14-Month Rotator Cuff Wait — Repaired in 12 Days in Shenzhen

At 39, working as a landscape gardener, I tore my right rotator cuff moving heavy equipment. MRI showed full-thickness tear. ACC approved surgery but public system wait: 14 months. Private quote: NZ$22,000. As a self-employed gardener, neither option worked.

A Chinese customer suggested China: "My uncle had shoulder surgery in Shenzhen last year, did great, and fast." He shared MyMedVia. The Shenzhen hospital's sports medicine chief reviewed my MRI and proposed arthroscopic repair — back home in about a week. Cost estimate: ¥52,000, under NZ$12,000.

Flew to Shenzhen. Day 2: admission and assessment. Day 3: arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, just over an hour. 3 days in hospital, then recovery apartment. Daily physiotherapy — critical phase, too early risks re-tear, too late causes adhesions. Day 10: suture removal. Day 12: flew home with detailed home rehab plan.

Ten months post-op, 90%+ range of motion restored, back to taking landscaping jobs. NZ physio reviewed records and praised the surgical quality and rehab protocol. Total NZ$13,000 including flights — nearly half the private quote. Most importantly: 1 month from decision to surgery, not 14 months.