Able to Work?

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Good morning my one armed friends,

Are any of you able to work? I have never taken a break from working, but have had to.  Every time I decide I will go job hunting, I have on of my painful attacks. I can't imagine sitting at a desk with this condition. It hurts like heck to sit in a car for more than about 10 min. 

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Hi Jenn, i am currently on my second frozenshoulder, first was my left which started in August 2014, i have had 2 operations and now have good movement, i worked al the way through.  I now have frozen right shoulder and waiting to see the surgeon in 3 weeks times.  I'm in more pain this time and it's my dominant arm, i manage a recruitment business and spend alot of time on my laptop, its killing me at the momet and live on a tens machine and pain killers, i have to drive 40 miles a day and pick up 2 kids, its hard and im in pain but refuse to give up working .....hopefully i will get this shoulder operated on quickly, hope you get sorted soon :-)

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ive had ti be referred to occupational health im a operational law enforcement officer and now on restricted duties, which is fine, however work have given me until November to sort it then they are moving me teams if its not, so its sort of pushed me into surgery as ive never been non operational, i was in the Army for 10 then inworked in an operating theatres now Customs at the.airport but studying geology.

Now i have resorted to surgery my last option if it doesnt work i get moved off my team to which im really peeved they wonder why im so anti and what to put in a claim against them as thrybignored my last occipationel healthbreport and did notbing so carried on and ended up like this x Rheumatologust said caused by heavy lifting and repetative movement and over stretching i get quite angry

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Karen,  Thats really bad, my second op worked, my first was capsular release and it did hardly anything my second three months later was MUA and it worked after about 6 weeks physio.  I also spent 10 years in the Army, no one has explained how or why this happens, im just totally hacked off that its gone to my other shoulder....i hope your op works for you but to be honest its a long process and time is not on your side, i would personally speak to ACAS or whoever is your support network as this can't be right and they shouldn't put these clauses on you.  I think because people cannot actually see our pain they think its not that bad, good luck :-)

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thanks kim im having Capsular release and surgeon said will be intense physio after and will take 4 months post op had hydro dilation but was too painful x

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It didn't work for me Karen but i know people that it did work for, good luck and fingers crossed, physio is hard afterwards but hopefully you will get great results, to be honest the difficult thing for me was knowing how much physio to do after the op and i may not have done enough, not sure.  Good Luck

 

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Afternoon everyone, I had the capsular release surgery on a Friday and was back driving lorries on the following Monday. I can't pretend that it was easy, but I did fairly aggressive physio on my own as well as some sessions with a physio. I guess it took about a month maybe six weeks to be totally pain free. Pretty much full Rom as well. I'm really glad that I had surgery. Different things for different people but I wish you luck. The best thing about the surgery was no more gut wrenching pain when you knock your arm. Miserable club to belong to, but at least there are people who understand.

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Glad it worked for you Graham, think they may do that on my other shoulder again, but this time i'm more preparred so fingers crossed, like you said everyone is different and at different levels of this awful thing....the worse thing is the pain when you knock your arm, actually reduces me to the floor in tears...never mind, totally positive about this shoulder and def more preparred...

 

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Hi Jenn:

I do half days or longer of volunteer work at a desk & sure had to make height adjustments in my chair/desk, plus change my FS arm position often. It helped to occasionally tuck my chin and slowly stretch my neck all the way forwards and all the way back while working. It's one of the only things I kept doing after I realized how much the physio/exercises were actually aggravating my FS and keeping it from healing (IMO!) 

When I had to be in the car for too long, I looped a long scarf from the overhead handle thingy to hang my FS arm at its weird angle - a makeshift place for it to rest & be 'safe'. Even though I'm pain free now, I still use a latex memory foam wrap velcroed over the shoulder strap. Found it in a hardware store, auto aisle.

I hope you can find ways to enjoy your break - all the best! 

Liane

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Wow I'm in the earlier stage of frozen shoulder so don't understand all this but will learn lingo!  

Noticed this was English blog; I'm from US.  By the way, my ortho just told me the "newest" approach here seems to be to give you a cortisone shot right away before scar tissue lays down.  If you catch it early enough, that can COMPLETELY RESOLVE it right away--So if ever you notice it starting in 2nd shoulder, get a cortisone shot :-)

I may be moving into stage 2 and hence to late so far cortisone shot got 2 days ago hasn't helped.  

But here's my confusion and can anyway give advice.

my understanding is left on it's own, it will totally freeze over the course of many months... Probably heal itself by VIRTUE of that immobility... And then start to unfreeze with pain gone but limited movement.  

They have me in PT...

Since objective would be to get swelling to stop, it seems I should be quite careful about exercise (but am told when it comes to stretching--let it hurt!--cuz that's what will prevent the scar tissue laying down.  

I'm sorta wondering... If can't get inflammation to stop, what good will that really do? unless keep it up continually in which case will the inflammation ever leave??

I've also been told ANTIINFLAMMATION is a key here/wholistic approach would be lots of MSM, Turmeric, Bromelain...And an alkaline producing kind of diet.  Painful itself making the diet changes but have started this hoping...

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Hi Valerie

I am well into stage one on my second frozen shoulder - too late I think for the cortisone.  It didn't help me last time so I didn't bother this time!

I would be nervous about PT that hurts.  All the advice I have ever had was keep moving it but - no pain.  If it hurts stop.  Less is more.  

If you are through the constant pain stage then you are likely to be frozen, if not, go with your gut instinct re PT...

Last time round I found some really helpful YouTube videos - Shirley LeBedMethods.  Very very gentle stretches, every day I moved a little more easiely and gained the tinest bits of movement.

It took me 18 months start to finish - though I think as bad as mine was, many people get it far worse than I did.

Let us know how you get on.

Colette

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Hi Valerie,

Yes, there is a mix of English and American on this site, some great people here. I'm American too. It's a really fantastic fourm. Some wonderful ladies here.

I had three Cortizone shots, one in the doctor's office (early on), two more under anestheisa guided by xray. (Had an allergic reaction to the dye used in the injection-iodine.) The Cortizone helps numb it a little for about a week.  Note I said numb, be careful not to move in a way that you might injur yourself further.) The doctor who administered  my final injecitons last week, told me they really don't know how to treat Frozen Shoulder and really there is nothing much you can do. We have to wait it out. 

I went to therapy physical for 5 months. It hurt like heck, doctor said it made it worse. So I do VERY CAREFUL excercises at home to keep shoulders moving, but we are all different. I am a Diabetic and so the scar tissue is even more dense I am told.  Essentially, for me Frozen Shoulder is a Diabetic complication. I do try to walk as much as possible (on my good days and most days I force myself). Three miles a day is my goal for myself. It seems to help me when I can do it. This can become frustrating as heck, so some physical excericse is key for me at least.  

Re:  inflammation: I have drunk gallons of: tumeric and ginger (fresh and slowly cooked, uncooked), cherry pills, tart cherry juice, bromelain, large amounts of green tea for months, taken three or four different anti-inflammatory pills and really does nothing. 

unfortunately, you have to wait it out. I think the unsweetened cherry tart cherry juice helps just a bit with inflamation, I do sip on that all day. 

Hot baths in epsom salts with a towl dipped in the hot water and draped over my shoulder is pretty much the only pain relief I have. Try it if you can tolerate heat yet.

Have had my Diabetic Frozen Shoulder since August of 2015. Surgery is probably next. 

Hope you feel better soon. Welcome. (This forum is very helpful. Keeps us all sane.)

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I'm still working Jenn but it's very difficult . I'm a teaching assistant in an autism unit and I'm like a one armed bandit. My whole life has been affected by FS. I'm worn out.