Listen Up, Ladies (and Guys): How to Prepare for Shoulder Surgery
If you’re having shoulder surgery on your dominant side, it’s especially important to plan ahead.
Note: I originally wrote this in the fall of 2019 but got too busy with work to get it posted to a website. Then we got hit with the coronavirus and I had more time, but no one could have surgery so there would be no one to read it if I did post it. Now that people are starting to get back in for elective surgeries, I figured, I may as well share it now. Better late than never, so here goes…
I must have read a dozen articles on how to prepare for shoulder surgery and was sure I had it all under control. I didn’t. I think all of the articles I read had to have been written by men, too, because none of them covered the unique issues that ladies face. So, I have pulled together my list of things you’ll want to do to prepare for shoulder surgery and hope you find it helpful, but feel free to contact me if you have questions.
The Two Must Haves
1. Ice, ice (machine), baby
If you’re like me and this isn’t the first article you’ve read on how to prepare for shoulder surgery, then you probably already know you want to procure an ice machine. Let me pile on that advice: GET THE ICE MACHINE! This was a lifesaver for me. In fact, I found I had to set an alarm to remind me to take off the ice, because it would feel so good that I’d often fall asleep. (The problem is that too much ice can be a bad thing, so it’s best to alternate ice on and ice off.) Now, if you’re thinking you can just use ice packs, you may want to think again. Shoulders are notoriously hard to ice, and even the best ice pack is not going to chill you as well as the ice machine can, so why chance it?
2. Zero-gravity chair
It seems the one other constant I found on every website and from anyone who ever had a shoulder procedure was to buy a recliner to sleep in. The problem is that I wasn’t thrilled about spending $500–$700 (or more!) on an ugly-ass recliner (because we all know it’s only the ugly ones that are really any good for sleeping in) that I’d only have for a few weeks. But what everyone forgot to tell me was that I’d probably need to sleep in something other than my bed for closer to 6–8 weeks…eek!
Luckily for me, I stumbled onto a pretty good option that also happened to be pretty affordable. I fired up the old Amazon and bought a Best Choice Oversized Zero Gravity Lawn Chair and a Eureka! Marshmellow camp pad to top it off.
Best Choice Zero Gravity Recliner Chair with Cup Holder Accessory
Eureka! Marshmellow Camping Pad
To make it even cushier (because I like cushy things), I folded up an old down comforter and placed it under the camp pad. The result was a sweet little, zero-gravity nest that did a darn good job of providing shoulder support. However, at 5’9”, I am pretty tall, so I found placing a little pillow over the bar at the foot of the chair increased the comfort level for me. (You could use the pillow that comes with the chair, since you likely won’t want to use that under your head. I used my trusty old down pillow.) And don’t forget to lock it in the zero-gravity position, otherwise, you’ll find yourself drifting back to an upright positing. But, once you get the little tweaks down, this is a pretty comfortable option, especially, for under $110. And now that I no longer need a “recovery” bed, I can use the lawn chair and camp pad for their intended purposes. Win-win.
Other Stuff You Might Need or Need to Know
Alright, now that I’ve covered the two biggies, I’ll quickly list the other things you might want to either get or do before your surgery:
Get:
Front-Open Shirts and Tops — Loose-fitting tops that button or zip in the front will be a fashion staple for the first month or so after surgery, so if this is not something you already have in abundance in your wardrobe, you may want to stock up. I still remember the first time I thought I was ready to wear a pullover shirt and literally got stuck with it halfway on in the dressing room. I had to ask the salesperson to get my husband to help free me from the garment. Fun times!
Front-Closure Bras — Ladies, the same is true for your bra. Sure, you can hook it in the front and then shift the bra around to the back, but even 180 degrees of bra shifting can be difficult with just one good arm. So, it’s easier to maneuver a front-closure bra, especially since that is where your slinged-up arm will be positioned anyway. Carole Martin makes a front-closure bra that is comfortable enough to sleep in and costs less than $15. I also found the ExOfficio Give-N-Go Shelf Bra Camisole to be a good option for recovery since it was also easy to sleep in and relatively easy to get on/off. I just slipped it over my surgery arm first, then over my head and then my good arm. To take it off, I would just reverse the process or slide the straps off and then slide it down over my hips.
