So I'm a self-inflicted idiot for hurting myself and going against doctor's orders . . . sort of like Dargo!
Hey! Listen you...um...uh, well, I suppose I must resemble that remark.
My shoulder had mostly stopped hurting unless I moved it and, even then, it wasn't hurting that bad. Yeah, you know an "until" is coming; until I tried to change the 1600 pound 'extreme duty' 4 in 1 bucket from my 100 hp track loader to my 100 hp JD cab tractor and transition my little JD 4410 tractor from a mowing machine back to a TLB for the winter. The quick detach levers on the track loader were absolutely frozen in place since the last time I used the machine was in the lake and I forgot to drop the bucket off and lube the attachment rods with a water displacing agent.
I got one of the levers up using a 3 pound sledge (backhanded) with only my left arm but the other lever wouldn't budge. I realized that being out of shape now made it impossible for me to use a 12 pound sledge with only my left arm. So, I raised the bucket overhead and, against the rules, used my right hand to hold a 1 1/2" X 6" brass rod against the bottom of the quick attach pin and smacked it with a 3 pound sledge using my left hand. That is when not only my surgically reconstructed right arm started hurting, but my back popped and I'm reasonably certain I finished off a ruptured disc I've had for years that had not been bothering me.
I've had to dig out all of the pain meds I didn't use after this last surgery (I only used them for 3 days when I was given enough to follow a 3 week schedule of every 4 hours on them) and I'm hurting big time now. Not only is my back feeling like I'm being tasered but I can literally feel the big set screw in my arm bone where they attached my bicep tendon. I'm reasonably certain I did no damage to my shoulder or re-attached bicep, but I'm not so sure I can continue without giving in to back surgery now. I have a clearly visible lump where I believe I finished off an already damaged disc in my back. Dammit!
As my little niece said, I'm going to be the "ibonic" man soon. As long as I'm not the wheelchair bound or bedridden man, I suppose I can deal with that. Still, with my last surgery, my surgeon used to be a surgeon for the Denver Broncos and he said I've had more surgical repairs to major injuries than most linemen or running backs who have played in the NFL for 15 years. Perhaps it may finally be time to start acting my age.
So Bob, if you do need surgery, I pretty well have the complete shoulder (and knee, elbow etc.) anatomy burned into my memory. I can tell you how most surgical procedures on shoulders feel and how long it takes to recover from each. For all but the worst (like having to repair and relocate a bicep tendon) shoulder surgeries, they are done by scope. If, by chance, you have to have a regular open surgery, make absolutely positive you tell them that you do not care about a scar on your shoulder and do NOT have them cut from the front to the back through your armpit and fill it with staples! Of the 15 (only counting repair surgeries, not ones like when my appendix ruptured) surgeries I've had, those staples in my armpit bothered me worse than most anything. Honestly, I sincerely hope you don't need surgery. However, if it's just a rotator cuff repair, that really is a piece of cake as far as surgeries go.
