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I saw the orthopedist this morning. First I filled out a form, which included a lot of questions about things like levels of pain and what I can and can't do with the shoulder, including a couple to which the real answer was "I don't know, I'm not stupid enough to have tried it/that's not how I'd lift a gallon of milk," but seemed basically sensible and relevant. I was pleased to be looking at a form that asked about my regular exercise and write "walking and weightlifting." Then I talked to a physician's assistant, who asked more sensible questions (and remembered ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
catelin when I mentioned where I'd heard about Dr. McCann), and then to the orthopedist.
He looked at the films briefly, I think, but paid more attention to the results of examining me (can I raise my arm straight up, does it hurt when he moves it like this, that sort of thing), my answers to his questions, and the MRI report. He is fairly sure it is tendonitis of a particular part of the shoulder, commonly known as bursitis. One thing I liked was that he asked me what bothered me most about the shoulder problem; I thought about it a little, and said it's the curtailment of activity, both things I haven't been doing--lifting weights in particular--and the need to stop and think and use my left hand instead of my right.
The next step is physical therapy. Dr. McCann said that I should allow six weeks of PT before concluding that it has or hasn't done the job. He said that it clears up 70% of cases. Having been out all day, I probably can't do much toward that until Monday--my GP is closed on weekends--though if anyone has recommendations for a physical therapist in New York City, please let me know. I do, however, also have a sheet of exercises that I can do as soon as I like. I can also go back to the gym, with the caveats that I should avoid exercises that raise that arm above the shoulder, and that if something hurts the shoulder, I should stop. I forgot to ask about the leg presses, which have some weight pressing down on the shoulder; more research may be called for, or the physical therapist, when I find/select one, may know.
If the PT doesn't work, I go back to Dr. McCann for a cortisone shot. If that doesn't work either, we can discuss arthroscopic surgery.
catelin when I mentioned where I'd heard about Dr. McCann), and then to the orthopedist.He looked at the films briefly, I think, but paid more attention to the results of examining me (can I raise my arm straight up, does it hurt when he moves it like this, that sort of thing), my answers to his questions, and the MRI report. He is fairly sure it is tendonitis of a particular part of the shoulder, commonly known as bursitis. One thing I liked was that he asked me what bothered me most about the shoulder problem; I thought about it a little, and said it's the curtailment of activity, both things I haven't been doing--lifting weights in particular--and the need to stop and think and use my left hand instead of my right.
The next step is physical therapy. Dr. McCann said that I should allow six weeks of PT before concluding that it has or hasn't done the job. He said that it clears up 70% of cases. Having been out all day, I probably can't do much toward that until Monday--my GP is closed on weekends--though if anyone has recommendations for a physical therapist in New York City, please let me know. I do, however, also have a sheet of exercises that I can do as soon as I like. I can also go back to the gym, with the caveats that I should avoid exercises that raise that arm above the shoulder, and that if something hurts the shoulder, I should stop. I forgot to ask about the leg presses, which have some weight pressing down on the shoulder; more research may be called for, or the physical therapist, when I find/select one, may know.
If the PT doesn't work, I go back to Dr. McCann for a cortisone shot. If that doesn't work either, we can discuss arthroscopic surgery.
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You may not be able to do much on Monday, either
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PT I am using is Manhattan Rehab on 34th St. I am going to join the McBurney Y this week. I have recovered enought that I now need to build strength.
Good Luck
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If you consume quite a bit of caffeine (like, say, more than one cup of coffee/tea a day), you might want to try that -- I've kept mine at bay for two years that way. (The downside to this is that when I *do* have something with caffeine in it, I can tell immediately when I've had too much because it starts to hurt like hell.)
Good luck!
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This reminds me that a lot of food sensitivities are vaguely implicated in various kinds of inflammatory conditions. A person has to be pretty desperate to make it worth going to the trouble of avoiding all the suspect foods, especially when there's no evidence that all, or any, of them are causing the particular problem. (I'm very familiar with this, as diet is such a big part of migraine treatment. I was shocked to discover that more than 70% of people with migraines have no food triggers at all.) Before trying to eliminate all dairy products, caffeine, nightshades, wheat, meat, and sugar, I would recommend a food diary. Keep a detailed record of what you eat and when, and a detailed record of your symptoms. Arbitrary quantifying helps: 0=no pain at all, 10=worst pain you can imagine. Every few hours, write down how much your shoulder hurts. Then you can look for correlations with foods as well as activities.
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Since then, I've had zero flare-ups that couldn't be traced immediately to caffeine usage in the previous two days, no matter what else I was doing at the time (i.e., I could have been sitting around all day doing nothing, or I could have been walking around San Francisco all day, and the pain is the same level).
For me I've found that I can do a *little* caffeine every couple of days (a can or so of soda, a couple of smallish cups of milky tea) without too much of a problem, and I make a point to do so just to make sure that my body doesn't completely get over knowing how to handle it, but in general I avoid it.
It's probably been easier for me than it might be for some people, though, since I was a soda person and not a hot-drinks-in-the-morning person.
On the other hand, they were also threatening me with much more dire consequences than they seem to be threatening Redbird with, so it's entirely possible that it's not necessary. I was just surprised that something that my doctor mentioned to me as what seemed to be a fairly routine recommendation didn't come up at all.
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My doctor said that since it's basically an inflammatory problem, staying away from stimulants would make it better, and it really really has.
I'd guess that your 3 - 6 cups of coffee are similar to my 2 huge Pepsis, so it might be worth a try, especially if your other option is shots or surgery.
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I had bursitis before which 3 months of physical therapy helped get rid of. I can't afford said PT right now, though. At least I have my home-exercise sheets that I'm currently using to self-medicate, as well as the massive ingestion of Motrin. The problem is that the bursitis is getting worse, rather than better.