First time having "real" surgery....

shasha

shasha

Fractal Fanatic
...so wish me luck. Same frickin torn tendon in my elbow. I've had more than the recommended number of cortisone shots and it's been over 2 years now so they sent me in for some MRI's. After experiencing that bit of joy (been through a few, but this was the most uncomfortable position ever) they informed me that it's almost completely separated from the bone. Best determination as to the cause that I can come up with is excessive badassedness. Doctor was not familiar with that term; not real sure about this guy's credentials after this, but he seems to know a lot about less awesome things so I'll let it slide.

Surgery is supposed to involve some lasers (sans sharks) and is supposed to be in and out. But the recovery is around 6 months which un-sarcastically really does suck. But as it is now I'm pretty much down a flipper and it's just not getting better and I can imagine that it can only improve after surgery (famous last words).

Now the only other times that I've ever been unconscious is from tequila or soju so this will be a new experience for me. The only other procedures I've ever had done involved fixing my eyeballs and "fixing" my other balls. :)
 
I've had both of my shoulders repaired and so I sympathise with your situation. Pre-meds, surgery, hospital stay was no issue at all. Rehab and physio took a lot of patience but, ultimately, it was worth it. Resisting the temptation to try something before you're ready takes an awful lot of willpower ;)

Best of luck with it all!
 
Best wishes. It's tough to have to lay off guitar for medical reasons. Last year I went through physical therapy for tendinitis in my right elbow. It sucked to not play, but its something I had to bite the bullet on or I'd never get better.
 
Advice?...sure

1) let your caretaker hide your CC untill after the pain killers are gone. .:lol

2) Do not post here or at the gear page while you are doped up in the hospital. .:?

3) You can still practice your guitar in your mind (theory modes etc). . good luck :encouragement:
 
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shasha said:
Now the only other times that I've ever been unconscious is from tequila or soju so this will be a new experience for me. The only other procedures I've ever had done involved fixing my eyeballs and "fixing" my other balls. :)
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It's just a sleep ..... and look on the bright side, at least your balls won't ache afterwards this time
 
They've made huge advances with "in and out" surgery in the last couple of decades. Day surgery has become so routine that it's almost not a deal anymore. Best wishes for an exceptionally fast recovery.
 
Hope everything works out man, I had shoulder surgery last August and have another one this coming June 7th. Bone spur, calcium deposits, numerous cortisone shots, physical therapy and mri's etc.. Sucks man, I hear ya. If this surgery doesn't fix my shoulder issue, the next and last resort is them having to sever my tendon, clean it, and then reattach it with two anchor screws in the bone. 6 months recovery I think. Good luck, you'll be back jammin' in no time!
 
On one hand, I'd like to tell you - "Dude, that ain't real surgery. Cancer, heart repair, internal organs,.... THAT's real surgery!".

But, at the same time, any time you mess with a guitar player's limbs, there is a huge amount of stress. I have a pinched nerve that renders a portion of my hands numb constantly. But, strangely, I can still play in this condition and one of the risks of surgery is a loss of dexterity so I won't even consider it until it gets much worse. All I can say is that they have this stuff down to a science now so relax and get better. I enjoy your posts on this forum, so you need to recover fully for my selfish enjoyment.

I had both of my knees cleaned up at the same time last year and I was walking in 12 hours. I'm sure you'll have a similar experience.

Best of luck and keep us posted.
 
Thanks for all the well wishes. Some of you sound a lot like my wife (in that she's had a few serious operations) and I feel like I'm being a bit of a baby. I'm not worried about the procedure at all....it's the recovery. That's always the hard part. I mean I just have to lay there while someone else does the work on the elbow and then I've got to keep on whatever stuff they have me do. And I know me; I'll be all over it for a week and then I'll think I'm ok and then next thing you know I can't straighten my frickin' arm out all the way and I start sucking even more on the guitar. Or I'll go ahead and start playing ahead of schedule and get it all flared up and they'll have to amputate it at the neck.

But thanks for listening to me whine. I'll be fine. It just sucks knowing that I'll be out of commission for a while.
 
Pick up a Roland FC200 foot controller cheap off ebay or craigslist & connect it to a midi keyboard. You can put the FC200 in note mode and play the keyboard with your feet. :)

I'll be praying for successful surgery & healing.
 
Hope all goes well with the surgery and all the best with the recovery. And when you come out of the anesthesia, mind your tongue. That dope does make people say some "wonky/insert foot" sort of things. Last time I came out of it for a hernia operation I asked the nurses attending me, "who was that anesthesiologist?" Then commented, "He has the personality of a thumb tack". Some laughed but one scolded me slightly saying, Yeah, but he's very good at what he does". I almost felt dumb for saying that but not quite. He was a bit of a brick.
 
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shasha said:
Thanks for all the well wishes. Some of you sound a lot like my wife (in that she's had a few serious operations) and I feel like I'm being a bit of a baby. I'm not worried about the procedure at all....it's the recovery. That's always the hard part. I mean I just have to lay there while someone else does the work on the elbow and then I've got to keep on whatever stuff they have me do. And I know me; I'll be all over it for a week and then I'll think I'm ok and then next thing you know I can't straighten my frickin' arm out all the way and I start sucking even more on the guitar. Or I'll go ahead and start playing ahead of schedule and get it all flared up and they'll have to amputate it at the neck.

But thanks for listening to me whine. I'll be fine. It just sucks knowing that I'll be out of commission for a while.
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You're not whining. Getting put under and having your elbow worked on is a scary thing when you're a guitar player. Only another musician or athlete can truly relate, and we all do.
 
Good luck Shasha
I too enjoy your contributions in this forum so get better soon
I'm an anaesthesiologist (we call it anaesthetist in Australia)
Sounds like you are more concerned about post op physiotherapy etc rather than when you're under
But shoot me a pm if you want any general advice re anaesthetic
 
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