Episode 199
EP # 199 Recovering from surgery and the difficulty of it all.
Welcome back to Dont get this Twisted
In this episode, Robb shares his personal journey of recovering from shoulder surgery, discussing the challenges he faced in daily activities, the surgical process, and the emotional aspects of recovery. The conversation highlights the humorous and difficult moments of adapting to life post-surgery, as well as the importance of support and understanding during the healing process.
Explicit
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Transcript
And welcome to another show of Don't Get This Twisted. I am Rob, along with my co-host as always, Tina. How you doing, Tina? That you are. That's why, if people could hear what we talk about before I hit record, it's incredible. Man, if they only knew. If they only knew. We would get in actually way more trouble if they actually knew. Because we talk some crazy stuff before I hit record.
Tina (:I'm doing better than you, Rob. I could use both my arms. Yeah.
Tina (:if they only knew.
Tina (:No.
Robb (:But I mean I've got in trouble but more like hey
Tina (:Yeah, but nobody's ever gotten trouble except for me.
Tina (:you don't got somebody wanting to talk to you because of something I said. I don't get I don't get people wanting to talk to me because of something you said.
Robb (:That's true. It's generally what we say about other people and then that comes back on us. And to be fair, the person that I've said it about, we've had very, very nice conversations about it. It was never like, I've never got yelled at over it. She was just like, you're wrong. And I was like, well, I didn't think I was because of this. we, and literally got over it and like,
Tina (:Yeah.
Robb (:15 minutes because I told that person, you know, either yes, it was about you and this is what I thought or I'm sorry. It wasn't about you. It was about this other girl in my life from 35 years ago. And this is what it meant. And she was like, oh, okay. You know, look, we can't say names for a reason, right? Because we don't want to out anybody or say anything horrible. So yes, there's going to be some kind
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Right.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:kind of in between, right? Where you have to guess if it's you. if you think it's you, anyone who listens to this show, if you think it's you, just text me. I'll explain it all. And if it is you and I'm wrong, I came on this show and said, I was wrong about it. Yeah.
Tina (:And if it's me, I don't give a shit. Don't text me. Don't bother with me. Fuck off. No. That's I'm at with things these days. Not saying what I need to be saying. If you don't like what I'm saying, don't listen. Just don't listen.
Robb (:Yeah, right. mean, right. Yeah, I mean, look, we are going to say crazy shit sometimes. That's just the way it is. It just is. We have an open forum. If anyone wants to come on here, I've said it a bazillion bazillion, but Neil, but times you're more than welcome. I'll give you the link. You can
check in as long as you have some kind of headphones with a microphone we can talk.
Tina (:That's right.
Robb (:That so it's open and look I I'll be more than welcome to throw an argument on the internet. That's what you want to do Really or if you just want to come in and talk look part of this show is Opinions that was the whole point of this show when we started this It's going to be opinions. We're gonna have ours if you have it come on me and teen have very very similar belief systems
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:That's why we don't argue on here. And we've have we've thrown some things back at each other that we didn't and and look That was like 60 shows ago So obviously things are okay
Tina (:pretty much.
Tina (:More like 140 shows before.
Robb (:Yeah, yeah, probably some of the early shows we probably disagreed but not as you know, we just don't but look we want people to come on here and Give their other side. That's the whole point The only way we're gonna meet in the middle is to do that. So that being said we are going to talk about recovering from an injury because
Tina (:You're recovering from an injury.
Robb (:I'm recovering from an injury and a surgery. That's a better way. Recovering from a surgery. Look, I'm a pretty tough dude. I can take a lot of pain. the pain part, so basically I had a torn right rotator and a completely torn right bicep.
Tina (:Yes.
Robb (:That being said, I decided to get them both repaired. Knowing that yes, it's going to be because it's my right arm. And I'm right handed. It it's became.
Tina (:suck because it's your right arm.
and you're right-handed.
Robb (:more interesting trying to become a left-handed person because you have no motor skills that that you've done for the last I don't know 54 years of doing things predominantly with that hand like obviously we do things with both hands we type or we hold things and you know like holding a nail and nailing it in with your right you have you know we're we both
Tina (:Mmm.
Robb (:We use both our hands constantly. But when you're used to doing certain things like eating or driving a certain way or just remembering you can't put your arm across the seat to the passenger seat because your right arm doesn't work anymore. It becomes something of a difficult situation. You know, even wiping your butt. Like you find that
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:I would have constant fear about that though with the surgery you had because I only do that right handed. Not that you wanted to know.
Robb (:Yes, I will tell you. Me too. I will tell you right now that if I leave the house,
I fear having to go to the bathroom. Both bathroom because and let it look now when I leave the house like I wear certain clothes that I know I can get out of quickly. Like I wear like sweat shorts that have a tie or I have wore shorts with a belt and I had to put the belt in a different direction. So I can so I can do it differently.
Tina (:Tina (06:10.127)
wow.
Tina (:wow, yeah!
