15 Week Update: Post Ream and Run Surgery

March 21, 2012 by [Fight Pastor]

Most of my updates have been fairly positive. I haven’t really had any discouraging weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I am still very encouraged but the last week has been rough. I think I could sum it up in one word…..OUCH!

It has been 15 weeks since I had my shoulder replaced. I am now back to life as normal. I am pastoring my church full time again, I am shuttling my kids around to all their various activities, I am basically back to my normal routine. My natural life busyness has affected my ability to consistently do all my range of motion exercises, strength exercises, cardio and physical therapy. To be fair, I probably get two or three sets of stretches in a day. Overall I still spend about 1 to 2 hours a day on rehab.

My range of motion is good. My strength is, slowly, but steadily improving. But my shoulder has started hurting again this week. Really it has been the last two weeks but in particular this week. The shoulder aches. I also have this weird pain in my bicep. It started a month and a half ago. I figured it was from lack of use and would go away once my strength started returning. Unfortunately it is still there. I am not sure what that is about. I asked the doctors and no one knows for sure. It is interesting. I am choosing to not worry about it.

The shoulder pain isn’t unmanageable. It hovers around a 5. Some days it actually hurts about where it did a couple weeks after surgery. My best guess is because I am back to using my arm fully again and the new shoulder is adjusting. I am very hopeful this is only a minor setback. In fact, as I write this, it is actually doing OK.

Most of my blogs have been very positive and I thought I would be very transparent. I didn’t have a very fun week. My shoulder HURTS! OUCH!

It could be because the weather in Seattle has been horribly cold. When my shoulder was arthritic, the cold always aggravated it.

This week I am traveling to Houston to speak at a friends church. I am not planning to bring any pain medication with me. I will be sure to update you on my travels. I am prepared to get frisked by airport security when the x-ray machine goes off. I am prepared to have my should ache as I haul my luggage around the airport.

I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

Until next week.

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14 Week Update: Post Ream and Run Surgery

March 6, 2012 by [Fight Pastor]

It seems like just yesterday I was about to have a panic attack because I knew I was about to have my shoulder replaced. I can’t believe that that was 3 1/2 months ago. I am so happy I decided to have the surgery when I did, now I get to look forward to the summer knowing that the majority of my rehabilitation will be behind me.

For any normal surgery, 3 1/2 later you would be near full recovery. With the ream and run surgery you expect a 12 month rehabilitation, so I am now 25% into it. Though I have the majority of the rehab still to go, the most challenging part is behind me. Needless to say, I am pretty encouraged.

A couple quick updates…

I had my 3 month appointment with Dr. Matsen and he was very encouraged by my range of motion and my strength. He took another set of xrays which confirmed that everything is healing just like it is suppose to. Xrays are below.

If you follow these blogs you are probably thinking, “those look exactly like all the previous xrays.” If you thought that, you would be right. That is what is so encouraging. When you have spent years getting xrays and every time your shoulder arthritis kept getting worse, seeing everything stay the same is a miracle.

My pain level is very manageable now. I would say it is about at a 3 or 4 on the pain scale. I take a couple Aleve a day to help with the pain and a 1/2 of one oxycodone on the days I do strength exercises.

I am able to sleep with no problem now. I sleep on my back with no pain and on my side with minimal pain. I have talked to several people, that have had my same surgery ,who 6 months after surgery are still having trouble sleeping on their side. Fortunately, that isn’t the case for me.

My up and down range of motion is great. My side to side motion is improving weekly. It is just a slow process increasing your strength, range of motion, and working through the pain. Every week is a slight improvement.

My twin boys finished their season of basketball with a fathers versus sons game. I wasn’t even going to try but it meant a lot to them, so I gave it a shot. I am proud to say, that I successfully played basketball. I was paying for it afterwards but it was fun to do something I love doing. One of my sons, Judah, said it was the most fun he has ever had. I will take a little bit of pain to thrill my boys. By the way, I won the “bump” competition. I even hit a few three pointers. (Again, I am paying for it now.)

Overall, I give my 3 1/2 month evaluation two thumbs up!

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3 Month Update: Post Ream and Run Surgery

February 13, 2012 by [Fight Pastor]

It has been a couple weeks since I posted an update on how my shoulder is doing since my ream and run surgery. I normally travel a lot for my job (and for recreation) but since I had my surgery I have been more or less quarantined to the Seattle area. My life is basically back to normal now so off traveling I went. My itinerary over the last two weeks.

First, I have a tradition with a bunch of guys in my church. Every year we go to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The UFC always hosts an amazing fight card over the weekend. So we watch the fights and then the next day watch the Super Bowl. If you can’t watch the Super Bowl at the actual stadium, Vegas is a close second. It is pretty epic. So I was in Las Vegas from 1st through the 5th.

