shoulder pain

[sammyo1]

Hey my friend how are you doing? I sure hope better then me. I am in big trouble. My right shoulder has been bothering me, woke up this morning with it hurting so bad, hurts to lift it. The left is still painful, I was doing abit bettter then everytime I would really do anything it would start. Ended up with a virus & coughing like crazy, boom there went the shoulder pain again. My GP said all the coughing is probably aggravating the shoulder. Even my ribs were abit better but know there acting up to. I am getting worried, the surgeon should be starting to wean me off of pain med soon & I am not sure I will be ready, then I will have noone to treat this pain. I have an appointment with him tommorrow (monday) I am going to discuss it with him. I believe he will order PT (great), how about you any ordered yet?
I was thinking about the RSD thing, when all this started I was having what I would call hot spots on my thigh, like someone was holding a lighter to it, always on the thigh. Then it went away, but it lasted over a year or so. It has nothing to do with the shoulder I think but it had me thinking. The hand can still sweat like crazy at times, Sometimes it will start right after putting th sling on, which I don't wear a whole lot anymore.
I still have alot of pain at times, last few days it is hurting down to the elbow & alittle down to the hand itself. I can use it alot more now that is good but it seems to get aggravated, you know? I am confused, have a list of questions for the surgeon. Boy I hope the other shoulder is not starting, I don't wnat to go through this surgery ever again. Talk to you soon, Sammy

[feelbad]

SOOO glad you posted sammy.geez,you had me really worried there hon. i was going to post a "where is sammy" message on the pain boards today when i saw this first. wow,i cannot believe the level of ongoing issues you have had with this stupid shoulder crap. i really am wondering hon,have you EVER actually mentioned the possibility of RSD to your surgeon at all or asked him about that ongoing sweating? if not,you really do need to at this point. you just really need to start asking him some really hard questions considering the ongoing symptoms and the level of pain you have had like forever?

i have just always kind of felt since even before your surgery,when you mentioned the hand sweating,that there is at least some level of sympathetic involved here. tho my pain is still there,it has always appeared that except thru that first week of hell,yours has always been much higher than mine,ya know? i was finally told by my surgeons PA who i saw this past tues,that the rotator cuff repair surgery is actually one of THE most painful ones they do,even more than with even knee or hip replacement. wow. i CAN believe it tho just feeling what i felt and what i know you have felt but much more pronounced.

considering everything,i think i am doing okay here. i finally got permission to go without my sling for the most part,but have noticed,just becasue the muscles are weak,that i sometimes have to put it back on when the pain in that stupid joint starts getting bad again. but it eventually feels more tolerable then we take it off again.

i finally lost that dang chair from hell two weeks ago when i hit 125. the guy that dropped it off had told me i needed to actually hit 150? BUT,and luckily for me i had called my orthos office that day for something else,she said i didn't need to go that high,and the 125 i was already at was good enough,so off the chair went out the freakin door. i am just waiting to see THAT bill now. should be good. i am cleared to start actual PT now too.i have to call on monday. i am actully going back to the same therepist who was doing my myofascial release and that craniosacral therepy before? he is amazing. i so desperately NEED the release again since this sling has created absolute nightmare TPs up in the neck down thru my shoulder blades again. it is really a freaking mess up there right now just from that.

i wish things were going better for you hon.this really has been pretty overwhelming for you,that much i do know. i really would start nailing your surgeon with some questions and demading some answers. you just really NEED to find out what is causing what and get possibly to a good PM for help too. that stellate block i mentioned to you before really would be a good idea to try,just to see if it actually gives you ANY relief at all when done? if it actually does,then you DO have at least some level of real SNS involvement going on there as well as the post op crap. it is a good test for determining where a possible pain generator is really coming from. you just really need to know what in the heck you are really dealing with here sammy.i just really think,based on what you have stated that your pain is still just simply waytoo high,espescially at this point. like i said,i still have some pain but it just appears yours is alot higher and always has been compared to mine,ya know what i mean? that could be for a few other reasons too,but i really do think you have at least some level of SNS involvement that is creating its own pain generator too. believe me,anything is possible when it comes to nerves and the sympathetic too. i really do hope things get better for ya sooner vs later sammy. this really sucks. please let me know how things are goin hon. marcia

