Shoulder Pain

Hi Db99 I like you're name as I had an old friend that dB was my nickname back in my teens. But I'm not familiar with the other areas you have posted but this one of shoulder pain I delt with and even occasionally flairs up. Mine was mostly solved with some physical therapy. It's amazing what some properly taught stretching by a Physical Theripist can accomplish, i went thru therpy of about 10 weeks of 3 times a week a few years ago, my doctor referred me to one and the combination of Stretching, strength training and deep tissue massage repaired a bad rotator cuff area. Now its like new again.
So maybe talk with your doctor about getting referred to work on that shoulder. Good Luck and on the other areas I'm sure someone with those particular areas will join into the discussion. We are all just patients who have had and have medical issues and share our experiences to help others with similar issues. I myself am a Heart Transplant recipient but saw your post and wanted to at least help with the shoulder pain. Please if I can add anything ask away.
Blessings

Hi Dana.

So from what you've talked about. The only thing that I haven't tried is massage. But I am extremely cautious about that. My shoulder flares on and off all day. The medication I take including tramadol does not touch the pain.

Have you had X-rays and MRI and physical therapy. Back in 2018 physical therapist sent me back to primary care because I wasn’t making progress for an MRI After MRI I was sent to ortho surgeon who said it was the second worst shoulder he had ever seen ( had shoulder surgery back in 2006 and after a year was without pain for only 6months) and in early 2019 I had an RTS ( reverse total shoulder) I can now wash my hair, get dressed and reach for things without that horrible pain, no more clicking etc. I had tears in my labrum and osteoarthritis throughout with other issues. I am missing tendon from first surgery and no longer have a rotator cuff. Quality of life is so much better still do my exercises daily but am limited to 5 lbs for lifting because there was an area he couldn’t fix but still better quality of life. A great DPT ( doctor of physical therapy) that I went and go to was just as important as my excellent surgeon. He used so many modalities massage, EMS stimulator, dry needling, ice, heat, machines, therabands, to name just a few.
Good luck to you

I would say the trick to massage is finding the right massage therapist. I would also say the person would be not just a regular store front massage type place but More of a physical therapist. I was amazed on how much knowledge mine had about the construction of the shoulder and connected muscle and tendons. My problem was one of range of motion. When my Cardiologist was doing a routine check up at Mayo ask in general how I was doing and I mentioned my shoulder, so she did a quick range of motion test and said yes I definitely had a problem in my range of motion and wrote me a prescription to go to a physical therapist. I happen to have one in my little town and got the treatments there which beside some stretching usually ended with about a 20 min deep tissue massage and also recommendations for further stretches and strength at home using bands . I was impressed with there knowledge of where to massage which sometimes did not seem like the right spots like working something on my back to releave pain in another part of my shoulder. Very complex area I'm sure the training is pretty intense. I'm in Arizona and the name of the place was empower physical therpy. I don't know if they are nation wide but maybe your doctors may know a good one.

I have also had shoulder pain. First in my right shoulder and now both .
It is especially severe at night or when I reach for something above or behind me. The first time I got an injection in my right shoulder and went to physical therapy which was very helpful. In just had another injection in my right shoulder and am scheduled for one in my left shoulder. I was told I have a small age related rotor cuff tear. If you aren't seeing a doctor for it I would recommend seeing a pain specialist.

Have any of you taken Levaquin, Cipro, or another fluoroquinolone in the past? These drugs can cause permanent tendon damage. I'm dealing with shoulder, arm, and wrist pain right now, due to taking one of these drugs. PT has helped a lot. The therapist said I was on the verge of having a frozen shoulder in my left arm, but after a few weeks working with him, I now have almost full range of motion.

nothing for those meds. i know a lot of meds have side effects badly.

Hello db, I saw your posts from a couple of days ago, and it looks like you are dealing with a lot of major issues. One of the things you mentioned was poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes.

I understand the difficulties of living with diabetes from a family perspective. My husband has had it for nearly 30 years. Fortunately, we have been pretty successful with managing it through diet, exercise and close monitoring. BUT there are times when things go "out of whack" due to illness, stress or lack of time. At those times his arthritis flares up and he is truly miserable, in a lot of pain and having a hard time functioning. Now that he has had it for many years, he can quickly get drops in blood sugar or flares in diabetic neuropathy, so we are doubly careful!

Getting your diabetes under control will go a long way towards making you more healthy and able to tackle all of your other challenges. Chronically high A1C promises that you will soon begin to suffer from other maladies like circulatory issues and vision issues. It will also make it harder to recover from each illness or operation you may require.

You mentioned that you have a limited budget for food and that makes it hard to follow a good diet. There are definitely some thing you can do pretty cheaply but it will take some effort yo get started.
Try buying generic frozen veggies it's a great way to minimize fat & sodium, make food quickly & easily. Add some canned beans, tuna or chicken for protein, and you have a cheap meal. Aldi & WalMart are good sources for inexpensive food. I'll bet you can make a healthy dinner as fast and as cheaply as baking a frozen pizza. Don't forget to buy a low-salt seasoning or 2 to spice things up.
Maybe you can meet at one with a diabetic educator and get some suggestions for finding inexpensive foods that would be healthy for you.

Do you think you can try to fix yourself 2 or 3 healthy meals this weekend?
Sue

Hi Sue and thank you.

I could probably do a meal or two this weekend.

Thank you for the reply and suggestions.

Maybe make doubles, so you can just reheat. Be sure to watch portions.