Rotator cuff surgery

[cheryln]

About a month ago I posted that I was having pain in my right shoulder and elbow, thinking they were connected as far as the pain goes.  I made an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon . He sent me for an MRI for my shoulder. I got the results back to day. It showed that I have a small tare on the cuff, muscle thickness, fluid , bone spur and arthritis. My doctor suggested two choices of treatment. 1. cortisone shots. 2. rotator cuff surgery.
He did explain that the shots were only a temporary treatment and it would depend on my how long I would receive them. He also explained that the surgery would be a very long painful recovery 8 weeks.

I would like to know if anyone has undergone the cortisone shot treatments and did they help at all and if so how long did they last before the next one ?  I would also like to know if anyone has undergone the rotator cuff surgery and what to expect post surgery . Right now I have not made the choice as to what I want to do. I want to be prepared.

Thank you in advance for any information or suggestions.