Chronic pain post total shoulder replacement

[coastalcarolina]

Here is the short story.  I am an active 58 yr old woman with history of multiple shoulder issues.  In 2006 I had a total shoulder replacement, just a worn out shoulder.  Since then have had 2 revisions and have been in P/T for years.  Now the pain is unbearable and no one can find the cause.  I have no range of motion and basically no use of arm.  I go from doctor to doctor and have been told it is not in my head.  The next step is for me to go to the Cleveland Clinic but I am wondering, is there anyone else that has this trouble with a replacement?

[Smmr1321]

I had a total shoulder replacement back in 2008, due to a fall
on my ceramic kitchen floor. I fell on my left side with all my weight
on my left shoulder. The fall shattered the ball of my shoulder in
4 pieces, tore my rotator cuff, and put my shoulder itself out of place.
In the ER the doctors had to snap my shoulder back into place.
I had to wait 11 days to have my total shoulder replacement surgery
done.

After the surgery, the doctor prescribed many strong pain medications
that did nothing to relieve the pain. All they did was make me sick to
my stomach. The doctor had me do physical therapy for about 8 weeks,
and that didn't help either. So then he discontinued the therapy.

My shoulder never did heal right after the surgery. When it started healing abnormal bone grew right next to my replacement, stopping proper
rotation of my shoulder. My doctor would not operate again at that time,
because he said that it would be too risky. The reason for it being too
risky was that he said if he would operate again there would be a chance of my shoulder and arm damaging muscle, tendons, etc., and if that happened
my shoulder and arm would be useless. So that's a risk that he did not
want to take, and neither did I want to take that risk. At least now, I can
still move my arm around...even though I don't have the proper mobility
of my shoulder. My shoulder has been in constant pain since the injury, and surgery in 2008. Nothing I do to try to relieve it helps much...

Now, after those 7 years since my surgery in 2008, an abscessed cyst
decided to grow in the area of the scar from my total shoulder replacement.
About in October of this year, I noticed redness on the scar, but it kept appearing, and going away, so I didn't think it was serious. But after a few weeks, it started getting a boil-like sore. The sore was about 2 inches around, and it looked like it might be filled with pus. So I went to my Local 24 hour
Urgent Care, to have the doctor take a look at the boil. He looked at it,
and decided to give me a local anesthetic, and drain it. So he pierced it,
and then drained it. When he was draining it, he got a lot of pus, water, and
blood out. The doctor said that what I had was an Abscessed Epidermoid
Cyst. He said that those types of cysts can grow on any part of the body.
I just don't understand why it picked my surgery scar to grow on. The doctor said that the cyst is usually caused by bacteria, or hair follicles.

A week after the Abscess was drained at the Urgent Care Facility, I had
to follow up with my Primary Care Doctor. When I followed up with him,
he told me that it looked ok to him, but I should also get it checked by
my Orthopedic Doctor that did my total shoulder replacement surgery.
I had already had an appointment setup with that doctor before, because
I wanted him to check on my shoulder replacement anyway. I hadn't been to my Orthopedic Doctor since 2009.

When I went to my Orthopedic Doctor, he took shoulder X-Rays, and
determined that the shoulder replacement had moved upwards in my
shoulder. While I was there, he drained my Abscessed Cyst again, put
some anesthetic ointment on it, and bandaged it up. He told me to keep it bandaged and not to put anymore ointment on it. I went back one more
time after that to get it drained, and another time to get it checked.
The last time that I had an appointment at the Orthopedic Doctor, his
Physcian Assistant said that the Abscess looked like it was healing. but
to come back on December 31st to get it checked again. I've had problems where it looked like it was healing, but then it fills up with fluid again.

I don't know yet what the Orthopedic Doctor is going to do about my
Shoulder Replacement moving up in my shoulder. I just hope that
another Surgery is not the only option. My shoulder and arm has been
hurting since the injury, and surgery as it is...I dread the possibility of having
more pain with another surgery than what I do now...

[beiner1964]

I too have had 7 shoulder surgeries i have a prothesis and my arm is usless and I am only 45 years old I have slept with ice for over a year and take pain pills and suffer depression due to chronic pain. I wish I had never done this but had no choice as I had a staff infection after and they thought that infection was in my blood and it was in my bone. My shoulder fell apart like a piece of old dead charcoal and now have avn would take any sugestions HELP

[michaellass]

i just had a full shoulder replacement on the left side .......thinking if i did the right thing?

[Dr Vinod]

Hello!

What type of Physiotherapy you had? What was your programme after surgery as this is very important to get off the pain?
Follow up with your operating orthopedician and find the reason of the pain, take intermittent pain killers with also usage of ice packs.

Take care!

[lineman]

I had a revision of left shoulder because of motorcycle wreck in june 2008. I broke the ball off my arm so they put a shaft down my arm bone with a new ball on it. It felled so the next surgen did a total reversal shoulder surgery April 2009. This is where they take the ball off from your arm and install it on your shoulder. Then they take the socket off your shoulder and put it on your arm. They remove your rotator cuff completley so you use your detoid muscle to work your shoulder. I am 49 years young. I got addicted to those wonderful pain pills ha ha''. Just got out of rehab.Been off pain meds for ten days and the pain is not as bad without the pain meds and my range of motion has improved without the meds. The only thing my wonderful wife will allow me to take is motrin or tylenol. She is an RN and has been for 14 years. She told me if I would just try to get off the prescription meds I would feel better and and most of the fantom pain would go away. So far she was right. Still do not have but about 70% range of motion but I thank God for that after what I have been through.