Dan Kublank – Surgery Blog

Back to work

306 Media — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:33:57 +0000

Finally, after ten months, I am standing in full gear ready to lift a hose load over my shoulder and walk up three flights of stairs to begin my “Back to work” test. I’ve posted an example from the internet so you have an idea of what the test involves. It felt good to finish and get back on shift. So I guess this is close to the end of this blog for my surgery. I will see my orthopedist later this month and then in April for my one year follow up. It’s a long road from start to finish but I am thankful for the people who helped me along the way. My orthopedist who really knew his stuff, my physical therapist who is tops in her field and my personal trainer who took me down the last road to get back to work. For these people, I am truly thankful.

Work Hardening Program is Over

306 Media — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:28:22 +0000

I just finished four weeks of a work hardening program. It consisted of working with a personal trainer for four hours a day, five days a week for four weeks. Grueling to say the least. I started off unbalanced in my core strength and unable to do more than 3 push ups. My balance was way off and my strength was even worse.

The days consisted of warming up on the treadmill to get the blood flowing. Thirty minutes of stretching along with manipulation of my bad shoulder to loosen the muscles and increase the range of motion. We worked on core exercises that would balance the muscles in my body to better support the increasing weights that would be used over the 30 day period. I learned proper lifting techniques and stabilization of my body during exercises. Over the course of the program, weights were increased, reps and sets were increased. The only thing not increased was the rest in between sets, that was decreased to work on endurance and stamina.

You go home exhausted and very sore but over the 30 day rehab time, the soreness goes away and you find you have more energy. My range of motion improved, although nothing like it once was, and I’ve got my strength back. I feel more balanced and confident in my return to work. Believe me, you have your doubts as to whether you can even go back to being a Firefighter at the beginning. I no longer have those doubts and I can’t wait to get back to work.

Almost Ready

306 Media — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:10:53 +0000

I have another appointment with my orthopedist in December and he has said that I should be ready for a work hardening program. This would allow me to return to work in good enough shape to do my job. It’s been a long road for recovery and rehab but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I’ll post about the work hardening program when it starts.

My advice for anyone going through this type of surgery and rehab it to take your time and allow the doctor and your therapist to guide your rehab. It may be painfully slow but in the end, you will end up stronger and have a less likely chance of re-injury.

Update at 5 months out

306 Media — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:41:26 +0000

It’s been almost 5 months since the surgery and 7 months since the injury. Still off work but seeing major improvements in strength and range of motion over the last month. There is still constant aching in my shoulder but at least it’s not to the point of distraction that is was before. Therapy is going well and we are stepping down from three sessions a week to two since my range of motion has been consistent from visit to visit. It’s been a long road to that happening. My therapist, Donna, stretches my shoulder and arm for a good 30 minutes before I am ready to do any exercises. At least now we are moving into weights (although light) and away from passive motions that we did months ago.

It seems the tendonitis that sidelined therapy for a couple of weeks is gone and we can concentrate more on range of motion and gaining in strength. I was sent to an independent orthopedist for a second opinion that Workman’s Comp ordered. At least they found an orthopedist that specializes in arthroscopic shoulder surgeries and not some hack. After they spent a lot of money to have me see their doctor, he pretty much concurred with my current treatment regimen and supported the fact that I should be off work as a fireman for another month or so, given that I can’t lift very much weight.

So, I attend therapy two times a week, take my medicine like directed and do my home exercises. It’s a long process to get back to work but at least I now see a light at the end of the tunnel and have felt the progress of gaining strength.

The doctor and Workman’s Comp is recommending a Work Hardening Program to get me back to physical strength to be a fireman again. I was told it can be 4 to 8 hours a day of specific exercises designed to replicate your work environment and get you ready to go back to work in peak physical condition. I actually would look forward to the program and would love to get back in shape for work. At least I only gained 8 pounds during this ordeal instead of the usual 20-40 pounds most people put on. Thank goodness for local forest preserves and time for long hikes.

Making Headway

306 Media — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:07:45 +0000

Hey, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted but there’s been things happening. Some good and some bad. About two weeks a go I started to develop tendonitis in my shoulder. My therapist always says “we listen to the patient” which means the shoulder, not me. I have been following the prescribed exercises at home and it was just too much for “the patient”. We backed off the 2 pound weights and using the thera-bands and went back to stretching and assisted movements. Two weeks later, I’m back to trying weights and was successful for the past two sessions. We are using only 1 and 2 pound weights and it is amazing how quickly the muscle gives out given the fact that there is no muscle right now. The atrophy has been pretty severe and the rehab to bring me back to the point of being a firefighter/paramedic again will take some time.

I am impatient at times and feeling like I could do more but I was told numerous times not to overdo it and ruin the therapy. I’m pleased with the progress so far and am amazed at the range of motion I have regained. It’s not much but it is more than the two inches I could raise my arm after surgery.

There is still some every-day pain in the shoulder and bicep area. Ice helps the throbbing and sometimes medicine helps me sleep but for the most part, you get used to a certain amount of daily pain and just “suck it up”. My advice to anyone reading this who may be going through this therapy and rehab it to be patient and let it work. If you try to lift more than you are able, you could tear something and put yourself back to square one, surgery.

