I had shoulder pain for approximately five and a half years. It wasn't as bad at first. However, it got progressively worse to where I often had a dull pain and my sleep was adversely affected. My primary care physician referred me to Dr. Dee. We went over my MRI findings and he explained treatment options.
Initially tried physical therapy. I, however, did not respond well to it. My shoulder was probably too far gone, and coupled with that fact that my job is very physical in nature, we decided on arthroscopic surgery, which was performed on my right shoulder in May 2020 at Robotics Outpatient Center.
I had shoulder impingement syndrome, labral tears in a couple places, a lot of inflammation, and a partial tear in the supraspinatus tendon.
A couple weeks before the surgery Dr. Dee went over what would be done, the risks involved, and how long before I would be able to return to my usual activities.
A few days prior I was called by Caroline and had forms to fill out that I received via email. I was provided a ride to the surgery center. I finally met Caroline in person and she was very nice and I began to feel more at ease. The nurse, Michelle, spoke to me in a way that made me feel comfortable. Dr. Reyes asked me pre-surgery questions, followed by Dr. Dee. Because the only other surgery I had was wisdom teeth extraction, I was still quite nervous. Their calm, caring, pleasant demeanor made me believe I would be in good hands.
The surgery went well. I didn't have any pain until about the next evening once the nerve block wore off. I had Norco for pain and alternated with ibuprofen. An ice machine was provided to help with pain and inflammation.
Due to the extensive nature of the surgery and need for rehabilitation, I was given about 7 to 9 months before returning back to work on full duty. I've been going to physical therapy twice a week and am almost back to pre-injury levels of health status and function. Nearly all of my range of motion is back and am mostly working on strengthening my shoulder. Within several months I imagine I will have all my range back and will be strong enough for work.
Dr. Dee is easy to talk to and seems to genuinely care. His staff (Christy, Christina, and Erica) in Huntington Beach and ROC are friendly, accommodating, cheerful, and helpful. When I have time-sensitive forms that need to be filled out and sent to my workplace, I am fully confident they're done properly, thereby allowing me to get paid on time. (Thank you, Christy.)
I usually do not write reviews unless a place is terrible or great. My experience thus far has been awesome.
Whether you are a high level athlete, a weekend warrior, or a just regular 40-something-year-old like me, Dr. Dee can fix you so you can get back to doing what you love. read more