Shoulder surgery

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I will be having rotator cuff surgery on July 11 leaving me in a sling on my right are for 6-7 weeks. I am wondering if anyone here has had shoulder surgery of some kind, and how you managed putting on a diaper. I wear pin on cloth diapers at night, and tape on disposables during the day. Pull ups don't work that well for me, but I may not have a choice. In addition, this surgery will probably require an overnight stay in the hospital. As a result, the nursing staff will see my diaper, and may have to help change me. I'm already getting anxious and nervous thinking about being embarrassed. I know medical professionals deal with this all the time, but that doesn't seem to help this 75 year old man. Any suggestions/advice about how to manage this upcoming surgery will be greatly appreciated.
Dennis

 

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I have had two shoulder surgeries on my right clavicle/rotator cuff. The first time I bit the bullet, and fought thru the pain (and numbed it with meds) to change myself i was 22. The second time I had my wife who helped with changing me at this point I was about 25. I have a minor operation done thru urology every 9 months or so fir botox injections

 

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They remove my diaper while I'm under, and put a new one on me before I wake up so I don't really think about it. After 10 years of this though I honestly don't really get embarrassed about it anymore

 

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As far as the diaper at the hospital goes....don't sweat it. You will be surprised on how many different varieties diapers they will have on hand. And the nurses are well used to changing out diapers for you. Its no different than dumping a portable yeranol for them. All part of the job. You'll be fine.

 

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First off the nurses aren't gonna care if you have a diaper. As a nurse we would prefer to change that instead of the whole bed. You could try the velcro style tabs for securing diaper. Or unfortunately for a few months it might be pull ups

 

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It is a humbling realization that sometimes we AL just NEED help. The good and other humbling thing is that there are people who by profession or personality genuinely ike to help and it's alright to cooperate with that.
Everyone needs help some times.

If you will be discharged home and don't have help at home why not buy some diapers and booster pads that you can experiment putting together and putting on by yourself for practice. It will be a challenge but give you some experience to be work from later

 

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You may be able to unsling your arm temporarily while you change your diapers. I used to use pin on diapers too. Washed them without unpinning them.

 

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Damp,
Sadly I’ve been through this a few times, not only losing 90% use of my right arm for over a year due to spinal cord tumor a couple years ago, but the accident that left me incontinent also completely separated my shoulder with open fracture and dislocation of the Humorus (upper arm bone). Not to mention broken leg, hip, pelvis & spine.
You simply learn how to do things utilizing anything that helps. I found door jambs especially helpful! I use cloth at night as well (Had nothing else that worked in 1987). I ended up marking the cloth on the right side of each diaper so I could pre-pin them, then add doublers etc. before putting it on and pinning left side using door jamb to hold the right side up. Later I went to Kins (Babykins) for their extra padding Velcro diapers. Lay it on the bed, lay you on the bed and simply attach Velcro, then adjust while standing using door jamb.
Same thing with disposables, I use Megamax to minimize changes. I marked my tapes on the one I was wearing a few days before surgery, then simply matched it with the new ones and taped up what I thought I’d need post-op a few days prior to surgery.
And yes, I did give my wife & a few nurses a good laugh a few times, I looked like a complete drunken cluts while getting dressed, as my knees are shot too so I might have been a bit wobbly.
Just think back to being a 16 y/o attempting to jump into your jeans without unzipping the fly because your high school girlfriends parents came home early, and you’ll kind of get the picture!
Best of luck with both your surgery & recovery, hoping all goes well!

 

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These stories are all so humbling to me. I have had lots of surgeries, but I didn't have to deal with diapers too.

I pray that your faith in God will sustain you. Amen.

 

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Damp,I’m currently recovering from hip surgery. I realize it’s not the same, but I have two reachers that my wife bought online. One is longer than the other, but they are both handheld. Because I can’t bend down low, they both help me to put on my diaper and plastic pants as well as regular pants and other clothing because they extend my reach. You might be able to use one with your hand on the non-surgical side. They can be bought at any medical supply store.
In regards to embarrassment with nurses changing you while in the hospital, I found that the nurses and patient care assistants were not fazed at all by changing me and I really appreciated the fact that they did it as I didn’t have to sit in a wet diaper very long. I’m in my 60s. Good luck.

 

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I had a hospital admission recently where one of my arms was casted and immobilised. I think that my chart already listed me as IC from previous admissions but I told the admissions nurse that I had brought my own supplies and wanted to be as independent as possible with changing myself. The nurses on the ward were actually really good about it. I could do everything except the tabs myself, so I would set myself up to that point and rang the call bell to get help doing the tapes up. I got asked a lot whether I needed a change or help getting changed, but all the staff were respectful after I explained to them how I wanted to do things. I think that a big part of nursing is encouraging independence from patients anyway so that they can cope after discharge, so if you’re doing your best within your limits, you’ll be a star patient in their eyes. For reference, I am in my 20s and the staff did not bat an eyelid. I think you’ll find that a pretty huge proportion of older adults wear and need help with changing protection in hospital, so you will not be alone. I hope that your operation goes well!

 

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@Damp

I have a crazy suggestion that my Grandmother(Nanny) brought up when talking about surgery. If you wear plastic-backed diapers then you can make a pre-prep diaper by adding small velcro strips. That way the only thing you have to do is get the tape on after you get the velcro to hold. My Nanny worked at a nursing home for a number of years and one of the people there had a broken arm and used this method to give them some dignity. Put the soft side on the over wing so that way the Velcro does not rub you if it overhangs.

It is kind of like making your own hybrid diaper.

https://www.amazon.com/VELCRO-Brand-Mounting-Adhesive-Organization/dp/B099RXQYFK/ref=sr_1_11?crid=9FMGZDDEE46Q&keywords=velcro+strips&qid=1656025919&sprefix=velcro+strips%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-11

 

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@ThatFLGuy

Forgot to say. I had this very issue when in the hospital for my last surgery. Having an IV in your wrist makes taping a diaper very hard but I made it work or got help when I was on meds.

Doctors and nurses have seen it all.

 

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@Damp

Also, The elastic off a pair of underwear/boxers can help a lot in holding up a diaper and making it easy to tape up.

 

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@Damp

Your post indicated that you use cloth diapers at night. There are a couple of things that might help you with the cloth diapers. First, check out Snappi diaper fasteners. They make a larger version that might work for you. They do caution that these don't work well on diapers with a tight weave such as flannel. A second option might be to acquire some diapers with velcro closures. The Snappi option is the least expensive.

I had rotator cuff surgery before my bladder control deteriorated to the point of needing diapers all the time. The first few weeks I couldn't do much with my arm. Once the initial healing was done I started physical therapy. Thinking back, I think I could have managed disposable diapers around week four. My recovery might have been a little slower than some due to the extent of the damage.