Sometime in September my left shoulder begins to hurt.
At first I think maybe I slept on it funny. But a month later, when I'm still having pain, I go to see my internist. That appointment leads to an x-ray, the results of which are troubling. My shoulder shows nothing wrong, but there appears to be something on my chest.
I then have a cat-scan on my chest which shows pleural thickening on the lining of my lung. Both the radiologist and my doctor conclude that it's probably from old scarring and not to worry about it.
But there's still that shoulder thing.
In December I get an MRI. This shows no tearing of the rotator cuff (am so grateful for that).
I notice the pain mostly when I am putting a coat on, or bending my elbow backward. I make an appointment with Dr. Alton Barron (highly recommended by my doctor) who can see me in about two months.
That two months is today.
I walk to the doctor's midtown office. It feels good to be out walking as the snowdrifts and puddles at every corner have prevented me from doing this all week.
I get to my appointment a little early. The waiting area is clean and mostly empty. And the office personnel are friendly and efficient.
Within minutes I am escorted to a room. Dr. Barron arrives soon after. He, too, is friendly and efficient.
He moves my shoulder into a few different positions and tells me he didn't need an MRI to make his diagnosis: adhesive capsulitis,. Or, as it's more colloquially known — frozen shoulder. Something I had never heard of until recently when one of my friends tells me she has it in both shoulders, and another friend tells me she once had it.
The good doctor gives me a cortisone shot, which hurts. But he's injecting into an inflamed joint so of course it's going to hurt.
I have slightly more mobility after the shot, but moving my shoulder is not pain-free. I guess I was hoping for immediate relief.
I walk home and sign up for PT. I deliberately choose a place (Spear Center) about two miles from my apartment, in the Plaza Hotel (may as well get some walking in). A friend of mine recommends this place. I even choose Ryan Coye, the same therapist she has and loves.
I begin next week.
Hope PT helps. Good idea to choose a place that gives you some miles to walk. I recently heard an MD say that no one ever says in retrospect, "I wish I hadn't taken that walk." No snow seems to be in the forecast, so walking should be better than it was this week. On the other hand, there is an arctic blast coming, but that should not be a deterrent, since you, like I, love the cold. Hope the pain eases.
ReplyDeleteI had frozen shoulder after ignoring a shoulder injury from when I played soccer. I couldn’t put on my coat or backpack without a lot of pain. Months of physical therapy finally completely cured it. I feel your pain!
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