I had rotator cuff surgery a couple years ago after a slip on the ice in my corral and landed on my elbow, pushing it up.  I was told that with this type on injury you have to decide whether or not to get the surgery fairly soon after the injury or not at all. 

The initial pain went away fairly quickly after the injury, however I could not lift my arm above horizontal.  The issue is whether or not you want to spend the rest of your life not being able to raise the affected arm above shoulder level or not. If you decide to get it done find a doctor who specializes in your kind of shoulder surgery and has done a lot of similar operations in the past.

Don't be shy about asking questions of and about your surgeon including possibly asking for the names of other patients who have had the same surgery and talk with them about their experience with the doctor you are considering.

The surgery was an outpatient operation. In in the morning out in the evening. I got a set of photos of where they put the screws in to reattach things.  Not my favorite photos.

As mentioned above, the cold machine - which pumps ice water through a jacket over the shoulder - is the best thing for the pain. Much better than the pain pills which I ended up not using at all. The physical therapy sessions start soon after the operation. My first thought was why am I paying someone to cause so much pain??? But it is essential.

It took me a year to really start feeling normal again in that shoulder and probably two years before I got back close to my strength in that arm.

I don't know why or what kind of shoulder surgery you are considering, my comments are based on rotator cuff not joint replacement. Make sure you have a good comfortable recliner chair which you will be sleeping in for some time after the operation. I hope this helps you.

Good luck.