Personal Update

Hope surgery goes well for you and a fast recovery.

How long till you are back to normal ?

Time to catch up on your favourite tv shows

30 days without using the arm, then physio!

Thanks hon!

Hang in there and keep smiling

You will be dancing up a storm, before you know it

Hi planner,

sorry to read this, I sincerely hope you will quickly recover !

Wishing you the best and wisdom for your doctors  take care!

No dancing?!!!  Oh no. Maybe you will be "chair dancing" for a while, like I do.   

Looking forward to your report on your experience. Sounds a bit like mine was, but maybe worse?

Denise and I will be thinking of you on Monday. Take it easy afterwards, no matter how difficult that can be.

RockyM

Thanks everyone.

Sending well-wishes Darlene. Will be thinking about you on Monday and I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Gracias

You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

My friend had this same surgery last year.  I am sure you are ahead of the game and have someone to help you the first few days; however, if you would like any additional tips please let me know and I will provide you with what I did for my friend.  He recovered nicely and was back to playing golf within seven (7) months of surgery, full swing!

All tips and suggestions welcome honey. Thank you!

@planner Thought  & prayers Darlene. A hell of a way to take a break but hope you heal and ard able to enjoy the season as best as possible. Merry ChriStmas and a healthy Happy New Year

My wife fell and broke her left shoulder in Cabarete two years ago.   The surgery went well!  keep in mind that immobilizing your arm and shoulder for that long is going to cause your muscles to atrophy.   our advice to you is to aggressively follow your PT! 

We found that the PT here is much better than in the states  take advantage of it!

Good luck with your surgery Planner, wishing you a speedy and pain free recovery!

they said no dancing but they didn’t  say no margaritas🍸🍾for the month ,

pay attention on your PT

good luck and god speed on your recovery

I imagine you will find not being as active as you'd like to be a challenge. Sometimes not working (out) is the hardest work(out) of all. It may feel like an eternity but it's not forever! Good luck, speedy recovery, and thanks for everything you do here.

@planner hope your surgery went well.

My apologies for not getting back to you prior to your surgery.

Here are some tips (apologies if you've already implemented many of these):

1. Please get someone to stay with you and help you for the first four days at a minimum (cook for you, administer medication, apply ice).
2. Get automatic recliner that allows you to be pushed up to standing position as you will not be able to put any weight on the arm that had the surgery.
3. Have someone cook you meals that are easy to heat-up after your helper has left.
4. Follow the PT plan to a "T", and do not do anything additional or not advised on the PT timeline.
5. Be patient.

Hope you are well.

Hoping you have a speedy recovery with no pain😉,

and get spoiled for the holidays w

lots of goodies from friends🤶🧑‍🎄🎅

@planner

Wishing you the best of all possible outcomes.  Hang in there, soon you will be good as new!

Good luck on the surgery. Interested in hearing the various steps along the way.

Hoping everything went real smooth for you and that your not in any discomfort, and keep in mind before you know it you will be dancing up that storm again

@planner, sending all good health and prayers.

Thank you all! Full report one I am a bit better. Surgery went well but this pain is difficult even with a pain pump. I am in SD but headed home today. I want my bed and my recliner!!! I have had good assistance.

Thanks for the update Planner, I wish you a full (and quick) recovery

take care

Julien

Just checking in with you

How are you feeling ?

@planner oh my!

wishing you a comfortable, smooth recovery.

Wow! you have good insurance. May I ask who is your insurance company?

Hi everyone.  I am limiting typing, one handed is difficult.

Pain is limited to moving the wrong way and during physio! That's huge progress.

Another 2 weeks at least immobilized and physio!  I am definitely on the winning end of this.

I have Humano insurance plan Prime. It covered all but US 120 and the cost of a pain pump.  I must say though Humano has gotten slow and stupidly bureaucratic much like all the rest!  It's frustrating but it works.

I had an amazing surgeon, Dr. Aponte in Hospiten!

If you are in hospital overnight you MUST have someone stay with you.  Nurses simply sleep all night!!! Worst part of my experience was that first night.

More later. Thank you all for caring!

So glad you're progressing! Give it time and you'll be feeling much better. :-)

Crazy about those nurses!

Successful & speedy recovery Planner.

Reading your post on Dec 22, I can’t help myself remembering Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) in the original Avatar. Even though Grace was gravely wounded, she couldn’t stop thinking about collecting soil samples on Pandora.

Planner, you recently had a shoulder surgery and are now recovering. Yet, you see it as your mission to share your experience navigating the Dominican healthcare system with us. Thank you so much.

Keep in mind my fellow future neighbors that the shoulder is one of the most complicated and heavily worked joints in the body. It  provides the greatest range of motion of any joint. It is also unstable. So, do not hesitate to follow up with your healthcare provider when issues arise. In your case Planner (post surgery), physio is highly important. I am glad to read that you are attending PT. If they provided you with a  home exercise program, you should follow it as directed. Good luck and get well soon.

Stay safe everyone.

Thank you! Yes it is part of my mission. I share my personal experience and knowledge!  I don't know it all, far from it.  I will look for info whenever I can.  And, I am sometimes wrong.  I look to others for more accurate info sometimes!

I love this country while seeing the reality!  I always look for ways to help!

Physio - yup!  Mandatory if I want to be back on that dance floor soon!!!!

I really hate typing with one hand!  Carumba this slows me down!

I do promise a full update when I can type with both hands.

Update time:  recovery from the original surgery was a process.  Therapy is very hard but mandatory.

First recommendation: ask for physiotherapy before surgery!  It would have helped a lot.

My scars are very small and healed beautifully.  However I had almost not range of motion, the shoulder remained frozen. In addition to treat the tendonitis they cut the tendon to my bicep.  Big ouch and extends recuperation.

This week I was back at Hospiten,. Put under anesthesia and they manipulated my shoulder to break the fibrosis which causes the "freezing". I was home same day and doing physio! Damn it really hurts.

Anything serious being done, ask for a pain pump. It's a life saver.  The worst pain is the first 3 days. And this works like a portable IV for 3.5 days. It's not covered by insurance.

Two days put I have much more range of. Motion so I am healing. Soon I will be back dancing!

All was done in Hospiten by Dr. Aponte an orthopedic surgeon! He did a great job with me. My insurance covered 95% of this but not the pain pump which is 16,000 RD.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Thanks for sharing.

Get completely well soon

Salsa or merengue or bachata playing all day...inspiration to get better soon😉🌈🎵🎶🌴💃🕺

Glad you are recovering💯💪 and sharing😄

Darlene..... I'm sorry you've been going through all this and I hope now things start progressing more quickly for you. Ouch, it hurt just reading about it. Thanks so much for sharing and it's good to know, in case ever needed, about the physio and pain pump!

Thanks for updating us Darlene. We wish you a quick and full recovery

@plannerGet well soon!!!

    Salsa or merengue or bachata playing all day...inspiration to get better soon😉🌈🎵🎶🌴💃🕺
Glad you are recovering💯💪 and sharing😄
   

    -@Michita

Hell yes!

Time heals everything

Thanks for updating us