Sammy??

[feelbad]

hey there hon,for some insane reason,i simply could not actually find 'our' thread? did ya see it?lol. just wondering how your PT went for you? i am sooo happy i actually went back to my old cranio and myofascial guy for this rotator PT stuff. despite the fact that he books up really fast,he does understand my screwed up body really well and i do trust him completely and knew he would know just where i was at physically. a new PT person kind of scared me quite frankly. then there is ALL that explaining to do all over again,that just gets old. its just way too complicated these days.

i saw him yesterday for PT number one. he is also doing some mild myofascial release on me too. god it was wonderful sammy. he finally released some of that insane tightness up in my neck and upper back areas? wow. i also got my pully thingy too and he showed me my excercises. i actually mentioned you to him and he mentioned the name of this tendon but i cannot for the life of me remember the name but he said if you actualy had this one particular tendon sewen up/worked on alot,it would be highly understandable just why your ribcage is the way it is right now. and just plain painful. i wish i could remember it,damn.

he was kind of suprised that i was able to do what i am at this point. the only reason i am even at this point is only becasue i HAD TO in order to just even "do' certain stuff with my left one missing so many fine motor muslces? and this new puppy stuff also helped too. this puppys needs are just there and have to be taken care of too. so honestly,i think you are probably right where you should be at this point in your recovery hon. i am just a bit over right now.

please let me know whats up with you and how your PT went,K? i do hope it didn't create a bigger mess than you already had going. i took a half a valium before my PT and the other half after,that really seemed to help some with pain and spasms. let me know hon,marcia

[sammyo1]

Marcia, Sounds like we started PT around the same time. I am glad about that.
I have a strange question for you, when they are evaluating you, do you have a hard time answering the questions? Such as do you have tingling here? Does this hurt? how far does the pain go down? By the time they start moving my arm around it is hard to tell because everything kind of acts up. Like at that time I could feel some tingling in acouple fingers but at other times when I am doing something I can feel it in all of them. I felt like a real air head, look after moving that arm around in a couple postions I can't tell what I feel, it all bothers me to some degree. So do you get what I am saying here?
That has been really bugging me. I want them to have all the correct info. but for me it is hard with all the movement in a matter of minutes. I did tell them that every day is different & that is the truth. They have set goals for me to work on, such as getting the coffe cup out(lifting the arm), making the bed (being able to pull the sheets up) & so on.. I did not realize the things I have learned to do to accomadate my limitations, like putting my head down to wash my hair instead of raising my arms.

They have already told me what they think, of course right away they stated there is definantly a problem in the rib cage, they also believe the neck is definantly contibuting to the problems & the I am limited with the shoulder in fact two of the therapists have told me to slow it down with my life, at home & work. I am not even suppose to be working, had an emergency pop up at work & had to bust my butt last week, not good.
I am happy they are going to work on the ribs. They ask me more then once did I have an x-ray on it, which I did but that was awhile ago. I will be addressing that with the surgeon, in fact I am curious to see what he thinks about the PTs notes, this is the second one who noticed some major issues with the ribs, although I know before is was really acting up when the first PT noticed. The other side (scapula area) they noted was really having issues with the muscles, over use.
I am really sore, down right pain. I just can't seem to do much without triggering the pain, although I know I over did it. I tried doing some scrapbooking, you don't realize how much you move the arm doing those small things, thought it was pretty safe to do, NOT, I am really suffering here this morning. I am bummed. Heck I'm more sore doing the small stuff, think about it your moving that arm more with alot of movements, just not really lifting or stretchin but still alot of movement. I just don't feel it till after I do something. Once agian hard to know your limitations.
I am useing the pullys to. I did not have much of a problem with them, got sore after a couple sets. The PT did say with me they will be taking it really slow. They did tell me to put the pillow between the arm & ribs as much as I can. Which I will be duct taping one today, keep finding it all over the place come moring or middle of the night. They were happy to see I am not in the sling alot, but want me to where it when I am real sore.
How about you, any comments made about the sling?
I am convinced I have a combination of problems & that stinks. Neck surgery scares the crap out of me. They are going to do very minor traction with the neck, anything more will trigger off violent headaches.
I wonder how much the surgeon will go by the PT notes? I hope he really takes them into consideration. Therapy tree times next week. Let me know what you think & please try to find out the name of that tendon, I will ask my PT about it to. Sammy

[feelbad]

if you could tell me just what areas you had the work done on or what it stated in your MRI about the 'bad' spots in those tendons,i know i would remember it if i saw it written. but he did say that would casue alot more significant rib issues just becasue its attached,ya know? you can also obtain the hospital records with the op notes in them too. i still have to get my records from mine. when you think about how bad the pain has been in other areas,it would make sense that you would have pain as well in the rib cage too. i DO know what its like to feel horrid pain in that ribcage tho. i have a combo of wierd types of pain just becasue that right kidney is so freaking big and sitting within and partially out of my ribcage now. i also,before my spinal cord surgery had just insane prying pressure types of pain that was stemming from that cavernoma just being in my cord. it was really just insane,thats the only way i can describe it. but it did suck. i do feel for ya sammy.