Robb (:It, things you don't think of. and I definitely, I definitely thought I was prepping. Like I prep my house ready. Like I sit at a different spot on the couch. I got a little thing for my bed that I can sit upright that I still haven't used because I've been sleeping on the couch. Cause it just, it has felt better so far. And I can, you know,
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:I bought a pair of slip-on shoes so I didn't have to, you know, because I had all tied shoes. But once you get in the position, you... it becomes much more difficult. It's like... Yeah, and...
Tina (:Right?
Tina (:You
Once you get in the position, you realize you have to get up and go to the bathroom and then it all starts again.
Robb (:Well, and then, yeah, so when I leave the house, and I don't leave the house very often because I'm not supposed to be driving, so.
But me and my son have gone out and I've, you know, if I eat, I make sure that I'm a certain distance from home so I can just in case I, cause I need to be here. And part of that is cause I got the coolest attachment for your toilet ever. I got a bidet and it's just an attachment. literally screw it into where your toilet seat is. You have a tea in your pipe that the water that comes out, one goes to the back of the toilet
and one goes to the spout. It's amazing. I will tell you, I will never not have one. It's that cool. yeah, it's brilliant. The lack of toilet paper use is amazing. Like you barely need any after you're done. It just, yeah, it just cleans you up. It's amazing. So that's a cool thing, but even so, using your left hand to do it is difficult.
Tina (:Hmm.
Tina (:Really?
Tina (:Nice.
Robb (:and then eating. I thought eating would be the easiest part until you realize that your motor skills with a spoon and a fork are not the same with your left hand. They're just not. And I'll tell you, teen, I meal prepped. So I had something that I could just throw in the microwave and look, I can eat. And I'm not trying to be like overly dramatic, but it's so different. Like using a spoon, I hold my
Tina (:Right?
Tina (:Right? Yeah, you did!
Robb (:I use it like a fucking scooper, like a shovel, like a two-year-old, because I find it easier to control instead of holding it like I would with my right hand, where I would hold it like a traditional spoon. Because I think it's the only way I won't spill anything off of it. And then fork is easy, I'll tell you, but it's definitely you... because how you...
Tina (:you
Tina (:right?
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:How you poke at the food is like a different angle Everything's angles and like brushing your teeth. my goodness is the hardest shit in the whole world because you like You don't want to do it with so much force that you hurt yourself or smack a tooth or some shit so I'm like when I brush my teeth, it's like Like really really slow
Tina (:I didn't think about that.
Tina (:Three hours later.
Robb (:Yeah, kind of that's kind of how I felt the first time I did it I was like, holy moly so these things are like the basic problems of recovering from a surgery like yes being left-handed has made things very difficult I'm they gave me some good drugs, but I haven't taken them because I'm not a fan of taking like hardcore drugs So they gave me Percocet and I haven't taken one yet. So
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Right.
Robb (:I've I've worked on just Tylenol they do they have given me a A nerve painkiller. I don't know what it's called. I hate to be that guy that I can't tell you what it's called cuz I don't know It makes me overly tired like to the point where I was telling you before the show like I was Thinking dude. I'm gonna catch up on all kinds of shows. I'm gonna be like this is gonna be awesome
Tina (:Hmm.
Tina (:Right?
Robb (:I just fall asleep during the day. I'll be on the couch watching something and wake up an hour later or two hours later. And I'm like, man, what, what has happened? Like, what? So that's kind of interesting. They have an antibiotic. They have me on an aspirin every day, which I'm assuming is probably for blood flow. Yeah. To make sure that I don't clot. I do have a cool thing that came with my bed wedge. It's like a wedge for your legs so you can
Tina (:for blood clots.
Robb (:and you kind of puts your legs like a triangle. So obviously your, so the blood is flowing. So that's kind of nice. But it's definitely been an interesting thing since I haven't had a surgery like this ever in my whole life.
Tina (:Okay.
Tina (:I get it. Cause you came home the same day. Yeah.
Robb (:Correct. So my surgery was about three hours. I went there, it was supposed to be at 1130 and I think it ended up being at like two something. I will say though, yeah, and not to, know, they're not a sponsor or anything, but my surgery is through Kaiser, but through a secondary, they pawned me off to something.
Tina (:Okay.
Tina (:Really?
Robb (:because they didn't have they were so far behind. So they're called Arrowhead Orthopedics. They have been nothing but amazing at everything. Yeah. The pretty much both sides like the financial side, the people helping me. I've had some I did have some long wait times, but that's just doctor shit. So you can't really do anything about it. They're doctors are doctors. But when I
Tina (:wow.
Tina (:Really?
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Robb (:went in for my surgery. There was a girl who like got me ready my, you know, like, it all my like hooked me up to my IV and all that stuff. She had an amazing sense of humor because I'm kind of a sarcastic prick. So she was like, going like word for word with me, like just having a good time.
Tina (:That's cool.
Robb (:Yeah, but she was very attentive like kept coming by and being like hey, you're right. How's it going? Do you need another blanket and And it was really wild because it was you know, it's like any of those hospital places man. It's like a morgue in there. You're right. It's like Really cold. I was just like am I dying?
