[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/01\/jills-reverse-shoulder-replacement-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/01\/jills-reverse-shoulder-replacement-story\/","headline":"Jill\u2019s Story: Living a Full, Active Life After Reverse Shoulder Replacement Surgeries","name":"Jill\u2019s Story: Living a Full, Active Life After Reverse Shoulder Replacement Surgeries","description":"<p>Severe shoulder pain led Jill to undergo reverse shoulder replacement for both arms with John Richmond, MD. After surgery, she\u2019s no longer in pain.<\/p>","datePublished":"2026-01-05","dateModified":"2026-01-05","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/orthopaedics-regions","name":"UPMC Orthopaedic Care","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/orthopaedics-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/orthopaedic-surgery\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2207709473-e1767635258714.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2207709473-e1767635258714.jpg","height":866,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/01\/jills-reverse-shoulder-replacement-story\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Orthopaedics"],"wordCount":1286,"articleBody":"Jill Kellogg likes to stay active. She\u2019s always doing something \u2014 whether it\u2019s hosting spaghetti night for her kids and grandkids or riding her Harley-Davidson trike motorcycle.For the past several years, however, severe pain in her shoulders and other joints made enjoying life difficult.Wanting a solution for her pain, Jill sought care with John Richmond, MD, orthopaedic surgeon with Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers.Dr. Richmond performed a pair of reverse shoulder replacement surgeries on Jill. They replaced her right shoulder in October 2023 and her left shoulder in November 2024.Since her surgeries, Jill is pain-free and enjoying life again.\u201cIt&#8217;s just so completely different,\u201d says Jill, 67, of Slippery Rock, Pa. \u201cI have better posture because I\u2019m not in pain. I can do anything I want to do. There aren\u2019t any limitations, really, now.\u201dSevere Shoulder PainJill began experiencing pain in her shoulders several years ago, but the pain worsened after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin follicular lymphoma in 2021. She underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, which put her into remission.\u201cAfter I started feeling better (after cancer treatment), I started noticing really serious joint issues,\u201d she says.The pain affected everything. She struggled to get dressed and wash her hair. Lifting a pot to drain pasta or make pumpkin bread with her grandson became difficult.Riding her trike was also painful because of the strain on her shoulders while making turns.\u201cEven walking, your shoulders hurt, if they\u2019re really arthritic like mine were,\u201d she says.Jill found ways around the pain. She adopted a shorter haircut, wore button-up shirts instead of pullovers, and used a long shoehorn to put on her shoes.\u201cI guess they call it pain resilience,\u201d Jill says. \u201cYou just go through it. You just do it.\u201cI took a lot of ibuprofen and Tylenol around the clock because sleeping was very difficult. A lot of times, I\u2019d be up at 3 in the morning because I would wake up in pain.\u201dSeeking Care at UPMCHaving gone through a joint replacement with her left hip, Jill knew she likely needed her shoulders replaced. However, she felt concerned about the amount of time it would take to recover. It was especially concerning because she knew she\u2019d have to get her right shoulder replaced first.\u201cYou wonder how you\u2019re going to get by daily with one arm,\u201d she says.The pain eventually became severe enough that Jill sought care. Though she had undergone her left hip replacement in Pittsburgh a few years earlier, she chose to go to the Tri Rivers Slippery Rock office this time because of its proximity to her home.Dr. Richmond\u2019s demeanor helped to put Jill at ease very quickly.\u201cHe\u2019s just relaxed and pretty matter-of-fact,\u201d she says. \u201cHe doesn&#8217;t sugarcoat it. He\u2019s very easy to work with. He\u2019s calm, reassuring, and confident.\u201dDr. Richmond told Jill she was a candidate for a reverse total shoulder replacement.A traditional shoulder replacement uses replacement parts to replicate the shoulder\u2019s natural anatomy. A reverse shoulder replacement reverses the anatomy.\u201cReverse shoulder replacement is necessary when the rotator cuff muscles are deficient or if a patient has significant shoulder deformity,\u201d Dr. Richmond says.\u201cJill had advanced arthritis of both shoulders.\u00a0The significant degree of degeneration in her shoulders caused her ball-and-socket joint to erode abnormally.\u00a0Since her joint was so deformed, reverse components were necessary to provide a stable joint.