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A Sea of Troubled Arms
Jan. 10th, 2013 12:25 pmThis has been a bad winter for my arms.
Shortly before Thanksgiving, I had a pair of flu shots in my left shoulder. I had an unexpected reaction to these that made my arm swell up painfully for over 2 weeks. I was in bad enough shape that I skipped Thanksgiving dinner. But it did eventually fade, and I haven't gotten the flu.
On New Year's Eve Eve, my *right* shoulder started to hurt. I've had problems with it in the past, but Barry had taught me some exercises to help fix things up. These proved insufficient, and the pain was bad enough to keep me up most of the night. I was a wreck the next day, and made only a brief token appearance at Buttery New Years.
It got worse over the next few days. I went to see Barry again, for the first time in a few years, and he thinks I've got Impingement Syndrome. It probably developed gradually, over years, and he thinks it will take a long time to fix. I've got a new exercise regimen, and a second appointment with Barry tonight, but so far I'm not seeing any improvement on the pain front. Icing the shoulder reduces the pain some, and that can help me get a few hours of sleep at a time. But I haven't had an uninterrupted night's sleep yet this year, and no prospects of getting one any time soon.
Between the energy drain from the pain itself, the energy put into the exercises, and the chronic sleep deprivation, I am very short on spoons right now.
My holidays didn't completely suck: Christmas was wonderful. And much of my life remains good. I am gainfully employed, and blissfully married. And my other health problems are under control: My last regular checkup had blood sugar and cholesterol levels all squarely back to the "normal" range. Keep focusing on the positive...
Shortly before Thanksgiving, I had a pair of flu shots in my left shoulder. I had an unexpected reaction to these that made my arm swell up painfully for over 2 weeks. I was in bad enough shape that I skipped Thanksgiving dinner. But it did eventually fade, and I haven't gotten the flu.
On New Year's Eve Eve, my *right* shoulder started to hurt. I've had problems with it in the past, but Barry had taught me some exercises to help fix things up. These proved insufficient, and the pain was bad enough to keep me up most of the night. I was a wreck the next day, and made only a brief token appearance at Buttery New Years.
It got worse over the next few days. I went to see Barry again, for the first time in a few years, and he thinks I've got Impingement Syndrome. It probably developed gradually, over years, and he thinks it will take a long time to fix. I've got a new exercise regimen, and a second appointment with Barry tonight, but so far I'm not seeing any improvement on the pain front. Icing the shoulder reduces the pain some, and that can help me get a few hours of sleep at a time. But I haven't had an uninterrupted night's sleep yet this year, and no prospects of getting one any time soon.
Between the energy drain from the pain itself, the energy put into the exercises, and the chronic sleep deprivation, I am very short on spoons right now.
My holidays didn't completely suck: Christmas was wonderful. And much of my life remains good. I am gainfully employed, and blissfully married. And my other health problems are under control: My last regular checkup had blood sugar and cholesterol levels all squarely back to the "normal" range. Keep focusing on the positive...