Shoulder Pain Pump Patient Compromised for Life

Concord, CAPatients who have had a shoulder pain pump implanted following surgery and suffered injury because of that pump are wondering how they went from a simple surgery to a lifetime of pain. That is what Christine M. is asking, now that she has undergone 2 surgeries on her shoulder and still suffers serious shoulder pain.

"I had my first surgery to repair a cuff tear back in March of 2007," Christine says. "I had been going to an orthopedic doctor for about 6 months complaining of pain and hurting and finally got an MRI, which showed a tear, so I was scheduled for surgery. The doctor had prescribed a pain pump for me, which I picked up from a representative. When I had my surgery, which was supposed to be outpatient, I wound up in hospital anyhow because of severe pain. They put the pump in after the surgery.

"I continued to wear the pump and was advised to take it out after 72 hours. My doctor did not believe in getting a person in to physical therapy right away after surgery. I had to wait for therapy about 4 weeks, but I did not progress at all with healing. The pain got worse over time and when the swelling went down I noticed that my shoulder was abnormal. I had grinding, I had clicking and I had a small range of motion. I just didn't progress. I went in to see a different doctor to find out what was wrong."

The second doctor determined that Christine would have to have another surgery and said that although she did not know why Christine was having problems, there was very little cartilage in Christine's shoulder and her muscles appeared to have atrophied. Christine's second surgery was done in September 2007.

"To this day, I still have grinding, popping in my shoulder and very limited range of motion," Christine says. "I did go to physical therapy, but I just wasn't getting any range of motion back and it was very painful. It's been 14 months since my last surgery. I definitely cannot raise my right arm to shoulder height. If my arm is hanging loose at my waist I can raise it about 30 degrees forward and I have a bit more strength to the side, but it's exhausting. Everything is passive; I have to use my left hand for everything.

"I am right-handed. I can write and I can lift certain things, but I'm basically disabled with my right arm. It has absolutely affected my day-to-day life in every way. I can't get ready in the morning, I have to have help, I'm worn out just after fixing my hair and the muscles in my arms are compromised. I can't lie on that shoulder and consequently my left shoulder is taking a beating because it is doing all the work.

"I remember one of my conversations with the doctor who did the second operation. She said I would be a good candidate for a whole new shoulder as the joint wasn't moving properly because of a lack of good cartilage. I remember now thinking, 'how did I go from a simple muscle tear to a total shoulder replacement?'

"I'll tell you one thing: I would never have had the surgery had I known this is what I would have ended up with. My sister-in-law is a few years older than me. She had the same surgery but did not have a pain pump and the difference between us is between night and day. Within 6 months she had total range of motion back. I will be affected for the rest of my life. Now, I do feel like a victim—I'm compromised for the rest of my life.