Tina (:They keep it really cold.
Tina (:That's that is one thing I remember when I had my surgeries is how cold it was. like, damn, why I normally I like it when it's cold, but they take it to a next level. That's for sure.
Robb (:Yeah, so I went in there and and and The weird thing is what I don't understand, but I I'm not deep in this. I don't know why you have to get naked Yeah, but they're not doing no work on my junk I couldn't wear no
Tina (:Well, so they could do whatever they got to do to you.
Robb (:underwear.
Tina (:You
Robb (:Like I was completely naked. Well, whatever and whatever tickles are probably Yeah, I guess I guess if I had a clot in my thigh or something then they had to Do something crazy, you know, I mean, you know what I mean? Like anywhere where your underwear would be you're right. They don't want to have to cut anything off. They just want to take your little your little dress out of the way and and and
Tina (:What if something else were to happen? think that that's just an easy way to take care of things.
Tina (:Jesus.
Tina (:Your little dress. Your half dress.
Robb (:dress. Yeah, that's the other thing too. She goes, okay, I need you to get take your clothes off. She goes, and this is what she said too. It was really funny. She's like, completely naked. And I was like, yeah, I know. I just had my nose surgery not too long ago. She's like, okay. And I go, why did I have to get naked? Yeah. Yeah, I was in the same half dress, completely naked. Yeah. So I get on, she's like, get up there and they like, they start prepping me.
Tina (:Wait, they make you do that too for a nose surgery? Really?
Tina (:to the afters.
Robb (:and she goes, before she, so I'm holding onto like the little railings and she walks up and she's like, okay, I need to give you an IV. And she just by sight, she goes, ooh, you look like you have really good veins.
Tina (:Yeah.
Robb (:And I'm like, yeah, I've heard that like when I give blood or whatever, she's like, okay. So she comes up and she puts the little thing on my hand and she, you know, she's like, okay, I'm going to do it now. Please don't move. Don't flinch. And she goes, she puts it in. don't like, I don't even move like literally. And she puts her in, she goes, she goes, my goodness, that was so great. She goes, most people move or they flinch. I go, she goes, yeah. But here's the funny
Tina (:Nice.
Tina (:You told me not to.
Robb (:she goes, but you do have a lot of tattoos, so needles don't bother you. And I was like, look, you barely poked me. was like just a little, you know, it like a prick. Like it really didn't even hurt. She's like, okay, well, yeah. So she did that. She got me all ready, gave me a blanket, and then they put like these compression things on your legs.
Tina (:That's great.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:So she got me all prepped and they're so right beforehand a different girl comes up the surgery people then came up and they're like, hey, how you doing? I'm like talking to me like like we're go hang out at a bar and they're not going to you know, cut cut. Yeah, cut me open. And they're like, okay, well, we're do this and this and they were like super cool. And then they ask you like a bazillion questions. Right. Like, you know, which army you doing? And I'm like,
Tina (:Can I put on my underwear at least?
Robb (:I'm doing my right and they're doing a torn rotator and a torn bicep and she's like, okay, that's what we're doing. And then she goes, what I need you to do is I need you to take this marker and I need you to put your initials on your right arm.
Tina (:Mm-hmm
Tina (:jeez.
Robb (:And I'm like, huh? She goes, yeah, we need you to put your initials on your right arm. Okay, okay. So I put my initials. Then the doctor comes up. He's super cool guy. He goes, okay, we're gonna do your shoulder. He goes, are we doing your bicep? I go, yeah, we're doing my bicep. He goes, okay, cool. Writes these things down. And then he takes the same marker and then puts his initials on it.
Tina (:Stop it, why?
Robb (:It's just double because they want to make sure that they don't operate on the wrong arm. Pretty wild. Do you know why? Because people have had surgery on the wrong arm or the wrong... Yeah. Yeah.
Tina (:Okay. I'd be like, this is a little scary if you need me to mark my arm to get it done correctly.
Tina (:Jesus.
Yeah, I've had several surgeries, but I've never had to mark my body part. Thankfully.
Robb (:probably would now because I think that that's what they do no matter what. Mostly if they're working on like a digit like a certain that you have two of like you know if you're having a heart surgery they don't worry about that shit they know where they're going but so but here's the coolest part that I thought was kind of neat but it's really irrelevant right beforehand the girl comes up and she goes okay we have a blanket for you we're just gonna we're almost ready and she's like throw this
Tina (:Right?
Tina (:very true.
Robb (:blanket on me and it's Dude, it was the coolest thing ever. It was and then and here's the here's the option right and nobody was folded so they must be in like a heated locker. It was so bitching. I was I was as soon she put it on me I was like, literally I went whoo she goes I know right I go man this is awesome like I want one of these in my house I heated blanket it was so cool.
Tina (:on the way.
Tina (:my god. Straight out of the dryer, huh?
Tina (:Yeah.