i am rather suprised that my pain level,just BECAUSE of those pully things has really gone up in my shoulder area now(i couldn't even do them yesterday in one area). things really were so good there and the excercises have pissed everything off again in there. its just way too deep for me to hit with the bio and lido right now too. NOW i wish i had not stopped the percs. i expected some increase in my pain but not this bad. my PT guy said this IS just a very painful surgery and recovery that is longer than alot of other types of surgey recoveries,and from what i have heard from others who have had this,its that way for them too. geez my PT guy was treating me like glass there for a while at the beginning til he got a better idea of where i was at. just that really light myofascial he did,and he said we are going to be starting off VERY slowly,really helped just to loosen up that whole shoulder area some. god i needed that. i know you do too. i am so happy i went back to this guy. he just really knows my body and how to deal with all my "hyper' body parts.

the PT people have to know that when trying to actually describe pain in an area where you have just alot of seperate pain generators and they are moving things would be next to impossible to pin down anything really specific,ya know? it really sounds like you just got a bit overwhelmed by it all. they just need to really slow down when they need you to describe where a particular pain is or what you are feeling. tell them that sammy. they are just going too quickly with you if you cannot actually define what it is and where it is actually coming from. just let them always know what it is you are feeling when they "do' anything that causes pain.

so far i am only seeing my PT once a week just becasue of HIS bookings fill up way too fast(this WAS the only real drawback if i went back to him). i have an appt on monday with him and have to schedule some more. he was very suprised tho at how far i already was in just movements. but man there are certain ones,like where i am hitting with those pullys,that just kill me,really bad there. i know what you mean about those little movements just adding up and creating problems. in some ways,since doing all these dang excercises in the 'new' way,i feel like i am right back at square one again too. believe me sammy,i can totally understand just why you are not yet off the percs. i do have my normal base meds but no real BT thru type meds to take that help during the bad times.

i really am happy at least the PT people are recognizing the rib cage issues tho. at least its getting their attention and thats half the battle. these people will be able to really ascess what is and is not considered 'normal' based upon how things feel to them and what you descibe. i really think getting an MRI or even a CT,not 'just' an x ray would really show that area in much clearer detail to really see if something isn't right. unless the pain starts to get better,you know what i mean? the point is,you do have ways to actually "look' in there and see whats up. at least its an option.

have you ever had an actual MRI done on your c spine sammy? i KNOW my c spine issues are contributing to the mess i am dealing with too. in alot of ways. it is just constantly inflammed and sending out signals to the muscles then they wad up on me creating those wonderful TPs. ya know,getting an actual c spine thru thorasic MRI wouldn't be a bad idea. you just really need to better define all possible contributing factors ya know? have you mentioned the sweating at all to them?

i think we are both just going to see how this all goes. i am glad i am not going thru all this alone tho hon. you have been such a great support. i know this surgery/recovery is really awful,but we can get thru this together. as usual hon,keep me posted. i have no clue as to how my next PT visit is going to actually go. man this sucks. but i am hangin in.til later hon,Marcia

[sammyo1]

All I know about the surgery is that the decompression was done. On the MRI it did not look so bad. It did show the ten./bur/ & arthritis. Since I had all kinds of rib pain before surgery I don't know if it was cause be a tendon. I will ask the PT. Boy when the ribs act up it feels like someone tackled you, at times it makes it hard to breathe.
Girl I am going to have to slow it down. I am causing this pain to increase.
If it was not for the perc. I would never be able to even move in the mornings. If therapy is causing you added pain perhaps you should go back on the perc.

You did not answer my question if after all the moving around during the evaluation is it hard to tell where pt exactly where you feel what? For me it is hard everything hurts or bothers me.

Your PT is not telling you anything we are ot finding out on our own, this is darn painful & long. I think perhaps you & I may be having abit of a tougher time, you have other factors involved & so do I.

I just plain out hurt, throb & ache. I will get this pulsating going on. Last night & this morning under my arm hurts. In fact it can get sore to touch even around the elbow, kind of towards the back right above the elbow, you get that way? I have to find a pillow to duck tape around my arm, mine are to big & bulky. My daughter has one but refused to let me duct tape it, she looked horrified, like I was going to steal her pillow when she turned her back, which I was (ha).

I know I am over doing it & after this week I have it to slow it down, if fact I am hoping to do it this week. I don't like the ideal that I am only able to go because of the perc. did not take one, thought I could cut out a dose sat. evening, I was up all night. Since the surgeon is going to be cutting back soon I thought I would try. I am worried, I have the other issue with the ribs, do you think he will consider that before cutting me back? Thank god the PT noted it. My first x-ray did not show anything with the ribs. I am hoping that they will run some tests if it keeps up. I have been taking motrin to, especially in the mornings. I will try the relafin again.

