|
 |
Things to Know About Your Upcoming Shoulder Surgery
Surgery can be a very intimidating experience for patients. The point of this letter is to prepare you as best as possible for the day of
surgery. Our surgical scheduler will provide details about when and where to show up and what medications to take or not take beforehand.
What follows is general advice:
- Unless told otherwise, the surgery will be performed on an outpatient basis which means you will be going home after the surgery. Because of Medicare laws, if your surgery is at the Portsmouth Regional Ambulatory Surgery Center, you will go home the same day.
- Infections are the bane of our existence. We will give you antibiotics at the time of surgery and use sterile surgical techniques.
You can help by showering the day of surgery. Scrub your shoulder and arm pit with antibacterial soap and hibiclens for the three days prior to surgery. Hibiclens can be purchased at a drug store.
- Shoulder surgery is painful. To help alleviate the pain in the first 12-16 hours, the anesthesiologists may offer you a nerve block.
This is a common procedure and performed nationwide for shoulder surgery. It involves a needle injecting novocaine around the nerves of
your shoulder.
- A shoulder survey may be given to you for research purposes. It is a simple form that should take 10-20 minutes to fill out. It can be returned at the time of your surgery.
- You will find it easier to sleep in a chair or recliner after your shoulder surgery. It is wise to find a comfortable chair ahead of time so you are not scrambling at the last moment.
- You should start physical therapy 3-5 days after surgery. We will give you a physical therapy prescription after surgery. Please make the appointment for the therapy ahead of time as some patients have found that their therapists can not accommodate them without a two week notice.
- Patients with rotator cuff tears will likely receive a rather odd looking shoulder sling. The sling is designed to facilitate healing and minimize stiffness. We can arrange for you to have the sling delivered before surgery. There is always a chance (albeit small) that your diagnosis may change at surgery and the sling may not be needed.
- Ice helps relieve postoperative pain. Cryocuffs are fancy ice packs that most patients find to be a nuisance around the shoulder. A bag of frozen peas works just as well. If you would like a cryo cuff, we can have it delivered before surgery.
SeacoastShoulder.com is for educational purposes only. This site does not offer medical advice or treatment. It is not a substitute for professional medical care.
|
|
|
» PRE-OP SHOULDER LETTER
»