Two buddies had the same surgery in the last 2 years and both are doing great now. The recovery is up to you usually. One took about 6 weeks the other took 3 months. I just had surgery on my back and neck enough titanium to build a rocket. The neck healed in 6 weeks the back is still a little rough and it's been 4 months. The physical therapy is the thing that will help you get back on track. Make sure you have a good Dr.

 

feel for you my friend. Might have a similar situation coming up shortly.

We'll see Best of luck,, keep you head up, everything passes

JimG

 

Sorry to hear about the upcoming surgery. As far as adapting to your new situation, you will. I lost three fingers on my right hand in 1998 in a table saw accident. I was flown to San Francisco and two fingers we re-attached. I went through a year of hand therapy, and had titanium knuckles installed (sounds like a new radio installed). I adapted to using my left hand to perform the necessary things that you mentioned plus shaving, bathing, and signing checks. I started writing letters to people I knew as a form of practice.
The best advice I can give you is to be patient with things. Your emotional health is important here.
Wishing you the best.

 

hey jon...

i'm your guy to talk to. altho i didn't see you age in the text, i was 63 when i had mine done. this is no laughing matter. please call.

quentin at three one 5 three four 5 one6 5 seven. i'm retired and home most of the time. i'm in the eastern time zone and an early rizer, about 5;30am so, its up to you

q in syracuse

 

My guess is most of us working on these old trucks have an advantage over others going through challenges like you'll be facing after surgery. Although I have not had the same surgery, I deal with the challenges dailly. I had two hands until a little over twenty years ago. It really is amazing what you can do with only one if you think things through. Just like working on our old trucks. We may not have all the right tools, might be missing some parts, but with some inginuity we can get them on the road again. I lost my left hand (right hand dominant) my left shoulder is basically useless, but my left elbow works as God intended. Sometimes I use my teeth to hold various things (my toothbrush while I put the toothpaste on), clamps are great, my foot to hold things down when I would have used my left hand. I used to lay my pants on the bed and put the belt through the loops. I can do most everything now with one hand that I used to do with two. When I go to a restaurant I order food that doesn't require two hands for cutting (steak) unless I have a special knife or my wife along. You won't have to make all these changes being it will just be for awhile, but I hope you find that where there's a will, there's a way.

Hope the surgery goes great,

Grant

 

well been through this quite a few times. do what the dr says to the t. when you start therapy the pulleys help stretch it back out. big help. dont push your luck. protect your shoulder for over a year afterwords. you can use your hand just nothing heavy till they say you can i bought 5x tee shirts easer to put on and off. the worst thing was bathroom training.

 

just checkin in with you nare-do-wells and misfits

surgery was 1/3/13 and I don't remember much of that day.. lots of good drugs.
thursday was mostly sleeping and pain pills (hydrocodone was my new best friend)
last pain pill at 8 pm Thursday... Friday thru today has been BOREDOM x 2. I've read two books and watch the entire "Band of Brothers" series, did the Matrix trilogy today and tomorrow might be "blade"...still got "Borne" and 4 seasons or so of "Battlestar Glatica"
Friday I went out and just stood in the driveway for a few minutes to breath some air I hadn't already breathed.

but tonite....TONITE... I gonna watch Alabama do a hiney flogging on ND !!!!

can I get a Roll Tide please !

I've got no pain, typing with two hands if I get the keyboard placed with this sling from hell...Sleeping is sporadic...just can't get comfortable with this couch-cushion under my arm and all the straps... 3-5 hours is a good nite... nap when I can

I said no pain but that's a little misleading... I should say no pain IF I don't move my arm the wrong way... If I forget and swing it a little... it tells me strongly not to do that again... I was napping today and there was a loud noise outside that startled me and my arm came up (from the elbow) Now, that was an interesting experience NOT !!!

Back to the doc on thursday and then probably therapy after that... I'm sure at first the therapy will kick my butt... and can't imagine installing a transmission this year, working over my head... there go the home oil changes too...and my aspiration to be a major league curve ball thrower... oh well... maybe brain surgeon is still possible.

If anyone is considering having rotator cuff done.... do it... we can talk to each other to break up the boredom

yall be cool

john

Oh and BTW for you old timers like me from the old days Fenders is back

 

Glad the surgery was a success. And welcome back (to two-handed typing).

Hope your therapy goes well, and you're back under the truck soon!

 

You're ornery as ever - Must be doing good
Just follow the Dr. orders - Right - Your like me - I know what I'm doing

 

I hope Alabama beats them like a drum. SEC.....SEC....SEC.... I'm not gonna make any of you Alabama people mad. You have psychopaths who poison trees....yikes!!! Glad it went well. Just don't push it. If the ortho doc tells you to gargle peanut butter while standing upside down....do it. Give it time to heal.

 

Did someone call for a ne'er-do-well?

I was wondering about you the other day. I'm glad the surgery went well and that you are on the road to recovery.

From what I've seen so far, Alabama is really putting it to 'em

Speedy recovery!
Bobby

 

Good luck with the recovery and try not to make your wife mad or you won't get any help. I see you live in Alabama and are rolling with the tide. They should win easily. The last time I watched them on TV was the A&M game ,
I am from Texas...
Take it easy and don't cheer with your right.

 

topmoo..

wife has been fantastic.... 2nd day I told her start thinking big and shiny... best nurse I ever had...

 

This is gonna be a blowout. Enjoy the show, John. You deserve it. I can think of at least five other teams in the SEC alone that could give Bama a better game so far than Notre Dame.

 

Will Fenders be here at FTE? Where has he been?

Oh and its good to have you back and feeling better!