Dr. Mark performed my shoulder stabilization surgery on Oct 28 and so far I am very pleased with my decision to head to Houston for the operation. Thanks to all those who shared their Dr. Mark experiences, either over the phone or in forum posts, the decision process was pretty easy. Talking to some of Dr. Mark's patients was especially helpful for convincing my wife that I was making the right decision and for letting her know what to expect through the whole process. She was a big help. I talked to some who managed well going on their own, but I’m glad my wife came along to help me.
I spent about 3 weeks getting prepared for the trip. Dr. Mark and I talked several times via phone and email. I talked to Norma at the clinic many times as she was helping to get all the paper work in order. I took care of my pre-op blood work and MRSA test locally so there would be less to be done once we arrived in Houston. We arrived in Houston in mid afternoon on the 27th. I was scheduled for morning surgery so we arrived at the hospital at 6 A.M. on the 28th. We completed all the paper work by 6:30. I met with Dr. Mark for a bit and again he went over the details of the surgery. Due to the bone loss Dr. Mark planned to perform a Latarjet procedure which includes a bone graft to rebuild the socket. There was another TT member in the hospital having knee surgery. I didn't get a chance to meet him on surgery day but I was pleased that my wife had another wife in the waiting room going through a similar experience. As far as I could tell, everyone else in out patient surgery was a Houston local - it was tonsil removal day for lots of kids. I was scheduled for Dr. Mark's second surgery and was finally wheeled into the operating room around 10:00. The rest of my stay at the hospital was mostly a blur but I know I was in the car and headed back to the hotel by 3:30. The next 15 hours were kind tough as I was getting over the anesthesia, but by 9 A.M. the next morning I was very hungry and ready to go out for some breakfast. After breakfast we went back to the hotel to check out before heading to the Sanders clinic for a 1:00 appointment. We met with Ed. He removed my wound dressing, put me in a Sanders clinic tee shirt, fitted me in a sling and sent me downstairs for X-rays. Once we got back to the clinic Ed explained how to care for the wound and told me to keep arm in the sling for six weeks. I was told to remove the sling only for my twice daily showers and to only raise my arm enough in the shower to clean my arm pit. As we were leaving the clinic I met Russ (VETRACER515). Russ, who was the other Dr. Mark patient in the hospital, had an ACL repair one knee and work done to other knee. I knew he was in for a very different experience at the clinic since he would be starting physical therapy right away. We then headed straight to the airport for a 6:30 flight. After a 3 hour delay in Houston we finally made it back to Phoenix around 11:30 P.M..
At this point it just a waiting game for me as I do my six weeks in the sling. The sling, a DonJoy Ultrasling ER, keeps my elbow bent at 90 deg and keeps my forearm pointing straight out in front of me. Sleeping with my arm in this position is a challenge - the biggest challenge so far. I start 6 weeks of rehab as soon as I'm out of the sling and if all goes well will be back on the trails 3 months after surgery. Since I've never had surgery before I don't have another experience to compare this one to. This was an open procedure and my incision is about 4.5" long. I've had minimal pain overall and almost no swelling or bruising - all signs, I believe, of being operated on by very competent hands.
THANKS DR. MARK
If anyone wants to know more about my experience feel free to contact me.