Robb (:But here's the funny thing too, like I had been there so long, right? was like 11, 1130 to like two o'clock, let's say. And about right before the surgery people came up and I'm like, hey, I gotta pee. And she's like, okay. So literally she unhooked my IV. We walk over and I'm trying to hold the back, right? Cause my ass end is hanging out. And she opens the bathroom door and she goes, you see that hook right there? That's for your IV bag. So hook it up.
there, your business and then come back out. So I walk out, I walk in, she closes the door behind me. I hooked this IV thing up on the wall and pee and then pick up my IV and walk back out and get handed to her. And she walks with me. It was the wildest shit. Yeah. So, I mean, all in all, I should have, it was pretty nice. It was, they were all really cool. I mean, it was such a good experience for having my arm cut open. I, that's the one good part about this. have to say that.
Tina (:how funny. Did you get her number?
Robb (:It was just very professional because I've heard so many bad stories about just shitty people that not you know, the surgery ends up being nice because doctors are doctors but just having a bad experience somewhere and I gotta say they've been really good And then I remember waking up Right
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Nice. That's what you want to hear, though. You want to be able to, like, be around people that are going to treat you good because you're already in a vulnerable state. Your ass is hanging out of the backside of you. got, you know, you got all this shit going on. Mark your arm. Do this or that. You want somebody that's, competent. You don't want to be like, shit, what's what's next? You know, you don't want that. I don't want that.
Robb (:Right. Yeah. I just I want to be treated human and and treated like, you know, like, here's the thing. It's the same as we've always we've talked about on other shows about like when you go to a restaurant, you want to be
Tina (:I would be scared out of my mind.
Robb (:Treated like you're the guest and That's how I felt like they really gave a shit everything was like when they talked to me it was like they And I'm gonna say this in the best way possible for everyone listening. They dumbed it down everything Like she came up and she Yeah, she the first thing she said was this is the surgery you're having and she said all the technical shit Right, and then she goes, what are they doing to you? And I said, well, I have a torn rate rotator
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:so that you understand it, for sure.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:in a torn bicep and they're going to repair it. She goes, yep. like, she goes, that's exactly what we're going to do. Because I think they have to say the big term, just because that's what they're doing. But and then the second thing is I wake. So I wake up, right. And I'm going to make a joke, but it's like in a funny way. Have you ever listened or watched Jokoi?
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:Yeah, there's a lot of Filipino nurses. There I would and I'm not joking. I would say 80 % of the people who worked there were Filipino. It was just funny. Yeah. So I wake up and there's Filipino nurse right there and my son and his girlfriend. And I could not wake up. Like, I don't even know how long I had been out of the of the anesthesia, but I was just like, I've literally was like, I kept like
Tina (:Yes, by far.
Tina (:Mm-hmm. I agree.
Tina (:That happens to me.
Robb (:kind of fading and she would be like, hey, Rob, Robert, have to wake up. Robert, have to wake up. You have to wake up. And my son is sitting there going, dad, dad, you okay? Dad, dad. And I'm like, and then I would, of course, be coherent for a second and go, I'm okay, I'm fine. I'm all right. And then slowly go into like, like my head was like bobbing. Now here's the funny thing. It's not.
Tina (:Mm-hmm. That anesthesia is no joke though. I have the hardest time coming out of it.
Robb (:It is no joke at all. And so here's the thing, like everything, I had to stop eating at midnight the night before. So as we get there at 1130, I'm dying to eat at 1130. Okay.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Right?
Robb (:I'm on the way in I'm telling both of them when I get out of here. I want to eat although I Wanted pizza Yeah
Tina (:What was the specific thing you wanted?
Tina (:Okay. I always want either a hamburger, which I'm not a fan of really, or I want a burrito of some sort. That's all every time I go out of surgery. That's what I want.
Robb (:I was probably talking about lots of different things. I was just hungry. and you know what else I wanted? An Oreo McFlurry. Yeah, yeah. So we're walking in and I'm like, that just sounds so good and blah, blah. So I wake up and of course the only thing that they tell you to eat is broth. That's it.
Tina (:Hehehehe
What? That's random.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:So that being said, I got out of there like five something. I think we were home by six something.
Tina (:Yep, that is it.
Robb (:Right. I guess the whole way home, I was kind of still in La La Land. The whole ride home, all I talked about was getting a pizza and food and I'm hungry. Oh, and gummy bears. I was like, hey, can we get some gummy bears? That sounds like and I don't remember any of it. Not a thing. Yeah.
Tina (:Good.
Tina (:I've been there though. It's funny how your body craves certain things and you're you'll obsess over them, especially when you haven't eaten and you're coming out of anesthesia. I've done that so many times.
Robb (:It's I think it's just your subconscious working. That often, right?
Tina (:Well, no, I think it's just because you're hungry and your body's telling you, hey, I need to eat. But the specific things that you eat, I still don't understand why you picked those. But mine was already always a hamburger that I never eat. I never eat hamburgers. It's so rare. And then the other one was a burrito, which that made more sense to me because who doesn't like Mexican food, right?
