1. < Bones, Joints & Muscles

Running out of options. Shoulder pain but no orthopedic issues

Posted by hilda2020 @hilda2020, Oct 23, 2020

Hi, I hope someone can help. I am 53 years old, post-menopausal for 3 years. I have always lifted weights and I am also an avid runner. Healthy, 5'2" 120lb. All good until a year ago when gradually my left shoulder started to feel week and sore. It is now 12 months and both of my shoulders are in pain, the left shoulder more so than the right. Limited motion when reaching the back, or if I suddenly need to move my arm. Have been to three orthos, had cortisone shots, Xray, Ultrasound, MRIs, and all they see is inflammation of my muscle and tendons, and fluid but no reason as to why is there. Pain stretches to under my arm and biceps. I have been taking Cymbalta for 15 years but when I tried to titrate down I developed horrible hip pain on my right side. Once I started to take the Cymbalta again, the pain went away. I was told by my primary that it was probably fibromyalgia pains. At this point I don't know what else to do, where to go, or who do I talk to. The pain is so bad at night or when working. Please help!

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Oct 26, 2020
In reply to @suz55 "Thank you for the encouraging words. I hate to think I will be in this condition..." + (show)
@suz55

Thank you for the encouraging words. I hate to think I will be in this condition the rest of my life. You have given me hope and I will look into your recommendations from your experience.

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Based on the relief I experienced after bilateral hip replacement, and my sister-in-law's recent success with both knees replaced at age 64, I suggest you consider the surgery as soon as your ortho advises, followed by faithful PT to recover. I am comparing our results to the struggles I have seen in people who waited longer and were therefore more disabled by long-term pain or had surgery when they were quite a bit older.

By the way, my Mom had her knee replaced before she was 60 and continued an active life until 80, it was still in fine shape when she passed away at 84, so they do last a long time compared to early implants that were prone to wear out.
Sue

REPLY
jocelynk | @jocelynk | Oct 26, 2020
In reply to @sivens "I find this interesting. I had my 2 Shingrix vaccination shots this year, both in my..." + (show)
@sivens

I find this interesting. I had my 2 Shingrix vaccination shots this year, both in my left arm. (I am right handed.) Following the 2nd one in August, I have experienced reduced range of motion reaching my left arm up behind my back, plus some weakness and general soreness in that arm that I could not account for. I suspected that it might be related to the vaccination based on when the symptoms appeared, but had not found mention of the this when reviewing adverse reactions on the Shingrix web site.

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Please review my earlier comment on SIRVA, one of my vaccines was Shingrix (first shot). Still going to physical therapy but getting better. My doctors are saying this has become more common due to pharmacies and mini-clinics giving shots.

REPLY
1 reply
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Oct 27, 2020
In reply to @jocelynk "Please review my earlier comment on SIRVA, one of my vaccines was Shingrix (first shot). Still..." + (show)
@jocelynk

Please review my earlier comment on SIRVA, one of my vaccines was Shingrix (first shot). Still going to physical therapy but getting better. My doctors are saying this has become more common due to pharmacies and mini-clinics giving shots.

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Interesting. We have been going to the same pharmacy/pharmacist for our vaccines for a couple years now. Never occurred to me he might be doing something wrong - only that his shots hurt more than at the clinic. This year, after he "hit a nerve" with my flu injection, which was too high up on the arm in my opinion, my shoulder pain on that side got a LOT worse, and I have been struggling through therapy ever since. (After 5 weeks it has begun to improve.) I guess we go back to the injection nurse at our clinic, even though it means making an appointment & driving an extra 25 miles round trip. I don't ever want to go through this again.
Sue

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jocelynk | @jocelynk | Oct 27, 2020
In reply to @sivens "I find this interesting. I had my 2 Shingrix vaccination shots this year, both in my..." + (show)
@sivens

I find this interesting. I had my 2 Shingrix vaccination shots this year, both in my left arm. (I am right handed.) Following the 2nd one in August, I have experienced reduced range of motion reaching my left arm up behind my back, plus some weakness and general soreness in that arm that I could not account for. I suspected that it might be related to the vaccination based on when the symptoms appeared, but had not found mention of the this when reviewing adverse reactions on the Shingrix web site.

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Mine was not a reaction to the vaccine but a vaccine incorrectly given too high and ending up in the bursa. Extreme pain appeared a few weeks after vaccine was given. SIRVA.

REPLY
Catcando | @catharbert | Oct 27, 2020

Hi Sue. I don't know where you live but we live outside Houston in what used to be a small town. We have several Kroger grocery stores, several HEB grocery stores and other stores like Aldi's. Kroger and HEB have pharmacies and we routinely go to Kroger for our vaccine injections. When we lived in PA we went to the pharmacy in the Giant grocery stores in the nearby really small town. We have always been impressed that the pharmacists who gave the injections were so good at it and that we had minimal pain, really hardly felt it at all. Perhaps your pharmacist hasn't had the proper training, doesn't use the correct size needles (they have gotten finer and finer). It is so convenient to not have to make an appointment with the doctor's office and not have to sit there waiting in a room with people who are sick. If you have any chain grocery stores I would recommend you try their pharmacists.

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1 reply
Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Oct 28, 2020
In reply to @catharbert "Hi Sue. I don't know where you live but we live outside Houston in what used..." + (show)
@catharbert

Hi Sue. I don't know where you live but we live outside Houston in what used to be a small town. We have several Kroger grocery stores, several HEB grocery stores and other stores like Aldi's. Kroger and HEB have pharmacies and we routinely go to Kroger for our vaccine injections. When we lived in PA we went to the pharmacy in the Giant grocery stores in the nearby really small town. We have always been impressed that the pharmacists who gave the injections were so good at it and that we had minimal pain, really hardly felt it at all. Perhaps your pharmacist hasn't had the proper training, doesn't use the correct size needles (they have gotten finer and finer). It is so convenient to not have to make an appointment with the doctor's office and not have to sit there waiting in a room with people who are sick. If you have any chain grocery stores I would recommend you try their pharmacists.

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Thanks for the tip, but in our area, nobody who does this is nearby. Only one of our grocery chains has a pharmacy offering injections, and I was astonished when drove past a few weeks ago I saw the line for their drive-up flu clinic. I know the injection nurse at my clinic, and she is fabulous at it, so we'll go back there.
Sue

REPLY
deanna2 | @deanna2 | Nov 25, 2021

Does frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis) cause blood sugar levels to rise in previously controlled type 2 diabetes?

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