I haven't posted about it here, but I had arthroscopic shoulder surgery almost 4 weeks ago. I'd started having pain back in October while I was still working, and once I quit (January) I decided that I needed to get whatever it was dealt with, so I went to the Orthopedist (Ortho #1) I'd seen when I broke my arm a few years ago. Initial diagnosis was Rotator Cuff Tendinitis. I got a cortisone shot, and started physical therapy twice a week.
After a month, it wasn't getting better, so I had an MRI. Oh look, there's some stuff maybe torn and you need surgery. His plan was (that he had to get in there and really SEE what was going on) to do an acromioplasty and clean up the fraying that the supraspinatus showed on the MRI. According to his protocols, I would be in a sling for anywhere 1 week to 3 weeks depending on the amount of repairs that had to be done.
While I was thinking about WHEN to schedule this disaster, the fine folks at Kim Studio suggested that we get a second opinion from a VERY trusted surgeon up in Olney. So we did.
NIGHT AND DAY. This Doctor (Ortho #2) had a VERY different reading of the MRI, totally agreed with the radiologist's report, had a clear plan, told us exactly what he was going to do (fix all of the tears, smooth the acromion a bit so it was less hooked and deal with the bone spurs), and informed us that I'd be in a sling for roughly 24 hours. This guy is expensive though, out of plan, and is (in perfect traffic plus tolls for 2 toll roads) almost an hour away.
Went back to Ortho #1, and challenged him with the info from Ortho #2. We felt a LOT better about him when we left, BUT given what he was planning (removal of the acromion and the outside end of my collarbone, and removing a tendon that would then not have anywhere to attach) I wasn't overly happy.
So we scheduled for a third opinion closer to home, with a practice recommended by locals that we know, in the hopes that we'd find a doc who agreed with Ortho #2 and who was in fact in plan. No such luck. This guy (Ortho #3) wanted me to wait ANOTHER SIX MONTHS and try his very expensive, controversial, not covered pet therapy - Plasma Rich Platelet Therapy. Now, it is at this point the beginning of April. I've already had 6 months of worsening pain and reduced function. Plus, I really couldn't decide if the guy was an @-hole or just a New Yorker.
So, three surgeons, three totally different readings and approaches. By this point we'd gotten a hold of the Radiologist's report and read that. It very clearly stated that there was a tear in the supraspinatus (involving about a centimeter, and 50% torn through), a small bicep tendon tear and a SLAP tear (Interestingly this article says nothing regarding the differences in tears depending on HOW it was injured. Ortho #2 explained that when it's torn at the bottom, like mine, it's a repetitive movement injury, as opposed to a accident/catastrophic type injury - which would be torn at the top). Some bony growths under the acromion, which was hooked (this would explain the tearing of the muscle).
Three days later I decided to go with Ortho #2. We know several people from Kim Studio who've had him put their joints back together, a total of (I think) 3 shoulders and 4 knees, and who all function at high levels. So. That part was done.
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