Then, I left Las Vegas on Sunday night to fly to Burbank, California. I serve on the board of Higher Vision Church and it was our yearly board meeting. Jared Ming is a great pastor and a great leader. If you live in the Burbank/ Valencia area you need to check out his church. I was in Southern California from the 5th through the 7th.

On Tuesday morning I flew from Los Angeles to Orlando, Florida. I am in my 3rd year of coaching with Nelson Searcy and Church Leader Insights. If you are a minister I highly recommend it. If you are a west coast guy like me it is a bit of a traveling pain but it is well worth it. Over the last three years I have learned more about managing the systems of a church than I ever did in my formal education. I only have one more session left and I can honestly say I am going to miss it. The mentoring I have received has changed me and my church. Anyways…..

Since I was in Orlando, I flew my family out for a quick Disney World vacation. (It was fun having my parents come too!) So from the 7th through the 14th I was in amusement parks going on rides. It was so great to spend that time with my kids. They are getting older and you only have so much time with them. These memories are truly priceless.

So that was a quick synopsis of my last two weeks. Now how did my shoulder do?

To sum it up as simply as I can…..not as good as I had hoped.

Traveling on 5 different flights and staying at 5 different hotels while visiting 5 different amusement parks plus running around Las Vegas for 5 days was hard to keep my regimented exercise and stretching schedule.

I maintained my forward (supine stretch) range of motion but regressed immensely in my side ways motion. I was reminded again how important consistently doing your exercises is. Even missing a day has negative effects.

Wandering around amusements parks and going on rides is fairly painful. I was telling my wife today how bizarre it is that my shoulder hurts simply by hanging at my side while I walk around a park for 8 hours. Prior to this trip I was almost completely off of any sort of pain killers. I was down to an Aleve or two a day. This last week the pain was at a level where I gave in and have been taking my surgeon prescribed pain killers (only 1 a day but still…).

The most irritating part of the entire trip has been trying to make it through airport security. I travel a lot so I have a pretty high standing with my airlines. I never have to wait in lines and usually get upgraded to first class. For those of you who travel a lot, you know what I am talking about. It is one of the perks of being a frequent flyer. They treat you VERY well.

My metal shoulder has changed my airport experience dramatically. I set off EVERY x-ray machine. I have a buddy who travels with me whenever I do my Fight Pastor ministry. I would normally breeze right through airport security but he ALWAYS gets stopped. We joke often that he must look like a terrorist because he gets frisked at nearly every airport. I now know how Travis feels! It is brutal having to be frisked every time you go through security. Every time I am being groped in front of the entire airport I am reminded of the old Seinfeld episode where Jerry got stopped by airport security. As he was being rubbed up and down with dozens of people watching he proclaimed, “People, I implore you!”

I leave tomorrow for Seattle and am already preparing myself for the airport awkwardness. Gone are the days of breezing through security and feeling like royalty for the rest of my life. I suppose I better get used to it. So if you are at the Orlando airport tomorrow around 5pm, I will be that guy holding a Yoda doll getting frisked by security like he is some criminal.

So I guess the question you might ask me, “Was it worth it?” Absolutely! I had a blast with the guys in Vegas. I consider serving on the Higher Vision board a huge honor. I loved goofing around Disney World with my family. Besides the pain in my shoulder, I had a great time. That is probably the only benefit of dealing with arthritis for the last 7 years. You are used to living your life with pain in your shoulder. Fortunately, now I have hope that it will get better.

So overall, not the greatest two weeks as far as recovery from my surgery but an AWESOME two weeks otherwise. I am excited to get back to reality and back to my regimented rehabilitation schedule. I anticipate my 13 week update being much more encouraging!

Blessings.

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New Shoulder Week 10: Ream and Run

January 31, 2012 by [Fight Pastor]

It is now two and a half months since my ream and run surgery. It is hard to believe 10 weeks have already passed. People used to always warn me that the years fly by the older you get. These 10 weeks prove that. It seems like only yesterday I was trapped in my house, exercising 5 times a day, heavily medicated and watching episodes of the OC. Now, life is almost back to normal.

I didn’t write a blog last week so I am sure you are anxious to know how I am doing. (Please note the sarcasm.)

I am down to doing strength exercises 2 or 3 times a day. This sure beats the range of motion exercises I was having to do 5 times a day. The biggest challenge is the strength exercises take about 40 minutes each time. Fortunately I am hooked on the new version of Hawaii Five 0. One episode lasts the duration of my exercises. You know how when you get really hooked on a show and can’t wait to watch the next episode? If you watch shows while you work out it is great motivation to keep going. So I look forward to doing my exercises so I can catch up on the last bad guy Steve McGarret is gonna bust!

Here are a few pictures of my exercises which give you an idea of my range of motion. (Notice the fighter pose in honor of UFC 143)

Shoulder stretch is looking good.

After the supine stretch (above) I stretch my arm out to the side.

