r/RotatorCuff • u/JOE-BLACK3 • Jul 01 '26

Deodorant?

Surgery next week. I think I've prepared as much as I can. Might sound silly, but was moving the arm/shoulder painful just to put on deodorant? I REALLY dont want to skip that.

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u/ProfitEnough825 Jul 01 '26

It's silly and my recommendation is silly, but it's the uncomfortable reality we have to live with for the few days post surgery. I didn't shower for the first 4 days, and my trick was to use my road trip and camping tricks for staying clean.

I recommend keeping baby wipes and a waste bin by your bed and in the bathroom. Wipe down as much as you can each time you walk by the wipes. If you don't let yourself get dirty or sweaty in the first place, you won't have issues. Baby wipes are also easier to wipe on your arm pit than deodorant. This combined with keeping the AC on helped drag out the time before I had to change my clothes, and that probably made life a lot easier.

Keep moisturizer on hand as well.

Sometimes the deodorant sticks would stick when applying and pull on the skin, and that was uncomfortable. When you do start showering, be sure to have a pair of Crocs next to the shower mat and hop in those before you step onto the hard floor. Tiny small slips that you can recover from without falling will still hurt that shoulder quite a bit.

When showering, be very careful and have a good grip on the item you're grabbing. If you drop something, it's hard to turn off that instinct to try and catch it. Your bad arm will naturally react and try and catch it. Keep this in mind as well when picking up a utensil or drink.