Robb (:Yeah. I was just talking to somebody about going to get tacos. Yeah, I love me. I love me some Mexican food, although I like a good burger, too. If. Do you guys know I haven't been out where you're at in quite a while except to go to one restaurant? Do you guys have any habits near you?
Tina (:There you go.
Tina (:Me too. Yeah, I see not so much.
Tina (:We do. We do.
Robb (:I don't know if you if you're an onion rings fan, but they have the best fucking onion rings in whole world. You get their onion rings and the side of barbecue sauce. It's like. Oh, man, it's like close to heaven. It's yeah, yeah, like it. I get slight chub. It's amazing. It's it is so good. I love matter of fact.
Tina (:Yeah.
Tina (:And see, and I'm not a barbecue sauce fan either.
Really?
Tina (:You're stupid.
Robb (:Matter of fact, after this, I'm going to go see if my son wants to go and get a get a get a yeah, it just sounds so good. But anyway, so my experience after that was pretty good. So I get home. I don't end up eating anything because I think I'm just going to I think I had like a handful of peanuts and water. And then and then the next day I was hungry, like. Super hungry. Yeah, so.
Tina (:Get some onion rings.
That's funny.
Tina (:jeez.
Tina (:I eat now.
Robb (:Yeah, so the next day my son and his girlfriend were here. She stayed an extra day and he took the day off because I was, who knows how I was going to feel. And then we went and ravaged and I had, I think I had a huge Chipotle bowl and I killed it to the very bottom, scraped it. And then that night went and had two little hamburgers from McDonald's and an Oreo McFlurry. Yeah.
Tina (:Wow.
Tina (:There you go.
Robb (:I had, I got that. And then the next night I got a pizza before she left. So I got, I hit the trifecta of eating what I wanted to eat. Yeah, it was a plus. And then the real part of this started. So that was all good. But then my first day alone, because my son went back to work and his girlfriend left. It was then...
Tina (:everything you wanted.
Tina (:That's funny.
Tina (:No.
Tina (:Right?
Robb (:Then I started realizing that I'm alone and things are difficult. Yeah, like I'll tell you the thing that's was difficult. So I've even not by myself. The first shower. So they were both still here. So I showered. I can't use any soap on my on my cuts at all until they're yeah, until they're healed zero. So it's just water.
Tina (:You don't say.
Tina (:Really?
Robb (:until they dry up. So I get in the shower and I straighten my arm a little bit just because I wanted to get the elbow moving. And I told you off there, I got it to about 70 % and it felt like a rubber band was stretched to the limit. So needless to say, I picked my arm up really quick and put it next to my side and said, I'm not gonna do that for a while. Yeah.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Mmm.
Tina (:Yikes, that doesn't even sound fun.
Robb (:It was it was interesting pain Yeah, I don't know how to say it it wasn't like Because look pro wrestling I was I got hurt a lot I mean and I mean like bumps and bruises and like, you know, it's easy to say yeah, I've been hurt cuz I did I mean I was punching a face I had my lip swollen my eye swollen shut lots of
Tina (:That's interesting to me.
Tina (:I remember a lot of things that you had happen, because we used to go and watch you and yeah, that was no joke. And I'd go, I'd always ask you, why would you want to do that? You're like, yeah, don't worry about it. I'll be fine. Okay.
Robb (:Yes. Yeah. And so I woke up the first day and then I took all my meds and I realized like, okay, so I ended up putting, so I had to put bandages. Let's go to the shower.
So get out of shower, dry off. I still have my dressing on before I go in. So we take this big, huge dressing, and I'm talking big. Like it was from above my shoulder to my elbow. It was just this massive thing of dressing. I forgot to tell you too that when I went to, before they took me into surgery, they gave me a nerve blocker in my neck.
Tina (:Okay.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:Which when I got out the only way that I can express how it felt Was like your face on Novacaine So I could tap my chest on on my left side and tap across it and feel it and get to where it was numb that's how like It just felt like like your cheek where like if you know when you get shot up where you're like, yeah
Tina (:Have fun!
Tina (:You feel like cadaver skin?
Robb (:and then you get down and you feel it and you can feel where it's numb, that's what it felt like on my shoulder. And that was supposed to last 48 hours. And it did. Which is really good. Which is really good, actually, because it kept me from being in extreme amount of pain. So I get all cleaned up, they put new band-aids, but when I took this dressing off, it was, I was wondering why my dog was kind of...
Tina (:Yikes.
And did it? Okay.
Tina (:Right.
Robb (:Like he hasn't really been around me. He's been kind of... hasn't cuddled me at all since I came back. And it's probably because I still smell funky. Because like I probably still have some iodine I can't get off or you know whatever still on me. Because I haven't been able to take any soap to me. But it was... There was so much blood in this dressing. I didn't realize... Like when they...
Tina (:Okay.
Tina (:Right?
