The Friendly Handbook of Shoulder Surgery Coping Tips and Tricks

A NON-MEDICAL, easy to read, handbook of tips and tricks to assist in shoulder surgery recovery. Total shoulder replacement patients, rotator cuff surgery and arthroscopic surgery patients give advice on how they handled their first weeks and months of recovery in a sling. The book is NOT intended as a medical book and does not explain surgical procedures or pain-killing medications The chapters are arranged in "forums" where patients share in their own words how they performed various tasks with "one arm," limited motion and sometimes bothersome and painful incisions. Included are sleeping strategies, what to wear, how to dress, meal preparation, kitchen gadgets, creating safe conditions, personal hygiene, bathroom safety, ice and cooling, balance issues, driving and many other tips. The author (himself a total shoulder replacement patient) realized there were few practical handbooks to help him in his recovery. Starting even before his surgery he sent out questionnaires, talked to therapists, corresponded on social media, through email and talked to other patients in person. All patients were interviewed on a confidential basis.The author recommends that following surgery, any issues involving medications or pain should be discussed with their healthcare providers.