Light at the end of the tunnel(?)
Not long after my last blog entry, I emailed my doctor asked if we could look into an MRI or something to get the better idea of what I needed to do to fix my shoulder. He responded and indicated that he was quite certain of his diagnosis and that he'd like to refer me to an orthopedic specialist to discuss my options.
When I met the specialist, she first asked me if I'd actually seen what the tendinitis looked like. I hadn't. So she brought up my x-rays on her computer and zoomed in so that we were looking at the space between the bones in my shoulder and the ball joint at the upper end of my arm. (okay, now I'm wishing I'd paid closer attention to all the terminology in those hospital shows..) Anyway, there it was, clear as day: a small mass about the size of a pea floating in the space between my joint and bones around it.. essentially a small collar of calcium wrapped around on of my tendons. Crap.
So we discussed options:
1) Major shoulder surgery where they effectively cut my shoulder open and go in to break up and remove the calcium. Long, long, painful recovery. Not recommended.
2) Major shoulder surgery where a "skilled' doctor blindly stabs a thick needle into my shoulder in an attempt to break up the calcium. Long, long, painful recovery. Not recommended.
3) A shot of Cortisone in my shoulder. Should nuke most of the inflammation and return me to a pain-free life for a period of several months to several years. Recommended.
So yeah, I went with #3. I'd really have preferred a more permanent solution but the relentless discomfort in my shoulder had become an terribly frustrating distraction in my daily life. Regardless, it's been a couple weeks since I got the shot and miracle of miracles, it seems to have worked. My range of motion is back to what it was before the tendinitis first flared up... I can feel the slight resistance in my shoulder (which I'd had for years) but it doesn't hurt.
Just a few minutes ago I went down to my garage, took out a golf club and tentatively worked my way through a few swings... with no pain! You should have seen the grin on my face.
Now I gotta email that orthopedic specialist and ask if it's safe to really start testing my shoulder with some golf or if perhaps this is the right time to start committing myself to some serious physical therapy in an attempt to break up that evil little mass of calcium. We'll see.
I cannot freaking wait to hit some golf balls again. Lots of them.
When I met the specialist, she first asked me if I'd actually seen what the tendinitis looked like. I hadn't. So she brought up my x-rays on her computer and zoomed in so that we were looking at the space between the bones in my shoulder and the ball joint at the upper end of my arm. (okay, now I'm wishing I'd paid closer attention to all the terminology in those hospital shows..) Anyway, there it was, clear as day: a small mass about the size of a pea floating in the space between my joint and bones around it.. essentially a small collar of calcium wrapped around on of my tendons. Crap.
So we discussed options:
1) Major shoulder surgery where they effectively cut my shoulder open and go in to break up and remove the calcium. Long, long, painful recovery. Not recommended.
2) Major shoulder surgery where a "skilled' doctor blindly stabs a thick needle into my shoulder in an attempt to break up the calcium. Long, long, painful recovery. Not recommended.
3) A shot of Cortisone in my shoulder. Should nuke most of the inflammation and return me to a pain-free life for a period of several months to several years. Recommended.
So yeah, I went with #3. I'd really have preferred a more permanent solution but the relentless discomfort in my shoulder had become an terribly frustrating distraction in my daily life. Regardless, it's been a couple weeks since I got the shot and miracle of miracles, it seems to have worked. My range of motion is back to what it was before the tendinitis first flared up... I can feel the slight resistance in my shoulder (which I'd had for years) but it doesn't hurt.
Just a few minutes ago I went down to my garage, took out a golf club and tentatively worked my way through a few swings... with no pain! You should have seen the grin on my face.
Now I gotta email that orthopedic specialist and ask if it's safe to really start testing my shoulder with some golf or if perhaps this is the right time to start committing myself to some serious physical therapy in an attempt to break up that evil little mass of calcium. We'll see.
I cannot freaking wait to hit some golf balls again. Lots of them.