HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Advice

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 9/13/2023 5:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys, I'm looking for a little advice. I'm going to need shoulder surgery. I have advance arthritis with a "small" rotator cuff tear. I've been trying to kick the surgery can down the road until I'm off of Lupron. I've been on Lupron for 19 months now and in November will be discussing ending my Lupron shots or going with one more 3 month shot that would bring me up to 24 months. Anyway, I've been hoping to have the shoulder surgery after I've completed the Lupron hoping that my testosteron would start to come back and give me a little boost in the recovery process. I've had 4 cortisone shots so far. The last shot, this past August wasn't as successful as the previous 3. Right now, I'm taking Tylenal for Arthritis 3 times a day and that has some effect on the shoulder pain. I'm ready to throw in the towel and schedule an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon that has been monitoring my shoulder to discuss surgery. I'm looking to you guys for advice whether to hold off on the surgery until next year or get it over with. BTW, the aching at night keeps waking me up. So, I'm not getting good sleep. I've been working out several times a week through the shoulder pain. Also, playing golf several times a week through the shoulder pain. I remember that some of you have had to have surgery while on ADT.
Okay, well, I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions, which I respect.

Ron (Boomer)
Posted 9/14/2023 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
BoomerRon - I can’t speak to the ADT part but have put a number of orthopedic surgeon’s children through college which qualifies me for something.

I had surgery on both shoulders and it was not particularly bad other than sleeping in a recliner for some time. The recovery can be pretty long if you have major work done and is never quick like scoping a knee. The typical stuff they can address are bone spurs, bursitis, and mild arthritis which are the easy items from a recovery standpoint in addition to the more major items of rotator cuff repair and ligament/tendon repair/reconstruction that have a long healing period.

Based on what you are describing, I would think that total shoulder replacement will be proposed. You owe it to yourself to find the best shoulder doctor in your area for this type of stuff or travel to Boston and find out who does the Red Sox pitchers.

I have a weight lifter friend that had both shoulders replaced and one got infected and had to be replaced again shortly after surgery. In spite of that, he was real positive about the results so must be a good deal if you are in enough pain and have limited range of motion.

ADT is a complicating factor but extreme pain tends to win that battle after a short while. Consulting with an orthopedic surgeon about that issue may answer your question. Good question for an oncologist as well. My thought is low T is not good for healing but your T could be low for a long time so where do you draw the line? Do you do TRT at some point? Good luck with this.
Posted 9/15/2023 11:27 AM (GMT 0)
Mumbo,
Thank you for your response and advice. The orthopedic surgeon that has been following me has done hundreds of shoulder surgeries and is one of the best in New Hampshire. I trust this man completely. Yeah, the pain is at the point where I'm not getting a good nights sleep and I'm getting tired of taking pain medication. I don't think all of the pain medication is helping other organs like my liver and kidneys. I've decided to move up my November appointment with my orthopedic doctor to either late September or October. I'll keep you up to date on what the surgeon says.
Thank you again and have a great Friday!
Ron
Posted 9/21/2023 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
Boomer, it all depends on if your rotator cuff can be repaired and how bad your arthritis is. I had a torn rotator cuff in 2014, that was repaired. I tore it again last year. This time the surgery failed. I will have a reverse shoulder replacement next Tuesday. If the surgeon can repair the cuff and the arthritis isn’t too bad then that is an arthroscopic surgery on the cuff only. If the cuff can be repaired, but the arthritis is bad, then an open surgery to anatomically replace the shoulder. If the cuff can’t be repaired then an open reverse shoulder replacement is needed. All of these surgeries can be found on YouTube with full explanations of them all. You will need an X-ray and more than likely a MRI and or CT imaging. Over the years I have pretty much researched everything shoulder related. If you any further questions on these surgeries, I can answer many questions on the subject. As far as being on ADT, my first surgery was before ADT, my last surgery, I was deep into ADT. There was no difference in recovery time as I adhered to what was taught in physical therapy.
My best wishes,
Jack
Posted 9/21/2023 8:27 PM (GMT 0)
DH had a reverse shoulder replacement while being on Lupron for 3 + years with a relatively easy recovery. The Lupron didn't enter into the equation. If you are not able to sleep well, that affects you everyday. Not sure how long Lupron stays within your system, but delaying the surgery until you are "Lupron free" might be quite a while and lead to more misery.
Posted 9/21/2023 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
I had a right hip replacement in the summer of ‘21 while on Lupron. No problems. Recovery was normal. I know normal for me because I had the same surgery on my left hip in ‘07, a few years before being diagnosed with PCa. Lupron made no difference in recovery. Best of luck… Bill
Posted 9/21/2023 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the information and advice guys. I really appreciate it. I was able to meet with my surgeon this past Tuesday. He agreed that because the pain is now effecting my quality of life and it's time to go forward with total replacement surgery. We will be meeting again in October to get the process going.
I had an MRI earlier this year which showed advanced arthritis and a "slight" rotator cuff tear.
Thanks again to everyone and I'll keep you all informed.
Posted 12/31/2023 3:03 PM (GMT 0)
Update on shoulder surgery...I forgot all about this question I presented to the group. Here's the latest: I'm scheduled for reverse total shoulder replacement this coming Tuesday, 1/2 (what a way to start the new year!). The surgeon doing the replacement chose the reverse replacement because my rotator cuff is "pretty frayed" and the socket is worn significantly from the arthritis. So, I'm off to add more metal to my body this coming Tuesday. The surgeon doesn't seem concerned about my bones because a recent bone density test showed that my bones show no signs of porosis. I'll be asking the surgeon about adding calcium + B12 supplements for awhile after the surgery.
Thank you all for the advice you provided
Ron (Boomer)
Posted 12/31/2023 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
Ron, after two rotator cuff surgeries over several years, my right shoulder cuff was shot. I had a reverse shoulder surgery in late September. I developed some sharp pain 4 weeks later. In late October I saw the surgeon again and we decided to go back in and see what was causing the pain. The surgery in late November found a great amount of scar tissue built up and an anchor from a previous cuff surgery which was impeding my arm movement. The nerve block for both surgeries were great and lasted a day and a half. I took a couple of days of narcotics, but switched to Advil and Tylenol quickly. Ice also helped, all of pain meds stopped in the second week. Today I can lift my arm over my head and up to the side. Reaching around my back is still difficult. The internet shows a quick recovery and no pain. Not quite true, recovery is slow, but the pain is less than the rotator cuff tear.
Good luck on Tuesday and my best wishes for quick recovery. Email me if you have any further questions.
Jack
Posted 12/31/2023 6:33 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Jack. I hate narcotics! I just don't like the feeling of control loss and I'd wake up feeling like I had stopped breathing. I stopped taking them after a day with my hip replacement surgery. I took extra strength tylenol and ice. I know that they're a necessary evil, but I'll wean myself off of them as soon as possible.

