Monday, April 29, 2013

My Left Foot ... Ummm I Mean Shoulder!

Sorry that I have been absent so much from the blogging community lately. Believe me, I wish that I was able to be around more.

The truth is .. for the last few months, I've been in terrible pain. My shoulder began giving me some trouble. At first it was just a twinge here and a "damn that hurt!" there. Rapidly, over the past several weeks, it has gotten worse. My mobility became quite limited as well.

I called the Dr weeks ago and made an appointment. The earliest one I could get was for last week. (of course, the secretary kept asking if it was REALLY bad because she would fit me in sooner). I kept assuring her that I was "fine".
By the time I got to the Dr's office it had got so bad that I was pretty much in constant agony. About 2 days before I had finally clued in and started taking Motrin to dull the pain down.

Anyhow.. I went to Dr.T (aka THE BEST DOCTOR in the WHOLE WORLD).. and told him of my problem. He put me through the gauntlet of moving my shoulder and arm. He noticed the limited mobility and commented on how guarded I was of the shoulder.

In the end, he told me that he thinks I have something called "Frozen Shoulder". While the shoulder is in the process of "Freezing" it is extremely painful. Once it "Freezes" the pain leaves but you have little mobility left in the shoulder. I'm going tomorrow for an ultrasound on it and a chest x-ray. I mistakenly told him of the cold I almost died from last winter and he wants to check my chesticular area to make sure it's all clean. This guy is Thorough with a capital T!
I also have to begin physiotherapy asap.
Of course the ultrasound tomorrow with either confirm or point to something else like a tear but since I don't remember "doing" anything to it.. he is quite certain it's the Frozen shoulder. It's also a good bet because I suffered from Graves Disease when I was younger and this can go along with all that crap. :(

So, I thought that I had better come in and explain why I haven't been blogging much and why I haven't been around to visit. By the time I finish typing all of this out, my shoulder is killing me.

I'm hoping that once I start the physio things will improve quickly. Reading online, it looks like it takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to get back to normal and it usually does not require surgery. Although.. if the pain is extreme, they may inject cortisone into the shoulder joint. I'm really trying to avoid that (even though the pain is mega extreme).

Update on Massimo....
There was a Mass at school last Friday and without me to hide behind (or toss his Jesus bread to), he was forced to take the sacrament! He has officially HAD his First Communion. :)

9 comments:

shannon i olson said...

sorry for the pain, hope it gets better soon! I had to have cortisone injections in my spine, they are not fun, but if worse comes to worse they indeed help!

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

I don't have any excuse at all, I've just been doing something else.

P.S. Now that Mass is no longer a heathen, he can pray for your shoulder!
~

Rob-bear said...

Oh, dear! I'm so sorry to hear about your shoulder. That is one experience I have not had, though I've been through enough chronic pain in my life.

I do hope you get some relief, and mobility, soon!

Blessings and Bear hugs!
Bears Noting
Life in the Urban Forest (my poetry blog)

Gorilla Bananas said...

Oh Laura, that's too bad. I've never heard of Frozen Shoulder, but it doesn't sound nice. It makes me think of a frozen shoulder of meat in the freezer. I hope your one doesn't take too long to get defrosted. In the meantime I offer you a big gorilla hug.

Vee said...

I had one once as the result of moving furniture so I know how miserable it is. You'll be thrilled by how soon the therapy will work. Pain is no fun!

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Oofa, six months to two years? That's not good. Good luck with the treatments.

When you get the shoulder taken care of, this guy may help you get your range of motion back.

Unknown said...

Sorry to hear about your shoulder and the pain it's causing you, Laura. Here's to a speedy recovering! Get well (and unfreeze!) soon!

The Old Parsonage said...

Oh Laura

So sorry to hear that you've been in pain. I actually had a cortisone shot in my left shoulder 2 years ago. It was heaven and made it easier to move. I have a hardened tendon. Never even heard of it before!

This happened right before I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia too. so I think some of the pain was my fibro too.

Take it easy and be sure to follow the doctor's orders.

xo
Leann

Furtheron said...

Sounds horrible and painful... hope that the treatment starts to have some beneficial effects soon