Never take a week of Physical Therapy

306 Media — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:00:08 +0000

OK. Now you know. Don’t take a vacation from your physical therapy. I went on a weeks vacation with my family and paid the price. I did my exercises like I was told to do but you don’t get the full stretching that you get in PT. After one week I went to therapy on Monday and it was excruciating. Muscles were tight and painful to stretch. We called it early after the stretching session. I was in too much pain to continue the other exercises. I went home and put the ice pack on again because it hurt for hours after the session. I actually had to take pain meds to dull the pain.

The next session was better as far as being able to complete the session but I was still sore the rest of the day. The third session this week should be the ticket. Word to the wise.

Follow up visit

306 Media — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:54:15 +0000

I had my two month follow up visit with my orthopedist. They say everything is going as planned and that my therapy is moving along at the expected pace. They reiterated that I need to be patient with the process and not to start lifting any weights since the labrum was still healing itself back to the bone.

I was able to get out for the weekend to a reunion weekend for past staff members of a scout camp I worked at when I was younger. It was nice to get out of the house and have a weekend to myself. It is still tough sleeping at night and I am still up at least 3-4 times a night with some shoulder pain. I refuse to take any more narcotics though as it messes with your head and I don’t like it. So far so good. You just get used to a certain level of pain and learn to just handle it.

I received a comment from a blog reader today that thanked me for journaling my experience as she was befuddled with her own experience. I guess it’s nice to know what to expect and that you are not alone in the whole orthopedic process, which can be time consuming and confusing. That is the reason I created this blog was to help someone understand the process thru my experiences. I’m glad I could help.

Finally in my “big boy” bed

306 Media — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:54:12 +0000

Hey, Hey. Finally able to sleep in my own bed. My therapist said, “you’re a big boy now”. It still is a little uncomfortable at times with the pressure on the back of my shoulder but at least I am sleeping fairly well. I need a pillow under my arm if I sleep on my side to support my shoulder. It will start to ache a lot after awhile but at least it’s another position to sleep in. I was getting tired of sleeping on my back. Funny how I never could do that before.

Therapy is three times a week now and for an hour at a time. The frozen shoulder I had before surgery is a menace and always threatens to come back unless I do my exercises I’ve been given a few times a day. Recovery is slow but moving along.

The doc said I can choose when to wear my sling now. He recommended I wear it in public so people will know there is something wrong and not smack me on the shoulder. It will also keep me from trying to catch myself with that arm if I fall or get pushed into something. That would tear the anchors apart and we would be back at square one. Not on my agenda right now.

So far things have been moving forward and getting better. I still have twinges many times throughout the day and use the ice machine many times a day also. It helps with the swelling and pain control. Not having to take that many meds is nice. More later.

Follow up with the Orthopedist

306 Media — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 02:15:36 +0000

Today was the one month anniversary for my shoulder surgery. I celebrated it with a visit to my orthopedist for a follow up appointment. He was doing great until he took my arm out of the sling and proceeded to manipulate it to see my range of motion (which has been pretty sad). He made my shoulder hurt pretty bad in a matter of 30 seconds. At least the physical therapist uses a heat pack for 15 minutes first and then warns me when she is going to make huge moves with my shoulder. No such information coming from the Doc. He said that I was on target for the 30 day mark and liked that I started three PT’s a week because of the tightness. He said that should help the bicep tendon spasms I’ve been having.

PT went well today. It was still painful on certain stretches and I still am not allowed to do any rotation of the shoulder for many more weeks. I get the sling off in two weeks (6 weeks total) but they said I should consider wearing it out in public because without it I look fine and the sling keeps people from slapping your shoulder and sometimes keeps them from bumping you because you look injured. It is also a good reminder not to overdo it and try to lift anything, which I am forbidden to do for a few more months.

All in all, I feel good but still can’t sleep through the night. I am still sleeping in the La-z-boy and icing down my shoulder multiple times each day. Especially after PT and in the morning when I wake up. It’s a sanity saver because the constant ache gets very annoying sometimes and the ice machine helps take it away for awhile so you don’t go bonkers. The pain meds are useful for the really bad days or nights and allows me to relax a little and stop splinting my shoulder, which makes the pain worse.

I am going nuts from the boredom of not being active like I am used to. I am not able to work my main job as a Firefighter Paramedic and I can’t work my side business of being a Handy Man. Luckily there is Facebook, computer games, DIY shows on cable, and time out with friends and family. These are sanity savers.

Good nights sleep?

306 Media — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:34:18 +0000

Well, I tried to sleep in my own bed the other night. My brother in law bought me a foam wedge to sleep on since the one I was going to borrow from him was being used by his wife. It looks great since it props you up in bed so you are not sitting straight up or completely reclining. The only issue was that it was new and pretty firm. It put too much pressure on the back of my shoulder and since it is pretty swollen still, it wasn’t comfortable. I think it will be good in another week or so. I am only three weeks out from surgery so my therapist was surprised that I even tried yet.

After tossing and turning for two hours, I went back to the lay-z-boy. It was too late because the damage was done. My shoulder was screaming at me and even after an hour of icing it down, it was 4 AM when I finally fell asleep. Nice experiment, bad outcome.

I think I’ll give it another week or so and try it again, wedge and all.