My First Post-op Meeting with My Surgeon!
What’s Next?
Short Case History!
Well, folks… today was another milestone in my post-rotator-cuff-injury story! To recap for those who’ve missed my recent rotator cuff posts; I had my agonizing ice-slipping accident on Jan 9; I had my MRI that pointed to the gravity of my multiple tendon tears, on Jan 30; and I had my surgery on Feb 24!
So why did I make so much fuss about it today? Today, March 9, has been my post-op follow-up and suture-removal day… HURRAY!
Where did it all happen? At the Sport Medicine Center of the Michigan State University! Did I see my Doc today? You bet I did! Did I ever tell you the name of my orthopedic surgeon? If you say ‘no’, I don’t blame you… because I haven’t mentioned it yet! He is… Dr. Michael Shingles! Was Dr. Shingles happy with my progress today? I guess so! Am I happy with how he’s been taking care of my shoulder so far? You bet!
Can you guess what my upcoming challenging milestone is? Beginning my prolonged physiotherapy! I’ll tell you… it’s an art to pick the right physiotherapist! Why? Because you will walk along his or her side for so many days of your life! So, tag along as I am about to tell you how I have already started the process of selecting my physiotherapist! So far, two physiotherapy centers have made it to the top of my list! My next step is to secure the right person(s) to team up with me! So, please stay tuned as I am about to delve into the physiotherapy phase of my rotator cuff management! Believe it or not… this is an art that anyone with a major rotator cuff injury must master! My physiotherapist and I must team up to accomplish one shared goal … helping my shoulder to excel at its post-surgical potentials!
Looking Back at My Shoulder’s Picture!
Before you go! Do you see the two arrows in my shoulder’s picture? Can you guess what they are pointing at! They’re pointing at two entry holes into my shoulder joint! Note that each is closed with just one stitch! Why did Dr. Shingles make those holes despite knowing that he will most likely have to perform open surgery on my shoulder? Because he wanted to peek inside my shoulder with an endoscope/arthroscope to see, firsthand, what’s really going on before putting a surgeon’s knife on my shoulder! How long is the length of my incision? Give and take about 5 inches! Why can’t you see the suture materials? Because they are transparent! What is the technique used for sewing that 5-inch portal of entry into my shoulder? Continuous suturing, by using one single-strand of suture materials! Does the scar of my incision go away on its own? Of course not! Do I really care! Who cares! Did I already know about the scar? Of course! If you want my honest opinion, it’s a very clean cut! But believe me there’re so many… mostly much younger persons, who get really bugged down even with clean scars like mine!
The Highlight of My Day!
Do you know what was the post-suture-removal highlight of my day today? If you promise not to get jealous, I’ll tell you! So, are you really ready to hear what made me ecstatic today? Well, I jumped into my mini-infrared-home-based sauna! OMG… the feeling of sweating crazily after 16 days was an out-of-this-world, and next-to-none experience for me! Have I ever told you how much I used to love my daily routines of hot-dry and infrared sauna activities? Honestly… I have mentioned it several times… here and there! But I tell you … be ready for it as the BEST IS YET TO COME! My goodness, I have so much to tell you about the health and longevity benefits of them! I’ll tell you…this is another art that we must excel in for the conquest of our own longevities!
I bought my Serenelife infrared sauna in December of 2020. Since then, it has been an indispensable part of my wellbeing. Do I believe that infrared light also hastens attachment of my rotator cuff tendons to the head of my upper arm bone? You bet I do!
If for some reason or the other you can’t wait to hear about my the “BEST-TO-COME-YET” I leave you with this one for today (please click to see): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOyeyOEmFtE…
Catch you all healthily later!
Dr. E
Dr. Eftekar (Dr. E) is the founder and head coach of the Center for Conquest of Longevity and Northwestern Medical Review. A unique attribute of Dr. E is his well-rounded academic background that, in addition to the science of medicine, extends over several other disciplines such as physiology of aging and longevity, philosophy of science and medicine, and integrated kinesiology.