tricky, I took it off mid flight so I wouldn’t be jabbing my elbow into the stranger by my side. It turns out the pad on the sling makes a decent pillow! At this point I feel like the surgical healing is done. There’s no pain or discomfort when out of the sling. I’m able to brush my teeth with my right hand. The range of motion is extremely limited as expected, but the repair feels great. I’m sticking with the exercises and counting the days till I meet with my surgeon and get cleared to finally lose the sling. I’ll start physical therapy next week, and from what I’ve heard that’s when the real work starts. I’m ready. The next post will be a report on the process of regaining my range of motion and strength.

{Thanks for following along. This has been one heck of a journey, I hope documenting it can help anyone out there considering surgery or going through the early days of recovery. It does get better, and at this point I have no regrets. I’m thankful I’m in a position to take the time to do the surgery and that I have an amazing wife and support system to help me through this}