Shoulder Update

I thought it was about time I wrote an update on my shoulder situation. For those of you who don’t really know what has been going on I’ll give you a brief history overview first.

History

Multiple Shoulder dislocations 2013-2014
Back and forth with the hospital trying to make them see that there was something seriously wrong
July 2014 hospital agree to perform arthroscopy to see if there was an issue after two MRI scans were not conclusive. Three anchors were placed in my shoulder to repair the labrum tear they found. Procedure performed was a Bankart repair.
Three days later I suspected surgery had failed, doctors refused to believe me.
Physiotherapy until March 2015
Referred to a better hospital November 2015
December 2015 arthroscopy revealed what I originally expected, my previous surgery failed and my anchors had come out.

Since my last update do you believe me now?! Never give up.. there have been a few developments. My consultants decided they wanted me to have a CT scan to get some more information and locate the anchors which had come out, before they repeated the Bankart repair. The results of the CT scan and arthroscopy done in December revealed that my shoulder was in a worse position than I originally thought. Since my previous surgery in 2014 I have effectively been living with a shoulder which is not being held in the socket properly, I actively put it back into place when I do this you can hear the bones rubbing and grinding against each other. This has resulted in further damage being caused.

CT & Arthroscopy Results

The results revealed that I have 20% anteroinferior glenoid articular cartilage loss with failed Bankart repair. The cartilage is the tough tissue surrounding and covering our joints, it allows bones to slide over each other reducing friction and preventing damage to the bones. Cartilage damage has a chance of being repaired, whereas cartilage loss can not be and is the cause of arthritis. The consultant explained this very carefully to me, he said that I now also have arthritis in my shoulder. Great arthritis at 29, but on the bright side it could be worse, at least I know about it now instead of finding out years down the line.
There’s more. He then went on to explain I also had a shallow Hills-Sach lesion, a what? It was like another language, I looked at him like he was speaking in tongues. A shallow Hills-sachs lesion is a type of fracture which causes the humeral head to change shape.

Watch a short clip (1:38) showing a simple explanation of a Bankart lesion which is my original problem and the Hills-Sach lesion the new issue. I found this clip on youtube, it really has helped me to get a clearer understanding of what has happened to my shoulder.

More Surgery

So as the situation stands I’m waiting to have surgery to repair my shoulder once and for all. I was originally told I was on the as soon as possible cancellation list, this suggested to me I would be having surgery very soon. I’ll be honest with you I expected to have this fixed before January was over. I received a letter with a surgery date for the end of March, and I was absolutely mortified. I could understand if I was at home having a great time, but the truth is I’m not. The christmas period is suppose to be fun parties and lots of food, I spent mine drugged up in excruciating pain pretending I was ok, my appetite has severely diminished to the point I’ve dropped a size. The pain keeps me up at night, I’ve now developed a tolerance to my pain relief medication and they expect me to wait till the end of March. That’s not going to happen if I have anything to do with it.

Positive Thinking

A few days ago I got in contact with The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and explained my plight. Since then the hospital has be in contact to move my surgery date forward by three weeks. I’m so grateful for the guy I spoke to at PALS because although the planned surgery date is still further away than i’d like, its progress. I’ve been assured that they are trying there best to get me in before that date and I’m still on the cancellation list. I have complete faith they will come through for me, I have to stay positive and keep believing.
There are days I find it really hard, it’s very frustrating sometimes it all gets the better of me but it will not defeat me. I’ve been signed off from work until I have surgery, it feels like my whole life is on hold. I have to stay strong, I know this whole situation is making me a stronger person.

I’m staying positive, positivity will see me through.

I’ve got this.

Breathe Think Write release

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