Stool Softener and/or Laxative — Miralax, Dulcolax, Colace, Magnesium Citrate, enema. Whatever your roto-rooter of choice is, you’ll probably want to have some on hand since the painkillers you’re likely to be be prescribed post-op may cause some unwanted constipation. Ladies, you’re probably already well acquainted with this situation. Guys, we know how nervous you get if things don’t keep moving daily, so plan ahead!
Extra large bandages or gauze pads and medical tape — for replacing your bandages after showering. You may not need it to deal with bleeding or wound issues, but having that extra buffer of padding is comforting.
Ice! — If you don’t have an ice maker at home, you’ll want to stock the freezer with ice for your ice machine.
Hibiclens — For sterilizing your body before surgery (your doctor will likely have instructions about how to use this) and for washing your wound(s) after the procedure.
Do:
My shoulder surgery was my 12th surgery, but it was the first time I’d ever been warned by a surgeon that it was going to be painful. I’d never really been nervous before surgery before, but this warning kind of threw me for a loop. I’ve had my left hip resurfaced and subsequently replaced. I’ve had two back surgeries. I had a nine and half pound baby vaginally after a C-section (what was I thinking?). How bad could this really be?
Turns out, the pain after surgery really wasn’t that bad. But what was unexpected is just how long it takes to recover from shoulder surgery. I was up and walking within 12 hours after each of my hip surgeries. I went home the same day after each of my back surgeries, and unpacked moving boxes a week after my first one. I completed a triathlon a year after having a lemon-sized tumor removed from inside my psoas muscle. But one month after shoulder surgery, and I still couldn’t reach back and wipe my own ass with my right hand. It just takes time. A lot of time. I wish that someone had told me that. So, I’m here to tell you. Be patient with yourself. Know that recovery from shoulder surgery is slow, very slow. And don’t skip the PT because it really helps. And if they offer you a pulley to use at home, get one! Using that silly little pulley was the thing that helped me regain my range of motion the fastest in the first few weeks of my PT.
So, I’m here to tell you: Be patient with yourself. Know that recovery from shoulder surgery is slow, very slow.
Here are a few more things you may want to do before you head to the hospital:
Line up help — because you’re going to need it. You might even need back-up help. Sadly, my mother-in-law passed away two days before my scheduled surgery so my husband had to go overseas and I had to scramble to find someone to take me to the hospital and stay with me and our 11-year-old son for the first 48 hours. Luckily, my two older sons came to my rescue. Kyle and Griffin were amazing helpers and I literally could not have done it without them. It was also helpful that Kyle was a shoulder surgery veteran with two surgeries under his belt.
Ready the ice machine — You may want to teach your caregiver(s) how to use your ice machine while you have two good hands and arms. And show them anything else that may need doing around the house.
Make a hair appointment — for after your surgery. One of the key things I didn’t count on was just how hard it was going to be to deal with my long hair with only one good hand (and my non-dominant hand at that). It was impossible to do anything with it. I couldn’t even get it into a ponytail (my typical go-to style when I don’t have time or energy to deal with my hair) with just one hand. And since my husband travels a lot, I would have to plan my hair washing schedule around his business trips so he could braid my hair before he left. During one longer business trip, I had to ask my 24-year-old son to stop by on his way to work to braid my hair for me. What a good boy and what a lucky mom I am! I finally got so tired of looking at my ratty hair that I treated myself to a blow out, and it was amazing how much better I felt overall. Like a real person again! Why did I wait so long to do that? So ladies, I suggest treating yourself to a professional blow out or braiding during your recovery. If you’re supporting someone who is having shoulder surgery, consider giving them a gift certificate to a salon instead of flowers. Trust me, they’ll be thrilled with the pampering and happy they don’t have to deal with dead flowers (with one arm) a week later.
Change the bed linens — If that’s something that normally falls on your chore list, you’ll probably want to do it before you can’t do it for awhile.
Pay the bills — and complete any other tasks that require two hands for typing or your dominant hand for writing. It’s going to be a least a couple of weeks before you feel comfortable doing this.
You may also want to fit in a few last games of tennis or basketball, hit the pool or open water for a swim, or whatever it is you enjoy doing with two fully functioning arms. Revel in the ease of reaching back to wipe your bum or reaching up to get a coffee cup out of the cupboard, because those are things that will not be in the cards for many weeks (if not months) after shoulder surgery.
Most of all, take care and go easy on yourself.
Common-sense caveat: Please be advised that I am not a medical professional and I am not offering medical advice. Please seek assistance from a trained professional if you should need medical help.