A little more about scapular fusion

I mentioned in a previous post that I had undergone scapular fusion surgery. I was fortunate enough to have one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Canada working on me. He had such a long wait list, and I had just a demanding job, I had the left shoulder done 12 months after requesting it, and the second one done nine months after that. I wanted to make sure if the first one didn't work, I wouldn't have to get the second one.

I waited about five years after learning about the option before I did anything about it. The moment of certainty came on an evening when I was sitting on the floor of my mosque praying. I couldn't hold my upper body up and I had the most wrenching pain in my shoulders and neck and I knew I couldn't stay like this when there was an option.

Then the day of my surgery came. I hadn't seen the doctor in 12 months and when I was wheeled into the operating room, I didn't even recognize him. I started crying uncontrollably and I had no idea why except this strange man was about to change my life.

He turned out to be my hero.

After the two-hour surgery, I awoke not feeling anything in my back or hip where a bone graft was removed. My nerves had been cut, so I guess that's partially why, as well I had a thin tube which pumped out morphine inserted into the incision on my back.

The wound had been stitched for the first surgery and stapled for the second. The scaring was relatively the same for both. My lung was 'nicked' during the first surgery which caused some pressure and pain. Thank god they didn't have to go back in, it just sorted itself out.

I was surprised that there was no cast, just a fabric sling. No rehab, just my own exercises which involved making circles with my arm like I was stirring something.

The biggest challenge physically was getting up. Very tough when you have weak core muscles and stitches in two parts of your back. A recliner would have helped, but I managed ok. Pain management was simply Tylenol 3's and scar management was Vitamin E oil (although now there is a great scar product called Mederma you can use).

After the surgery and the six week recovery, I was able to move my arms and my shoulder blade didn't stick out anymore. I could now get items off the shelf, wash my hair and actually raise my arms. It was liberating.

The biggest challenge emotionally was making people understand the surgery was not a cure, just something to help manage the problem. No one quite understood that, but then I guess it's tough when you don't understand the condition to begin with and don't really want to (I'll touch on denial in another post).

I don't regret my decision even though it meant very large scars, shoulders that are a little broader and slightly uneven. Even though, as my doctor reminded me, fixing one thing will eventually cause another issue. That issue seems to be with my upper body now feeling a bit heavier and straining my core muscles.

All in all, it was a great trade off.