[sammyo1]

Marcia, I have indeed tried the Lido patches, aleeve & so on.
My surgeon told me that for the decompression level he had done he was not concerned at the pain level, but that was last month, I will be seeing him tommorrow (monday) & will ask again. What kind of doc can look into the RSD? I don't have a PM doc. I can't figure out how I would have got it, never in any real serious accidents, I am not sure what can bring it on. I will see what the surgeon says tommorrow.
Everyday is different for me, I think this virus & cough is aggravting the shoulder & back, at least my GP says so. I just get real sore it I do much of anything, ya know?
Really getting to me. I could not believe how bad the othe shoulder hurt this morning, have to admitt scared me. It felt tight, kind of knotted up. Just hurt, even to move it. I am definantly bringing that up, I am not going another two to three years with these shoulder problems, you know lets wait & see, lets try this, & on & on.... I am just shocked to have them both hurting, geez I need a break here. I know I have been pushing it alittle but not that much & am going to try to slow down abit.
Are you driving at all, had to drive the other day, could not avoid it, really sore.
Also what level of pain meds are you taking for your shoulder & what would you say your pain level is at? I am on days getting pretty good range of motion, but not over head, that hurts to much. Let me know, really glad to hear from you, value all your advice. Sammy

[feelbad]

hey sammy,your ortho 'should' be knowledgable enough to determine whether or not you have some level of symp involvement going on. i was kind of suprised this time around with my shoulder surgery,compared to what i got sent with my two knee surgeries with the same ortho,that they actually DID mention the 'remote' possibility of developing a condition called RSD .it was in one of the brochures that they sent out. now that WAS new. of course,since i already have it in my right knee,i was already aware of what it was and the risks in it occuring with an invasive type of surgery like this. just really suprised that i saw it mentioned there ya know? i already had RSD before my knee surgery was done,it came along with the sp cord surgery damage to my sympathetic nervous system.

believe me sammy,i really DO think your ortho is already aware of the fact your SNS has already been involved to a degree anyway since you presented with this symptom well before your surgery. the really insane thing about how you get RSD is it really doesn't take much to aquire it. 'something' just has to be affecting or at one time affected your sympathetic nervous system.and since this runs thru many many areas of our body(the SNS also governs constriction and dilation of the blood vessels too),it can be affected just by a simple needle stick done the wrong way or even a minor type injury. its just an insane little syndrome.

do some research on it hon and you will see what i mean. many people have aquired this syndrome during some very very simplistic type of procedures and even with very minor injuries. take a spin thru the RSD boards here sammy.ask the people down there just how they aquired it,its just crazy,really.

from your description of that overall 'tightness" you have,it sounds like you are suffering from part of the same problem i now have and did have before my surgery too?this sling just REALLY exascerbated the living hell outta my already bad c spine,upper back and shoulder blades with the horrid trigger point crap? i have TONS of wads of tissue back again that are radiating out all over the freaking place up there again.the cranio and myofascial therepy i did a few months back really helped with that sooo much and now its just a total mess again. its that sling sammy,its just scrunching everything upwards with no way to just 'let it go'? not until we can really extend out again and espescially up?i still haven't gotten my arm up real well yet but am hoping with the PT it will help tons,with alot of my problems up there. i got the referral okay on fri from my primary clinic(insurance BS) so i am making my very first PT today.

i really DO think part of your pain issues is what i am dealing with too,that muscle up there is just one tight wadded up mess right now for me.i have one particlular TP that has been sitting right at the side,base of my neck on that surgical side that has been making me absolutely crazy,its just THAT overly tight right now.i even got out my 'tennis ball in a sock' thing and really tried to roll it into it to try and pop it,to no avail. all i suceeded in doing is irritating the crap out of it,great. i REALLY wish i could take some aleeve again,but becasue of the coiled aneurysm crap and being on aspirin,it has been a no no since 05. i know that would at least reduce some inflammation for me. i have been relying mostly on bio and lido for the TP and deep muscle crap,it does help some. i had actually gotten off the percs but had to get another Rx on the tues visit.things got bad when i stopped the CPM? surprised me alot since it was also creating pain for me. but it did get worse when i stopped,the joint part went back up again.