When I'm able to, I'll post how the surgery went and how I'm doing

Ron (Boomer)
Posted 1/1/2024 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
Opioids were a godsend for me during my recovery from open heart surgery nearly 2 decades ago. The doc prescribed hydrocodone. Without it, don't know how I would've slept at night for the first 2 weeks. Tylenol? ha. I never became addicted. Not even close. If I had the same surgery today, not sure if the doc would even be allowed to give it to me. I guess I'd have to buy a case of Jack Daniels.
Posted 1/1/2024 1:12 AM (GMT 0)
Boomer - Good luck on Tuesday, operations go pretty fast nowadays. Will it be same day surgery and discharge for the replacement? Or overnight stay?
Posted 1/1/2024 6:55 AM (GMT 0)
In surgery at 7:00 am and home at 11:00 am for my reverse. They certainly don’t like to keep you for any length of time anymore. I like not spending the night at the hospital, they don’t let you sleep and the bill is much higher. Happy New year all.
Jack
Posted 1/1/2024 1:02 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you to everyone who have posted encouraging words. I will update everyone as soon as I can.

Happy and healthy New Year!

Ron (Boomer)
Posted 1/1/2024 4:29 PM (GMT 0)
Ron…No experience with ADT; but, both knees and shoulders replaced. I was able to delay surgery for a number of years with Celebrex…may help if you and medical team want to delay the surgery. Although Tylenol helped I found the Celebrex was more effective for me and my Dr.’s said it was a lot safer.

With a compromised rotator cuff my guess your Dr. will suggest a ‘reverse’ shoulder replacement. I’ve had one reverse and one anatomical and both were much easier than my knees. The reverse was actually a quicker recovery and from what I saw in rehab; a total replacement is quicker than most rotator cuff repairs. Best wishes. Terry
Posted 1/1/2024 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
Ron good luck with the surgery. Looking forward to hearing a good report when its over
Posted 1/1/2024 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Terry and Prato. I'll check with my surgeon about Celebrex. I've actually been "kicking this can down the road" for about 4 years now. My last cortisone shot was unsuccessful. I just can't get a good night's sleep these days. So, it's finally time to take the leap.
Happy New Year and I will provide an update as soon as I am able to.

Ron (Boomer)
Posted 1/2/2024 5:42 AM (GMT 0)
I was on 24 months Lupron and had 2 knee replacements within 6 weeks of each other with a T of <3. Get the surgery.
Posted 1/4/2024 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
hi guys,

Well, i had my shoulder surgery on january 2nd and it went. right now, i'm typing one handed with liyyle pain. i'm heading out for a short walk, then a shower. i really appreciate your advice and support. i'll keep you updated on my progress. this is a great reason i belong to this forum. there is so much experience and knowledge when other life challenges come up and i wonder how they're going to effect my PcA recovery and visa versa,

again, thank you!

ron (boomer)
Posted 1/4/2024 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
Boomer, glad you've gotten the surgery behind you, best wishes for a quick and uneventful recovery
Posted 1/4/2024 8:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Pratoman!
Posted 1/6/2024 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
Advice Update:
I had my shoulder replacement surgery on Tuesday, 1/2 and all went well. i stopped taking the Tramadal on Friday, 1/5 and just taking Extra Strength Tylenol every 8 hours. Doing introductory PT 3 times a day. All is well.

Ron (Boomer)
Posted 1/7/2024 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
Ron, so glad the procedure is behind you. Don’t forget the ice to help with the swelling. Follow the exercises directed by the doctor. Take it slow to let the deep sutures have time to heal.
My best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Jack
Posted 1/7/2024 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
I had better luck with frozen gel packs, that you put in the freezer vs ice bags/packs. That’s what they used at PT.

Amazon and Walgreens have them.
Posted 1/7/2024 1:18 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you Jack and ntzguy. I appreciate the suggestions and support.

Ron (Boomer)
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply