Just like that...it's fixed
Little did I know when I went to my doctor appointment this morning, I would be in the hospital this afternoon but that is exactly what happened.
My doctor took some xrays, did an exam and said, "Let's just get it fixed today."
"Ah, well...Okay."
Rather than doing arthroscope surgery on my shoulder, he did a different procedure that allowed me to be awake with just a local. I was a little nervous about the whole thing but I survived. I've done some pretty crazy surgeries while awake with just a local and this was just another one.
A Radiologist did it instead of my ortho doc. With ultrasound guided precision, he went in to the rotator cuff and then the bicep tendon and shaved off the bone that was calcified. He did that with some very long needles, and at first tried to suck out the calcification as if it was thick fudge. Unfortunately, it wasn't giving up that easily. It was hardened and crystallized so he wasn't able to get it out. He broke it all up really well so now it's up to my body to reabsorb all that mess.
It was quite a painful procedure and I had to stay completely still. I didn't realize but I must have been breathing heavy because he kept saying, "What's wrong? Are you going to pass out? Don't pass out. You can not pass out. Are you going to pass out?"
It's was almost funny how serious he was about me not passing out. "I'm not going to pass out. I'm in pain."
"Oh, okay. That's okay that it hurts, just don't pass out."
I'm always misled into thinking that doing a procedure awake means it's easier and less recovery and I'm always, 100% wrong! When I got dressed after the procedure, he gave me the bad news...no lifting or using my arm for 3 weeks! 3 weeks? Huh?
It's anybody's guess if it will actually be fixed after 3 weeks. What an odd day for sure but I'm glad I don't have that looming in my future. It was nice to just have 3 hours to worry and anticipate instead of days and weeks.
My doctor took some xrays, did an exam and said, "Let's just get it fixed today."
"Ah, well...Okay."
Rather than doing arthroscope surgery on my shoulder, he did a different procedure that allowed me to be awake with just a local. I was a little nervous about the whole thing but I survived. I've done some pretty crazy surgeries while awake with just a local and this was just another one.
A Radiologist did it instead of my ortho doc. With ultrasound guided precision, he went in to the rotator cuff and then the bicep tendon and shaved off the bone that was calcified. He did that with some very long needles, and at first tried to suck out the calcification as if it was thick fudge. Unfortunately, it wasn't giving up that easily. It was hardened and crystallized so he wasn't able to get it out. He broke it all up really well so now it's up to my body to reabsorb all that mess.
It was quite a painful procedure and I had to stay completely still. I didn't realize but I must have been breathing heavy because he kept saying, "What's wrong? Are you going to pass out? Don't pass out. You can not pass out. Are you going to pass out?"
It's was almost funny how serious he was about me not passing out. "I'm not going to pass out. I'm in pain."
"Oh, okay. That's okay that it hurts, just don't pass out."
I'm always misled into thinking that doing a procedure awake means it's easier and less recovery and I'm always, 100% wrong! When I got dressed after the procedure, he gave me the bad news...no lifting or using my arm for 3 weeks! 3 weeks? Huh?
It's anybody's guess if it will actually be fixed after 3 weeks. What an odd day for sure but I'm glad I don't have that looming in my future. It was nice to just have 3 hours to worry and anticipate instead of days and weeks.
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