More aches and pains

I can remember, many years ago, when I was working hard and in much better shape than I am now, that I might see a doctor every five years or so, and then it was usually a fairly minor reason why I had to pay a visit. Now it seems like I’m visiting a doctor of some sort or other every week, and sometimes twice a week!

As I’ve mentioned before, my left shoulder has been bothering me for some time now. Figuring I would need some level of corrective surgery to fix the problem, I asked my cardiologist, during a routine visit, what was involved in finding out my current heart condition. I explained the possibility of surgery and the doctor thought it was a good idea to find out how well I was or wasn’t doing. He scheduled the necessary tests.

The full battery of tests involved four- or five-days’ worth of different procedures, including an EKG, and a chemical stress test. The short version is that, for a 75-year-old man, I’m doing quite well – no blockages or any other potential faults. I was glad to hear I’m doing well and should have no problems with anesthesia or surgery.

Now that that was out of the way, I had a CT scan done on my left shoulder as ordered by the orthopedic surgeon. I met with him earlier this week for the results. When he walked into the exam room, he didn’t make any small talk or suggest any practical options. Getting straight to the point, he said my shoulder was in “rough shape” and that a reverse shoulder joint replacement would be the only thing to correct the condition. If I preferred, pain shots could be a band-aid for the condition, but a joint replacement would be the only permanent fix.

The surgery is currently scheduled for April 1st, pending a couple of other “hoops” I need to jump through. I don’t expect any problems, but things have a habit of going sideways when the path ahead appears clear.

My understanding of a reverse shoulder joint replacement is that that approach is the last possible procedure for replacing the joint. As I recall, when my right should joint was replaced, it involved the “standard” procedure. The surgeon told me if I “screwed up” the shoulder, a reverse replacement could be attempted to salvage the joint. If I messed up the shoulder then, there was nothing else to do to fix things.

If I’m correct here, starting off with the reverse procedure tells me two things: first, the joint is worse off than I had thought; and second, there is no backup procedure if I screw things up. Now, I don’t intend to mess up the surgical results. My right shoulder has been just fine for everything I do, and I don’t see any reason why the left shoulder should do any worse. But accidents happen….

To be frank, I’m not thrilled about having to have the surgery. This makes my fourth joint replacement. In addition, I’ve had carpel tunnel surgery on both wrists, prostate cancer surgery, ruptured disc surgery in my neck, minor hand and elbow surgery, eye surgery, tooth surgery, appendix surgery, and I can’t remember what else. Contrary to how it sounds, I’m not a fan of doctors cutting on me, but I also want as many parts as possible to function correctly for as long as possible. I’m also not a huge fan of pain when using various body parts.

Assuming the surgery date holds, and everything goes well, I should be able to start doing some of the stuff I’ve been putting off for a few years by June or sometime in July. My days of backpacking are over and trying to carry out a moose or caribou quarter from miles back in the bush is also no longer an option. If I can drive to the animal in either an ATV or UTV, or a boat, I can still hunt big game. That or if I can find a young, strong, energetic, and somewhat intellectually challenged person willing to pack, then things can still happen.

Realistically, I’ll probably switch over to mostly small game hunting. I’ve always wanted to go goose hunting, and I think a snow goose hunt in the spring would be a blast. Turkey hunting might be fun and baiting bears is also in the realm of possibility, so life will still hold some challenges that way. It’s tough getting older!