\u201dDr. Richmond scheduled Jill\u2019s first surgery for October 2023, and the procedure was successful.Rapid RecoveryTo aid her recovery, Jill did her homework before her surgery. She watched YouTube videos about how to sleep, put on clothes, and do other tasks after shoulder replacement.She bought a recliner to sleep in \u2014 even though she&#8217;d previously sworn she would never have one \u2014 and a shower bench. And she used toiletries with pump lids.The preparation helped Jill have a smooth recovery. She wore a sling with a cushion for the first six weeks before progressing to a sling without a cushion.\u201cAs time goes on, you learn that you can actually use your hand while it\u2019s in that (cushioned) sling down low to open jars and things,\u201d she says. \u201cYou take your arm out of that once in a while to stretch out your elbow and things like that.\u201d Jill says she actually drove herself to her first post-op appointment with Dr. Richmond, and six weeks after surgery, she began physical therapy.\u201cBy the time you go in for therapy with the shoulder, there\u2019s just really no pain,\u201d she says. \u201cYou\u2019re just gradually noticing as the surgical pain wears off that the arthritis pain is gone. And then with therapy, you just start working on your range of motion and strength.\u201dGradually, Jill regained her strength and range of motion.A Second Shoulder SurgeryWith her right shoulder taken care of, Jill needed her left shoulder replaced. However, first, she received right hip and right knee replacements with orthopaedic surgeon D. Kelly Agnew, MD, also with Tri Rivers Musculoskeletal Centers. Her hip replacement took place in January 2024, followed by her knee replacement in April 2024.By the time fall 2024 rolled around, Jill was ready for her next surgery with Dr. Richmond.\u201cI didn&#8217;t even consider anyone else,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was that good of an experience. It was just obvious I\u2019d get him to do the other one.\u201dThe second shoulder replacement, which took place in November 2024, again went smoothly. This time, she had an even quicker recovery, having learned lessons from the first surgery.\u201cDespite having multiple degenerative joints, Jill always maintained a positive attitude,\u201d Dr. Richmond says.\u00a0\u201cShe understood that undergoing each surgery was going to be challenging, but she was committed to having a great outcome.\u00a0She followed the postoperative restrictions and then worked hard in therapy to regain her motion and strength.\u201dA Full, Happy LifeOver a year removed from her second shoulder replacement, Jill is once again active and happy. She spends a lot of time with her family, including her six grandchildren, ages 7 to 13.Before her surgeries, she struggled to maneuver booster seats into cars. Jill lives near a safari wilderness park, and she buys membership passes for her family every year.\u201cI was never going out there (before) because it was too painful,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd I\u2019ve been out there at least five times (in 2025) with the grandkids, and they can\u2019t keep up with me.\u201dShe says she experiences left shoulder soreness at times, typically after lifting weights. But otherwise, her shoulders and other joints don&#8217;t affect her. She can get on the ground to do yoga and Pilates, and she can do chores around her house as normal.\u201cWhen I was driving my Harley this summer, I was like, \u2018OK, this is the way it\u2019s supposed to feel,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cI&#8217;d forgotten \u2014 it had been so long.\u201dDr. Richmond says he\u2019s happy to see a patient like Jill have success after surgery.\u201cHaving the ability to help patients like Jill is why I became a physician and surgeon,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is incredibly fulfilling to play a role in improving someone\u2019s quality of life.\u201dJill says she recommends anyone with shoulder pain to learn about shoulder replacement. In fact, she\u2019s already referred people to Dr. Richmond.\u201cYou don&#8217;t have to make the decision about shoulder replacement right away, but you don&#8217;t have to live with that pain, either,\u201d she says. \u201cIt&#8217;s worth it to get it done. It\u2019s not nearly as bad as you think it would be.\u201dSources"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2026","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"01","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/\/01\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Jill\u2019s Story: Living a Full, Active Life After Reverse Shoulder Replacement Surgeries","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2026\/01\/jills-reverse-shoulder-replacement-story\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]