Tina (:Robb (31:23.808)
I finally, I had both of them help me take it off because it was like, you know, stuck to me. And they get it down to like where my bicep was where I must have been bleeding the most. it was like, know, when I mean bloody, I mean like bloody. And I've seen a lot of blood. was a lot of blood was in this. So then I'm like, shit, no wonder my dog doesn't like me because I probably smell like iron.
Tina (:Aye.
Robb (:You know what mean? Like I probably just... Yeah, I smelt like dry blood. So that being said, we get all this stuff off. I get out, they put new Band-Aids on me after I put peroxide on everything that I'm supposed to do. Next morning I wake up and I'm like, okay, cool. My shoulder hurts, but not bad because it's still numb. But doing things was difficult. Like I just...
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:You smell like dried blood.
Tina (:Yeah.
Robb (:like making lunch or getting things out and like where if I'm right handed it's like hot stuff. like I know with the right hand I can go I can snatch it and put it down real quick you know what I mean like things we do because we do them and then I'm like things I'm afraid to do things I'm like okay if I pick this up with my left hand and it starts to burn me too quick I don't have the dexterity right now to move it
Tina (:yeah.
Robb (:Move it to the counter quick. Right? So I'm like, okay, so I'm doing things that like, I wouldn't do. So I made chicken and beans, right? So I microwave it, I open it up, I flip the top off and I stick my finger in the beans to see how hot they are. So I know if I should pick the damn thing up or not. So it was great because...
Tina (:How'd that go?
Robb (:You know like anything The two things cook differently because the chicken isn't a lot so the chickens fucking on fire and popping and the beans are like Barely lukewarm, so I take a spoon to them and I reheat it some more Anyway, just dumb shit like that where you're like, I just never thought so I finally I put the top back on I Get my TV tray ready so I can eat I pull everything out I finally get there I sit down and I'm like, yeah I can't use a spoon because I'm dumb and I'm not left-handed
So I'm like pulling the tray closer to me so I don't like get shit all over I ended up like dripping beans on my shirt like just Yeah, I was just like and this is why I was like what can I make and I thought this would be the easy part But I mean it is it's easy I shouldn't say that because I don't to cut anything but
Tina (:yeah, that's gonna happen for a while.
Robb (:So I've been eating like hamburgers and tacos and hot dogs and like things where I can just pick it up off the table and eat it. Yeah, but I mean, you know, it doesn't make for a healthy thing. I'm trying to like eat better too. Like, cause I don't want to, since I'm sitting around, I don't want to just eat.
Tina (:That sounds like your type of meal anyway.
Robb (:bad shit and not get exercise. You know, because I've already I've already put on some weight from, you know, losing all that stuff I have before. So and I just I need to get a lot of protein. My doctor said that. So I'm what I'm doing crazy that I'm sure people think is the grossest thing in the world. I'm drinking a protein shake with every lunch instead of anything else. It's not the greatest, but I'm getting
Tina (:Absolutely.
Tina (:Ew.
Robb (:I mean, I don't know about the chicken because their thighs, so I'm probably getting, and they're big, and I put like maybe a thigh and a half. So I'm probably getting 40 grams of protein in that and then beans have a little bit of protein. And then I'm getting a protein shake on top of that, which is 45 grams. So I'm getting like 80 grams of protein every lunch. And I'm trying to drink a protein shake again at night before I go to bed because protein helps.
Tina (:Wow, do you need that much though? That's a lot.
Robb (:No, I actually I should do more Uh-huh. Yeah because protein helps mend muscle and since Yeah, well it it actually probably isn't for my weight I could probably do three shakes a day and be Normally, I could probably do three shakes a day
Tina (:You're serious? What the hell?
Tina (:Right, but that's a lot of protein.
Robb (:Because I'm like 250 pounds so like that's there's a lot Now your body can take a lot of protein, but I will tell you the backside of that is not good because protein assimilates different in your You know, but all in all this experience has been I'm not gonna be that guy that says it's been life-changing because that would be a lie, but I will
Tina (:Damn.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:Definitely tell you that it's been an experience for someone who's of my age, who's only had like minor surgeries before. And the major one, I was two and a half years old, so I don't remember. My nose was a interesting one for sure, because, you know, having shit stuffed in your nose for a week is an interesting experience.
Tina (:and you couldn't blow it for months.
Robb (:Yeah, yeah, but the flip side is I could go to work. Like I wasn't sitting around, should I went to the gym with these things in my nose? Yeah, because I mean I could breathe. It was just uncomfortable and kind of weird looking because my nostrils were like wide open all the time. Yeah, flared out all the time. But yeah, so it wasn't.
Tina (:Right.
Tina (:Did you really?
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Flared out.
Robb (:It wasn't a debilitating thing where this I feel like I'm just so, I can't do anything. Like this is what they wrote on my paperwork for my disability. Just for the short term. It says that I'm disabled until further notice.
Tina (:Yep, that's true. You are without a doubt.
Robb (:Yeah, and I kind of sat looking at this stuff. I was like, holy moly, yeah, I'm theoretically I am I can't do anything. Yeah.
