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Tomorrow I am off to the surgeon. I am having my Rotator Cuff operated on. I won't be able to use my left arm for quite some time. Of course this means no luthiering for
at least one to six months. Darn and I was just a finish away on one guitar and a couple of weeks work on another. I guess they will just have to wait. At least, I should be able to spend more time on the computer(at the forum of course). I can still type with one hand.
Any prayers would be appreciated. It would be nice to raise my left arm above my head again. I will let you all know how it goes I get out of Painsville. Hopefully that won't be to long. No guitar playing for at least one month either. RATS. I guess I will still be able to listen to others play their music. If anyone knows how to be a one-armed luthier let me know?      

Good luck....I hope it goes very well.

I messed up my rotator cuff about 8 years back from playing softball. It was nasty for a couple years, but eventually healed itself. It was a few years later that I decided to try playing tennis again, and it was a real concern whether I could serve or not. Luckily it worked out. The thought of the surgery scared me!

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Ron - id suggest calling Kevin Gallagher, he's a registered member here at the OLF, IIFC he had a similar surgery a few years back.

Lance

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

I said a prayer for you Ron.

Hi Ron,
Don't worry...everything will be OK!!
The prayers are already on their way.
Get well and God's Blessings to you.
Walter

Prayers with you. Make sure and do the physical therapy. Wife is in the business and private clinic, but the after therapy is what will make it better, faster. Hang in there and know when get back to the build and playing, you will feel and be better

You have my prayers Ron.

Ron-blessings to you. While you wait, would you consider farming out the finish job? I know that Addam Stark does finish work for a number of hand builders. Fair prices, fast turn around. And he does all the grunt work for ya. Just a thought....

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I'm familiar with this type of surgery. The results are usually quite good with a low incidence of complications.

As someone else mentioned, the post surgical therapy is the biggest component in getting back your range of motion (ROM). It will be painful but it needs to be in order to keep the adhesions from limiting your ROM..."no pain, no gain"

Be thankful you're not a paper hanger! Keep us posted on the surgery. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Ron we will be praying for a speedy recovery. Guess you won't be using all that nice wood stash too soon.

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http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
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1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

I meet with the surgeon tomorrow to see when he wants to do mine. I'm not looking forward to it. Maybe we can comiserate together. I have 3 guitars that are in the last stages of completion too.

Last summer I was having a lot of shoulder pain and very limited mobility. Lifting anything was agonizing.

My surgeon looked at the xrays and said I had a "gigantic" bone spur. I did 10 weeks of PT to improve my posture and shoulder alignment - and it has actually worked out pretty well.

I know several other woodworkers who have had shoulder injuries and corrective surgery. Seems like it comes with the territory.