torn right rotator cuff; not supposed to make lather; help!

[kingfisher]

Gentlemen,

I have a torn right rotator cuff and I've been told I have to quit doing active movements as much as possible for the next few weeks to avoid re-injury. I was forced to stop driving my standard transmission car, for example.

Now I'm being told I can't make lather from shaving soap, which I've been doing every day for several years now.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do? What do you think I should do? Would you try to find a canned lather or would you go with a gel? If the former, which would you choose?

Thanks in advance.

[Thalay Sagar]

Ambidexterity. Bummer on the shoulder- I did the same thing a number of years ago and it made life a true pain. Good luck with the rehab. You might consider a brushless cream like Nancy Boy (in fact any decent shave cream should work).

[brothers]

You have two choices, use the other hand exclusively if you're somehow a slave to a brush, or, use your favorite creams without lathering them. In other words, use any shaving cream and just rub it on. As they say, "piece of cake!". Good luck, and take it easy!

[kingfisher]

Brothers, thanks for the advice, but here are the problems:

1) I have no creams. I use only soaps.

2) Even if I put the brush in the other hand, I have to load the brush. Doing so would put pressure on the right side, as the soap has to be held still while the brush is loaded.


Perhaps I should purchase a nice cream and apply it with my hand.


(Oh, and thanks for the well wishes. I appreciate it.)

[Baloosh]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Using the good hand on the non-broken shoulder side:

Cover face with shave soap, a la a shave stick. The form factor will still be a soap puck, but just apply it all over your beard area directly like a stick.

Then face-lather that soap with a brush. All using the good side of your body.

Problem solved!

[brothers]

Larry, I think you're on the right track. It won't be the same, but hopefully you'll be back in business soon enough.

[kingfisher]

Jason:

Good idea! I'll give that a try tomorrow morning and see how it works out.

Thank you.

[Spenser]

What seems like a hundred years ago I played a lot of tennis and developed the same condition. At the time was not into wet shaving and use an aerosol foam can and shaved w/left hand, worse was attempting to brush my teeth. Funny now, was not at the time.

Have you thought of a beard, probably not, just kidding.

Being a cream guy the tube type should be doable keeping injured arm against body and squeezing into good hand. Will you be able to shave without blood on the counter?

Whatever you do will be thinking of you when I shave, its not as easy as it sounds.

Best wishes for a rapid recovery.

[ShadowsDad]

Or you could break down and buy some KMF locally and use it w/o lathering, left handed. Too, to load your brush, you could let the countertop hold it. All the right hand has to do is steady it and hold it in place. No big deal.

You'll figure it out and get by. It's not for forever.

Good luck!

[gil3591]

excuse me cause i may be missing something. you use your shoulder to make lather? are you in a sling? i would just use wrist action

[rsp1202]

. . . If you were in my shoes, what would you do? . . .

Get a new doctor.

[JayTrek]

excuse me cause i may be missing something. you use your shoulder to make lather? are you in a sling? i would just use wrist action

Hey...he gets into it.

I agree with the face lathering approach.

Take good care of the shoulder though and may you mend quickly.

[CMur12]

Kingfisher, you got some good ideas here.

If you're a face-latherer, Jason's suggestion that you use a shave stick and face-lather with your good hand/shoulder is a good one.

Otherwise, the suggestion of several that you use a brushless cream should work well.

The big question would be, "Can you shave left-handed?"

Heal quickly -

- Murray

[jww]

A good friend of mine had to have the surgery a few months back and he is still recuperating and attending physio. Not a fun injury at all.

[Whistler]

KF- Two weeks ago I completley tore my bicep tendon off the bone and needed surgery to repair it, after surgery they put me into a full arm cast. My first attempt at shaving with my other arm did not go very well and my better half watched me suffer through the experience, that night in bed she offered to shave me the next time i needed it, I looked at her with fear and said mmm maybe. Two days later I was in bad need of a shave and she offered to take care of it, now my wife is only 4'11" tall so I asked how do you propose to get this done, she walked into the living room for a minute and then came back to get me, she sat me in our recliner and told me to wait here, she returned with a bowl of hot water my Creed shave soap one of my brushes and my daily razor, she had me recline the chair and sat on my lap, I explained to her how to make the lather and she went to town, I gave a quick explination on how to use the razor and she gave me a two pass shave boyh in the north to south direction, I was to nervous to let her go south to north, the shave was more than fine for me to sit around the house and the experience has been more than pleasurable. S now she shaves me every other day and lets just say she and I enjoy it very much. My cast comes off this Friday and I think even if I can bend my arm to shave I'm going to tell her there is to much pain so I can get my recliner shave for a few more weeks.

[brothers]

Marty, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining.

[jww]

... My cast comes off this Friday and I think even if I can bend my arm to shave I'm going to tell her there is to much pain so I can get my recliner shave for a few more weeks.

Sheer brilliance.

[fallingwickets]

My cast comes off this Friday and I think even if I can bend my arm to shave I'm going to tell her there is to much pain so I can get my recliner shave for a few more weeks.

gets my vote for best idea 2013

71 thumbs up

clive

[joe mcclaine]

Have you thought of a beard, probably not, just kidding.

Nothing wrong with that suggestion.

That's what I was going to say.

I that situation, shaving would be a LOT further down a LONG list of priorities.

But that's just me

[kingfisher]

No beard for me. Shaving remains a top priority as long as I have strength to do so and a job to go to.

Tried lathering left-handed; worked OK. Harder for me to control the precise quality of the lather.

Tried face lathering; I don't like it and never have.

Tried Barbasol; hated it and had a bad shave.

This morning I tried this: I combined some Kiss My Face unscented with some Nivea gel and added about three drops of glycerin, then applied the mix to my face until it lathered up pretty well. So far, this has been the best solution to the problem. I hated the Nivea by itself. The KMF by itself is better, but still not as good as I had hoped. The combination is pretty good, especially with the added glycerin. I may stick with this for awhile if it continues to work as well as it did this morning.

Thanks, everybody, for your help and suggestions.