Tina (:Yep, and you're gonna be like that for a while. Well come on, when you can't even like wipe your own backside, that's rough.
Robb (:Yeah, like here and this is kind of what I told the guys at my work because like anything any work tries to get you back and California disability their first thing they do is like they don't want to pay you even though I've paid into it for fucking 45 years My boss has been really good. The first thing he told me is don't hurry back
Tina (:Right?
You
Tina (:Right?
Robb (:He's like, why? So you can hurt yourself and then have something else bad happen to you? And I kind of step back for the first time and I'm, look, I'm not one to, I'm not one for like government shit and taking off the, know, sucking off the system. I'm just not, that's not me. But I can't go back to work unless I can type, because that's really 90 % of my job.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:And I would tell you, recording this, I had to buy a small little mouse because I have a right-handed mouse. Because I like ergonomically correct things. So I had to buy, I bought the cheapest mouse I could find on Amazon. It was like $9, right? Some little cheapy piece of shit mouse. And I set it up on my computer here so I can work left-handed. So I changed the button, I did the whole nine.
It is very very difficult to type anything because I had to go on Edd and fill out paperwork for disability Typing one-handed and I will tell you that it it upset me so much that I almost gave up and waited for my son to get home Yeah, because it was like filling your name filling this put in your address do and I'm like click click click click and I'm like trying to type one hand and like
Tina (:Right?
Tina (:you
Really?
Robb (:It's not conducive to hurrying up. And not that I was in a hurry because it wasn't going to work, but you're just used to a workflow of like, okay, if I do this and I can tab over and I can do this. So I kind of got through it and then I had to fill something else out and I called my boy and I was like, look, I need you to sit down here real quick and I'll just tell you what to type in here because I want to get it done because I need to get paid.
Tina (:Right.
Robb (:But and then here's the crazy thing. I've never done this show left handed. So I had to set up everything differently at my desk so I can sit here and open things and if I need to look at something and editing it is going to be even more fun because it's a more precise thing where I have to drop files into a program. So that's why we're recording this with
an extra day for me to work on it just in case I need to. But all in all, I'm telling you, like, I was, it's been an okay experience. It's difficult. My friend who had this surgery, she told me that if she had it done on her left side, and even then she thought it was the most horrible thing in the world. She told me that if she had to get her right shoulder done and it's messed up now.
Tina (:Yes.
Tina (:Hmm.
Robb (:It is messed up and she knows it. She said if she had to get her right arm done, she wouldn't do it. I will tell her once I speak to her again. Yes, it sucks. It's a horrible experience. But that being said, if it works out the way I hope it does, it'll be worth it because my shoulder was hurting more.
Tina (:Wow.
Robb (:It was starting to hurt more and more because I think I was compensating and you know doing things for it But I can understand why she said it now. Here's the flip side. I haven't had physical therapy yet and she told me she told me that To take tissues because I'm gonna cry and she wasn't joking at all. It was a very serious conversation
Tina (:Right?
Tina (:Get ready.
Robb (:She said to make sure I take Tylenol before I leave the house so it's already in my system because they're going to hurt me. I... Yeah. So that being said, there might be a part two to this because I haven't done it yet. I won't do it until next Monday. But I can see why she wouldn't want to do her right hand because she's right handed and I...
Tina (:Mm-hmm. They got to get your range of motion back.
Tina (:There you go.
Robb (:If the left was bad, you know, doing things, now I understand why she won't want to do it. And I know she has bad shoulder problems on her right side as well. it's rough, Dean. But I'm glad I did it just because I'm hoping that this will make my quality of life better going forward. Yeah, theoretically.
Tina (:Well it should, after you heal. Yeah.
Robb (:Because like she had her left shoulder done and there's still issues with that now why who knows You know surgeries are weird. Is it better than it was? Yes my dad had his shoulder done, but he was 70 and He ended up getting a frozen shoulder and a bunch of other shit and it really tweaked him It was the first time I had ever seen my dad
Tina (:Hmm.
Robb (:Weak. That's the only way I can say it. Because that's he was he never showed any kind of weakness. you know, he they come from your dad. My dad come from a totally different generation of showing any emotion. They just don't. It was the first time that I saw him. Defeated.
Tina (:Hmm.
Tina (:Yep.
Tina (:Hmm.
Robb (:And I know your dad is going through some stuff and I'm sure you probably have seen him in a different light as well.
Tina (:Yeah, yeah, it is it is rough when you see your dad go downhill physically and they're unable to take care of themselves and they they require help and most of the time if you're my dad you're pissed off that you need it so it's not easy to it's not easy to watch it's rather frustrating i'm like would you just stop like let me help you so it's it's not easy
Robb (:It's not and
So that was the only thing I thought about before I did this is seeing him and he had pretty much the same surgery I did.
Tina (:Yeah.
Tina (:That's crazy because I've never heard about it until you and then you said your dad had it has to be something genetically that's a little bit.
