Shoulder surgery and APAP

[Nozzelnut]

I had shoulder surgery yesterday; the surgeon reattached a tendon, ground out some bone that was impinging the joint, and fixed a couple tears in the rotator cuff. I can't sleep in a recliner, so that leaves me sleeping in my bed; on my back. I know it's not the best position for OSA sufferers, but using my machine I'm actually able to get some sleep instead of gagging and waking up every couple minutes. It's not the best sleep and very short in duration, but it's better than the alternative of none.

BTW typing with your non dominate hand and performing daily tasks is a bit awkward. Takes forever too.

[HerbM]

Way to go!

Hope you recover as quickly as possible.

[chunkyfrog]

Typing with your non-dominant hand is ranked up there with crossword puzzles
and learning a new language for brain exercise and staving off dementia.
Embrace the inconvenience and grow your grey matter.
(edit: corrected spelling)

[49er]

I had shoulder surgery yesterday; the surgeon reattached a tendon, ground out some bone that was impinging the joint, and fixed a couple tears in the rotator cuff. I can't sleep in a recliner, so that leaves me sleeping in my bed; on my back. I know it's not the best position for OSA sufferers, but using my machine I'm actually able to get some sleep instead of gagging and waking up every couple minutes. It's not the best sleep and very short in duration, but it's better than the alternative of none.

BTW typing with your non dominate hand and performing daily tasks is a bit awkward. Takes forever too.

I wish you a speedy recovery Nozzelnut.

49er

[Janknitz]

I hope they're giving you good pain meds! I've had issues with my shoulders, and lying down was SO painful. Getting up from that position was WORSE!

[OboeVet]

Do you have a cool water recirculating sleeve on your shoulder? I spent the first 3 weeks with one called VascuTherm. Provided gentle compression cycles, too. I'm 2 months post- op.

May your healing be quick & rehab successful.

[jencat824]

Hope you feel better soon!

Jen

[Nozzelnut]

Thanks you for well wishes they're greatly appreciated.

actually the pain has been manageable; the gas that moved up to my shoulder after gall bladder surgery last year was 10x worse than this.

the sleeping on my back has increased my ahi and pressure quite a bit. most of the night was ok but, I had about 30 minutes where I get 3 or 4 breaths and have a central or obstructive at about 17 cm/h2o. I guess that's a good and bad thing about following my data.

sorry for the lack of capitalization; my fingers can't stretch that much

[M'ohms]

I'm 2 weeks out of torn rotator cuff repair myself. I couldn't wear my mask for the first night due to nausea. It's the only night I haven't worn it since starting therapy last March. Although I always sleep in a recliner, it's still difficult to find a pain-free position. I also had a frozen shoulder, so I had to start physical therapy the day after surgery. I'm glad for every day that's behind me, and know that each day will show improvements. Fortunately, I can take naps during the day, and find that I sleep better during those naps.

[ClayL]

I had what sounds like the exact same operation as you last February on my left shoulder.
I found I was able to sleep on my right side but had to shift to my back part of the time.
My AHI went up but that also happened when I had a hip replacement and had to sleep on my left side and back. In both cases the AHI went back down as soon as I stopped taking the narcotic pain meds.
That was 11 days after the hip and one week after the shoulder surgery.

By the way - after the prescribed 16 therapy sessions with a therapist at a facility, I continued to do the Theraband exercises she recommended for another couple of months. I regained full range of motion in all directions - actually a little better when reaching way up behind my back than with the right arm.
The point of that statement is that based on what several other people told me that didn't do what they were supposed to and ended up with limited range of motion. I took what they said to heart and it paid off for me.

[letsride]

I rented a hospital bed to help me find the right position. Something to consider with shoulder surgery.
Worth every penny.
3 months out from my procedure.

[Nozzelnut]

I'm planning on hitting the pt pretty hard when that time comes. I've been doing some of the phase one passive stretching. I can feel some pressure going through those motions. The dr said after the 4 weeks in the sling then 5 months of pt and up to a year to get back to 100%.

My surgeon didn't set me up for a cryo cuff; the cold water circulator thing. I've heard nothing but good things about them and that folks love them. I might pick one up through amazon.

[BleepingBeauty]

I feel (or felt) your pain. I had both shoulders done three and four years ago (a year between surgeries) and remember what it was like to have one arm immobilized for weeks; it was tough. And sleeping was difficult, both from the pain of the surgery and from the pain meds I was given. But sleeping on my back was not an issue, as I do that every night and maintain a usual AHI of around 1. My AHI was higher after the surgeries, of course, but it went back to normal quickly enough.

Putting the mask on one-handed was a challenge (I live alone); I placed it on my pillow, mushed my face into it, and snapped the headgear straps onto the plastic shell. (I think we PAP'ers are a hardy bunch; we can make anything work. )

You'll likely be thrilled with the results of the surgery once you've healed. For now, do what you can to minimize the surgery's impact on your sleep, and don't worry about the rest. Time will do the trick. Hang in there.