Advice, please
Hi everybody. This is my first Reddit post ever. Do what you will with that information.
Me: 45(f), reasonably fit and quite healthy, active mountain biker and daily bicycle commuter (I live 1.5 miles from work on a car-free bike path).
I had been living with a pretty manageable pain in my right (dominant) shoulder for about a year and a half. When I could no longer reach into my back pocket without significant shooting pain, I used the Dr.’s referral I received last summer to get an MRI.
Results came back that I have a “High-grade bursal sided tear of the anterior supraspinatus insertion measures approximately 0.9 cm in
anteroposterior dimension with approximately 1.2 cm retraction of the bursal sided fibers.”
Naturally, I’m bummed out.
I met with a local surgeon who specializes in rotator cuffs and sports medicine. I wouldn’t say he pressured me into surgery, he spit straight facts that this wasn’t going to heal on its own and he wasn’t going to give me regular steroid shots. I’m too young for those. Because I wasn’t ready to schedule at our first meeting, he agreed to give me one steroid shot with the option to have surgery after 3months.
Is it normal to have to wait 3 months for surgery after a shot?
I haven’t been able to mountain bike or really, be on a bicycle for more than 15 miles without being in significant pain, even after the shot. I have a very physical job that requires me to lift 20-50lbs at a time to shoulder height, several times a day. Today, I think I fucked up while working and found myself in unrelenting pain. 400mg Ibuprofen and diclofenac sodium gel didn’t do a thing.
In the short-term, how fucked am I?
I won’t be fired from my job, I own my business. Thank my good fortune for that one. Surgeon says he can arthroscopically install a patch or reattach the torn tendon. Cool.
Ok, so again, I’m reasonably fit and pretty active. How long can I expect to be off my bike- even to commute a short distance?
For those of you that are also active adults, what kind of exercise were you able to get after surgery? How long did you wait before doing anything aside from walking your neighborhood?
I don’t want to go under the knife but I feel like I have to if I want to get my life back. Can you please share with me your experiences, setbacks and how you stayed sane and happy before and after surgery?
Thanks for reading. Thanks for any insight and intelligent replies.