My least favorite strength exercise

This is my row simulation exercise

Stretch and life my arm up on the side

I am down to 2 Advil in the morning for pain. I will occasionally take 1 oxycodone in the afternoon once I have completed my exercises, if my shoulder is very sore. Overall the pain level is about a 4 on a scale of 1-10. The pain is worst during my exercises and a bit sore afterwards but, overall, very much improved from even a couple weeks ago.

The biggest challenge for me is patience. My life is back to normal. I am working full-time again. Driving my car. I don’t notice many restrictions until I tweak my arm in a bad position or I attempt to move my arm in a direction or a way that it is not ready to move. It is in those moments I am reminded that I need to be patient. I was warned this recovery would take up to 12 months. I am only 10 weeks in. I keep reminding myself that I had dramatically improved over 10 weeks and will improved dramatically again over the next 10. But patience is the key. Stick with the exercises and stretches. Don’t lose faith!

As far as sleeping, I am able to sleep on my stomach again. My should gets a little sore right before I wake up but hasn’t been a hindrance in my sleeping for a couple weeks. I would say sleeping is back to as difficult as it was before the surgery. Now it should start steadily improving.

Here is the tricky part for me…..

I leave tomorrow for a 2 week whirlwind adventure. I am in Las Vegas from Wednesday until Sunday. I am there for UFC 143 and to watch the Super Bowl. It is an epic environment! I leave Sunday for Los Angeles. I will be there serving at a board meeting until Tuesday. Then Tuesday I fly to Orlando, FL. The first 2 days are for a conference, then my family arrives and we will spend the next five day hanging out with Mickey Mouse at Disneyworld.

It is going to be a blast but a challenge. I have to travel, carry luggage, and make it through security. Follow me on twitter @fightpastor to hear the updates. Somehow on this two week adventure I have to carve out time 3 times a day to do my exercises.

That should be interesting! I will update you.

My picks: Nick Diaz

My Picks: Patriots

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New Shoulder Week 8: Ream and Run

January 17, 2012 by [Fight Pastor]

It is January 17, 2012 or one day after my 41st birthday. It is also, as the media has called it, snowmageddon around here. We are in the midst of our first big snowstorm of the winter. They keep predicting it is going to be the worst snow storm since 1985. So far it has been a let down. That hasn’t stopped the school districts from canceling school simply because of a weather forecast. But, anyways…. the most significant aspect of it being January 17, 2012 is that I have now reached the 8 week or two month point of my recovery from ream and run surgery. I figure once you hit 8 weeks you can start using months instead of weeks.

First, I finally have the x-rays from my 6 week appointment. The first view is from the front and the second from the back.

Dr Matsen and Dr Alex (don’t remember his last name) both said the shoulder looks incredible. It is healing well. I was encouraged because it looks similar to the ones I had taken right after surgery. If you have been following these blogs, you know that my “bad” shoulder was slipping out the back. It is encouraging to see that my new shoulder is exactly where it needs to be!

Week 8 has been fairly uneventful. I have been consistently doing my range of motion exercises as well as my strength exercises. My range of motion is steadily increasing (I will demonstrate this in my video blog which will be posted tomorrow, weather permitting). My strength is beginning to increase. I can now bench press 5 pounds with minimal pain and curl 10 pounds. I am planning to up my bench 5 lbs every two weeks. (It doesn’t seem impressive but “baby steps!”)

The pain has been minimal all week long. I am basically off of any medications. I only take a pain killer on an as needed basis. My only issue with pain was the day snowmageddon hit. It also happened to be my birthday. Happy birthday to me! When the weather got really cold and humid my arm began to ache. Strangely, this was the first time I could tell I had a metal arm. It ached the entire length of the titanium humerus. It felt really odd. Fortunately, today it doesn’t hurt.

I get asked often if when I do feel pain if it is like the pain of shoulder arthritis. It is difficult to explain but the pain is very different. Arthritis is a dull ache that occasionally becomes a VERY sharp pain. When my new shoulder hurts it could best be described as injury pain. Hopefully that makes some sort of sense. Overall, the pain level is low.

I have a love/ hate relationship with sleeping. One night I sleep through the night with minimal pain, another I wake up at about 4:30am with my arm hurting. I am trying to find a good solution for this. The way I configure pillows under and around the arm is what helps. Unfortunately what felt great two weeks ago doesn’t feel good today. Even still, I was warned by some previous patients to be ready to sleep in a chair for up to 6 months. This hasn’t been the case for me. Sleeping has only been a minor irritation in the overall progression of recovery.

Finally, I had the privilege of visiting a new member to the ream and run fraternity right after he had his surgery at University of Washington Medical. Here are a couple pictures of David and I at the surgery center. (These pictures are shared with permission.)

It has been awesome to know that my ream and run journey has been a blessing to others that are facing the same procedure. David made it through surgery with flying colors! If you are joining the fraternity in the future and you want a minister to visit you after surgery, send me an email! I will welcome you to our select group.

Until next week….

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