Let me set the stage to explain the suckage.
One year ago this weekend I tore my left shoulder rotator cuff. I had surgery last September to repair it (if a doctor ever says you should have rotator cuff surgery, kick him in the nuts and leave). After about 6-weeks of recuperation I went to Physical Therapy for another 6 weeks. But the PT wasn't bringing things back the way it should have. So, in December I had a 2nd MRI which showed that the repair had had torn completely through the rotator cuff.
At that point, the orthopedic surgeon who did the repair referred me too his partner, the shoulder SPECIALIST. The new doctor tells me he could fix it again, but it's not going to hold. Instead he sent me back to PT to regain as much strength and range of motion as possible, and told me I should have a shoulder replacement i about 6 years (65 y/o). The PT has allowed me to raise my arm so that my hand is level with my shoulder. looks like that's about as good as it's gonna get. Sadly, not enough strength to support a handgun, and can only hold up the AR if I grip it in the front of the mag well. And, recoil is an issue, in that it sends the shock across my shoulders into the bad one, even when I shoot a handgun one-handed. As a result I bought a Walther PK380 that I can shoot one-handed, and still put the holes where I want them.
Then, in February, I tore the RIGHT rotator cuff. After consulting with the orthopedic surgeon, he suggested that surgery wasn't a great idea, since at my age the thinness of the tissue leads to a greater chance on the surgery not being successful. Great. Back to PT for range of motion and pain control on the right shoulder.
My plan for today was to go to the range for the first time since the 2nd injury, and see how much gun (recoil) I can tolerate. In preparation for that trip, I semi-sighted in the optic on the AR, using a bore laser at the length of the house. After manipulating the firearm through several sight and adjust cycles, my shoulders are now hurting like hell from just moving and manipulating the gun, without firing a damn round!!
So the suckage is this, it appears as though my days of shooting guns may be over. I find this highly disheartening.
I'll still teach the Firearms Safety and Carry Permit classes because, as the old saying goes, "them that can, do, and them that can't, teach."
Getting old sucks. I swapped golf for motorcycles about 20 years ago. When the knees went, I swapped the motorcycles for more shooting. Now it looks as if I'll have to be trading this hobby, that I love, for something else.....because my body is turning on me as I get older. Miss K's dad always used to say, "Son, old age ain't for wimps." He wasn't wrong.
MBTV
Forum Index
Help
Calendar
Contact Info
Register as a member