I wonder if x3 aweek will be to much, this will be my first week at x3. If so I will ask if I can cut back to 2 & go alittle longer.

You are not going to believe this I was paying the last therapist a co pay & come to find out I have no co pay, I was wondering why I did not recieve a bill from them, now I have to find a way to get my money back. I have a supplemental insurance that picks up the co-pay & did not know it at the time, because it just came out last year every one was confused about what it covered. That has got to be fraud or something to have the insurance pay along with me. I was so mad. I was wondering why they never sent me a bill for the rest of the visits. I was paying installments. I swear you can't trust anyone. Talk to you soon. Sammy

[feelbad]

i did answer your question hon,in the third paragraph of the last post? if you cannot define things really well,they are simply going too fast for you. they do need to just go more slowly doing one movement at a time,very gently so you can actually tell where what pain is coming from where,you know what i mean? some of this does just feel like one big hurting mess at times too for me,it depends on what i am doing.

i really do think obtaining that MRI on your c spine and the thorasic areas might show something within the actual spinal column that could be a contributing factor here in at least part of the rib cage pain. my cavernoma was at the upper thorasic and lower c spine areas and the pain i felt within my shoulder blade and upper ribcage area was horrid til it was removed.

if you have some level of herniation or stenosis or any number of possible spinal issues going on that is actually affecting even one nerve,this could also be sending out some pretty good pain signals too. at this point,it just really needs to either be ruled out or in as a contributor. having anything wrong at the thorasic level within your spine would affect the areas you are actually having(the ribcage) pain ,so it just needs to be done ya know? its just obtaining a basic dx. believe me sammy,just having any level of impingment or some other problem that is just really ******* off nerves within your spine really can create some horrid pain levels and really crazy sensations. what you have described within the lower arm and the hands could just be stemming from a spinal issue too.

for some reason,i too have a very tender elbow area except it only hurts when i touch it now. i did have a problem while using that sling where the material,mostly when i was sleeping with it,would push into the ulnar nerve. my ring and pinkie fingers kept getting painful and numb at times. she gave me some little 'cover" thingy that i could slide over that area that was just nice and cushy,after that,it did get better. but i STILL have a very tender area right there at the elbow now. i do think that sling created alot of problems in alot of places for the both of us.

i tried sleeping in my own bed last night for the first time.wow now that was fun. getting back into bed with the ultimate flip flopper(you two would kill each other if you ever slept in the same bed) was a bit scarey but he did seem to behave himself and didn't kill me in his sleep,lol. up til last night i had been sleeping inthe living room on a really comfy fold away bed that i placed pillows under the mattress at the head and under the leg areas. it was very comfy for me. but last night,i kept waking up from the pain. it was just a big change of posistion for me not having myself more "upright' anymore. man i woke up with some really awful shoulderblade pain in both blades just from not being used to lying more flat. that shoulder was alot more painful too than what i normally wake up with. i am going to have to do some changes tonight with my pillows.

you might want to try really setting yourself more upright with the pilows under your head somehow? this really made alot of difference in how much pain i woke up with and actually had during the night. last night was really bad compared to how things were when i was sleeping in that other bed with the whole(underneath my head and shoulders) mattress more upright. the flatter you lie when sleeping,as i just found out,REALLY adds to my pain. not too sure as to why,but it DID really matter with mine. i WAS sleeping thru the night just fine til last night. i thought i had the pillows up enough but very clearly,i did not and it just really made a huge difference. just a thought for you that seems to matter with my pain in the mornings.

i really do think sammy,given the way things have been and still are that three times a week PT is going to just kill you in many ways. thats just ALOT of excercise and extra movements three times a week ya know? at most,given your situation already,i would seriously think about starting out with just two or even one? just at the beginnig til you get a better handle on things or you will probably really suffer for it based on what you have told me here. i know we both want this sooo over,but at the same time we have to gage things everyday too just to try and be able to keep a handle on the pain that is going to come along for the ride with it. this pully thing is killing me here at home. i am hoping when i go today that i can just get more myo release. just something i think you really need to consider doing. things will get better eventually,but three times a week is,in my opinion anyways,just too much to start with for you,or me ya know?

i really would push to obtain that MRI hon,really. you just need to know what was causing that ribcage pain pre op and what may be going on within your spine,both with the c spine and the T. given your pain level and symptoms its just something,like i said before,just to rule it in or out as a possible problem area that could be responsible for at least some of your ongoing problems in a few different areas. you just have no clue as to what is going on in your spinal areas til you take a good look there and see. believe me, i never imagined what was lurking within my own spinal cord til it was 'incidently' found upon my MRI when just trying to see what disc i had herniated. i am in no way saying you have what i had,just you really need to take a good look there as a possible problem area.

well i gotta stop now. got my PT appt to get ready for today. as usual hon,keep me posted. Marcia