Body over mind, or wow, I'm really sorry.

[kitanzi]

I have to say, I have a number of friends who deal with chronic pain without any real expectation that it can be made to go away. I have new appreciation for you all.



I've had chronic pain in my right shoulder since sometime the middle of February. I assumed at first it was a pulled muscle and ignored it for quite a while, and it got slowly worse. Eventually I got to a doctor, who prescribed anti-inflammatories, ice packs, painkillers and some exercises. This didn't really help much at all - partly because I did some stupid stuff that probably hurt it worse. Anyhow, the doctor eventually sent me to a specialist, and yesterday I got a cortisone shot. Wow... today I'm nearly pain free for the first time in two and a half months, and I'm realizing just how much it was affecting my personality and attitude. I really thought I was doing well with it, and I'm thinking now I owe some apologies, especially to ACat but to some others as well. For those of you who deal with this long term, you have my profound respect and every hope that you'll find relief. If a cortisone shot is something they offer you, I can only say it worked a miracle for me.

Comments

[catalana.livejournal.com]

*hug* Yeah, pain is really insidious that way - it can effect you with your even noticing! I'm so glad that they found a way to relieve yours. *big hug* Try not to hurt it again! *grin*

[pocketnaomi.livejournal.com]

Sorry to hear you've been hurting. One of the most revelatory moments of my life was the day a friend of mine finally realized what I had been assuming about the world and said, "Um... no, Naomi, most people *don't* spend most of every day in all-over pain. Occasionally, sure, but not most of the time." I had honestly thought everyone always felt like that, and the basic difference between them and me was that I didn't have the guts to ignore it or hide it and keep going the way they did.

[lothie.livejournal.com]

The flip side to that is trying to make people understand that you. are. in. pain. *sigh*

[lothie.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't take a cortizone shot if it were offered; cortizone (shots and oral, not to mention topical) nearly ruined me when I was a kid. It can really wreck you, gastrointestinally speaking, and it did me.

Not that I like the pain a whole lot but there's other stuff that I can do for it without going there...

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Hmm, this sounds like side effects that I wasn't told about, in spite of specifically asking. Can you give me more information?

[lothie.livejournal.com]

Well, cortisone itself has side effects out the wazoo, being a steroid. For a list, check here:

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/cortisne_ad.htm

Apparently, cortisone injections are supposed to be in small enough amounts as to not deliver "so many" side effects, but given that I suffered from many of them during my treatment, I wouldn't want to risk it. Long term, the side effects listed above will pertain, says this site:

http://www.medicomm.net/Consumer%20Site/tp/tp_c11.htm

In other words, if this was a one-time thing for you, you probably won't see any side effects, but if you had a long-term chronic condition, it might be a different story. Having already had cortisone treatments, I wouldn't want to go there again, for me. I acknowledge it's probably great for those whose use will be short term.

[poltr1]

So did they ever find out what was causing the pain in the first place? I'm kind of wondering if it's gonna come ack after the shot wears off. :(

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Not specifically. They said it appears to be an inflamed tendon, possibly caused by overuse or strain from use in odd positions (I did first notice it after the honeymoon in England, where I was hauling around a lot of luggage and lifting a lot of it in and out of airplane bins and train luggage racks) or possibly the first signs of arthritis, which does run in my family. I'm wondering too, believe me. :(

Anti-inflamatory Steroid

[annonynous.livejournal.com]

Chosen One has been getting cortisone shots 2 or 3 times a year (including yesterday) for some years for hip pain,
and got a shoulder shot yesterday for shoulder pain. They tend to work wonders for the hips, at least for a couple of
three months, then wear off. There are limits as to how often they can be given. The only side effect Chosen One
has noticed is some tenderness at the injection site, lasting maybe a day. Glad to hear you kept pursuing it, and finally
got something that worked!

A Search turned up lots of hits, with this one at the top -

http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/paindrugs/a/cortisone.htm

Doctor Which, for Ann O.

Re: Anti-inflamatory Steroid

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that's useful information. Hopefully this is simply an injury that was slow to heal, and not truly a chronic condition, but I guess I'll find out.

[klrmn.livejournal.com]

sometimes you need to do something drastic like that to get the pain to go away long enough to fix the problem. but please do try to figure out what can be a more long-term solution.

after spending something like 15-20 years with varrying amounts of back pain, i finally sought help from a chiropractor. that helped to a point, but it didn't seem to be making radical progress. i was also getting massages regularly, but those didn't seem to be making a significant dent in it either. when i told this to my doctor, he offered me personal training instead of regular adjustments. this has really been the key...my back is now strong enough to do what i need it to do on a daily basis. for the first time in 20 years i don't feel in constant need of a back massage. i still get adjusted semi-regularly, but i am significantly more healthy overall.