Robb (:No, we both look my dad was a heavy equipment operator he's pickaxes he use shovels I Don't think it's genetic I just think it's doing a lot of dumb shit Look, I mean I did pro wrestling for 20 years at the same time 10 years of that I played ice hockey and I was a goaltender so I was moving my shoulder in You know different ways
Tina (:Yeah, but I know people that have done that their whole life and didn't have these problems.
Tina (:Okay.
Tina (:Yeah.
Robb (:Wrestling, I'm sure didn't help. It was like a 30 mile an hour car wreck every time I wrestled. That's literally what they say. It's about the equivalent of a 30 mile an hour car wreck. So I just think that here and then of course most of my working career I worked in a warehouse and I was lifting things. So like I think it's just wear and tear. Like I didn't have a huge tear in my shoulder. It wasn't like massive.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
I believe it.
Robb (:but it was torn and it probably would have continued to tear. And I didn't want to get to a spot where I was just, know, there was nights I couldn't sleep because of my shoulder, but it wasn't every night. Okay. I know people who cannot sleep at night because of their shoulder. It wakes her up in the middle of the night. So.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Right, for sure.
Tina (:Mmm.
Robb (:Me too. And look, can I live with a small amount of pain? Yes. I just don't want to live with something where if I make the wrong move, it shoots through me. And that's what was starting to happen. So, yeah, just long run. And look, I...
Tina (:I'm hoping that from you having these though you won't have any more pain. Like get you back to where you could do whatever you gotta do.
Tina (:Mm-hmm. Yeah. So you definitely needed to do it.
Robb (:It's not easy at any age. wish I look I saw my son he had his elbow surgery Six years ago five years ago. He has a plate in his arm He he being a stupid gamer he never used a sling like he was supposed to best thing he ever did best thing he ever did Because because he didn't have his shoulder up and he held it by his side. It helped give his range of motion
Tina (:Mmm.
What is that?
Robb (:He never even had to go to physical therapy because he didn't want to play games so he could hold a controller. So that's what he did. So, I mean, it's kind of humorous long run, but it's not. yeah, at the end of the day, I hope this is a good thing. But I will tell you at our age, it's...
Tina (:That's great.
Tina (:Wow.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:not an easy thing to do. And of course, when it's your non-dominant or when it's your dominant arm, it's an experience. I'm hoping that it's, I'm guessing at least probably two months in a sling is what I'm guessing. Four months probably until I can go back to work.
Tina (:No. I getcha.
Tina (:It sucks. Yeah.
Tina (:Mmm.
Robb (:where it's completely ready to go and Yeah, and about a year until it's completely healed is what they say So yeah, so look I hope it's I made the right decision It's not easy at this age. That's all I got to say. That's my last thing I can tell you it's It's just not we're so wired to do something a certain way that when you become
Tina (:Wow.
Tina (:Makes sense. That part makes sense.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Robb (:something different, it's very hard. But, you know, I mean, the good part is that I have a little time off to kind of recharge. So that's that I will tell you that that is a nice thing to wear like, and it's funny, because I'm so programmed to do things, I still wake up at the same time I don't sleep in. I it won't.
Tina (:I get you.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Yeah, that's going to take a while to change if it even does.
Robb (:I I'm so yeah, I mean I woke up this morning at 430 and I still got up and I still fed my dog and I still took him for a walk and I The only good part is I can come back now and if I fall asleep on the couch, I don't care You know what? I mean, that's the only good part, but I'm I'm doing my best that when I'm not Doing things I'm resting I'm trying to rest my body as much as I can because I I don't
Tina (:Yeah, that's what to say.
Tina (:Mmm.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:Good.
because your body will heal when you sleep so you need to be sleeping.
Robb (:Yeah. Yeah. So it's, it's, it's good. mean, like, hopefully this all works out and, and we're all good. So, and, and again, like, we'll, we can do TG soon. So that's kind of nice. Yeah. I think once I can get that direction, once I'm, you know, allowed to drive, we'll, we'll do it. It's going to be a little bit.
Tina (:Yeah, let me know.
Tina (:It's gonna be a couple months. Yeah.
Robb (:Maybe a little bit, but you can always come this way and we can always we can always get tacos somewhere Yeah, there's a really good you like the sole If there's a place to no, you can the place that I we go to you can ask no, that they have two different versions to that. they have They have green and red. So like they are Yeah, it's a good place. All right
Tina (:I can.
We could do that. I'm down for that. I don't think so. I had it once. I didn't like it, but they put cabbage on top and I was like, what the hell is this?
I would rather have Manu though. The green and the red?
Yeah, I'll to check it out. Right on.
Robb (:Yeah, it's an opinion show. Don't get it twisted. Keep coming back every Wednesday. You can check us out on all the social medias. I'm trying to do better and I should do better now because I've shit tons of time. And then you can check us out on all the podcasting places. It's funny. So many people listen on weird devices. But Apple, Spotify, obviously are the biggest ones. I'm Rob. That's Tina. We'll see you in a week. Bye.
Tina (:Mm-hmm.
Tina (:See ya.
Robb (:you