believe it or not,i am STILL dealing with that stupid tooth crap that flared up when i just had that one upper tooth drilled and filled that week before my surgery? holy crap is this sucker hyper. its either the SNS or cranial nerve damage i have that runs thru that area that i really do think is responsible. i have to see an endodontist on thurs to find out the trigger for this nightmare inside my mouth that just DOES NOT respond to even the stronger narcotics,even fent? they gave me that right before my dang surgery that day and i STILL could feel that pain in he two teeth. and the dilaudid PCA didn't do squat either,thats when i really knew i was dealing with a spontaneous nerve generated type of pain syndrome. i hope they can figure this out for me. this is all part of the 'deranged" pain my NS told me i would now have after that sp cord surgery also damaged my pain pathway to the receptors in the brain. that cavernoma sat right smack inthe middle of the tract that holds that particular pathway. a gift that just keeps on giving.yippie.

i would seriously look up info on RSD and also how the SNS actually runs(AND what it actually governs) sammy then speak with your ortho,trust me,he knows what it is. getting to a good PM doc once you have this chat with your surgeon for some better more definitive testing really would help you the most. this could just be your bodies way of reacting to the surgery and the healing process OR there 'could' very well be a level of an SNS component involved here too. you really do need to know. this has just been very slow going for me too,but not quite in the exact same ways. hang in there sammy and let me know what goin on,K?take care hon,marcia

[sammyo1]

Maricia, Had second follow up yesturday evening. Before the doc. came it his nurse talked to me, she told me some people take up to a year to fully get rid of the pain, I almost fell off the chair. That had me so shocked I forgot to ask about questions I had wanted to address.
The surgeon assured me that 6wks post op for this surgery is nothing. Just as I thought same as you, PT, the good news is he said he does not believe in going on & on with pt, four wks. & a good therapist should show me a good home program.
I swear everytime I get a surpise & forget to ask things. I go back in 6wks & I am going to ask these questions. He did say I came in with alot of pain so it will be a wait & see, but in no way should I get worried at this point, way to early to tell, he once again expressed how long this recovery can be. I did tell him my other shoulder is really bothering me & at this point it can't be addressed because anything done could leave me not being able to have the use of neither one. So I will have to wait. He did give me a new anti inflammatory Relafen to try, I put a post up on the PM board because I have never heard of it. Suppose to be more gentle on the stomach. I need something this other shoulder is really hurting. That is why he said not to over due it. I did explain it is hard to know my limitations because I do not feel it till after I over due it, he said he realizes it can be hard to tell.
Sounds like you have the same, the knots or lumps, mine is on the opposite side boy it can really hurt & it is huge, I did not even get a chance to bring that up.
Next visit I swear I am asking these quetions no matter what. I will look into the RSD & SNS. I have better movement in that arm then before surgery & am trying to take that as a good sign. I am just tired of pain, & the other shoulder has me worried, I don't want to go through this again. Heck between both shoulders & the neck no wonder I have a headache (ha). This is more then I ever bargained for, but it does not matter it could not have been avoided. I will also be calling for my first PT appointment to, well you know misery loves company (ha). Are you driving yet? I have got to start, I have little but honestly I can't wait for everyone, just a short distance that is all I can handle, I wonder why driving bothers me so much, it always has.
Don't think for a minute I am not taking you advice I could kick myself for not asking about the RSD & for that matter I really wanted to ask how much the arthritis is interferring. I think he would have just said the same, to early to tell. after Pt I should know abit more & I will be asking no matter what. Heck so much for relying on MRI's, based on mine there would have only had to be very little surgical work done, you just never know do you? I am glad we wwent through this together, I realize we did not have the exact surgery but it is nice to have someone who understands.

I honestly think people are alittle disbelieving when they hear how long this can take to heal. My husband is even surprised. I got so angry with him I told him if he had any doudts call the surgeon himself I was tired of being pushed & repeating myself. I never ever thought it would be like this. I am still taking 31/2 to 41/2 percs. aday. I guess if I slept in or did not do anything at all I could cut back but that is not realistic for me. The more hrs I am up in a day the more I need, makes sense, I hope this anti inflammatory helps, are you on anything for inflammation, I can't remember what you take. Looking forward to hearing from you, Sammy