Hi all, second time with a suspected frozen shoulder this time in my dominant arm. one diagnosis is calcification and another doctor says frozen shoulder, i strongly suspect frozen shoulder as its tightening up despite physio. However unlike last time i have pain all down the arm into the bicep area and forearm along with pins and needles at times, I cant drive and even struggle to put my hand in my front pocket at times, has anyone experienced this type of issue with pain through into forearm? And any ideas on pain relief as prescription strength co-codamol and anti-inflamatiry gel isnt touching it?
Hi @jon73953 sorry to hear your plight. I'm 52 years young female with Fibromyalgia and am 5 months into a FS. The lead up to this will be almost 13 months with prior crunching and grinding of the shoulder. Mine too is my dominant arm and like you I have pain in the bicep and forearm and also weakness at the wrist and occasional lack of dexterity/carpal tunnel. To begin with it was excruciating, sleep was nigh on impossible and there was no respite. I was on 30/500mg of Codeine and Naproxen and even then it was only taking the edge off. I've persisted with exercise at home using all the recommended techniques and whilst the pain is now manageable and sleep is regular, I still struggle with ROM. I'm waiting for an xray and a referral to an orthopaedic consultant but through the NHS means there will be a wait before I'm seen. There is a guy who pops up on here from time to time called Colin, he has bilateral FS and has a wealth of knowledge and experience on the subject. I did find that heat and elevation of the arm did help when trying to get to sleep. I overdid the exercises yesterday and I'm feeling it this morning, however, when it first froze up I couldn't do half and a quarter of what I can do now. Reading other people's stories it seems like time, exercise and pain relief arr the 3 key elements to get through it. Best wishes, Michelle
pops up from time to time lol
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yup struggling badly this month . as with you Michelle no end to grief. actually this morning woke up and could open me eyes. its been haunting me constantly .
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Jon i use an ice machine of an evening just to get some rest bite. but its only while it is being used . go for a hydrodilatation to the joint its instant fix. i had a tear in me eye when they done it ( no pain ). and it did not hurt at all.
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try google and see it on you tube . also now i am taped up lots. it takes away the " you have to pinch your arm" feeling.
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by the way Michelle still waiting for the surgeon report . 4 weeks now since. last week was up all night. was emailing surgeon pleading for the report at 3am. walking room to room.
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still down for tendon surgery.
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keep positive Jon and stay strong . its a long journey . good days and shocking days
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colin
and work have been very understanding with the damage to the bicep tendon . . they have moved me into fire doors and patio and front doors. !!!!. . unlike FS movement is your best friend. mine now is the opposite. i just dont want to move it any more. such a deep ache 24/7 . happy days . colin
Thanks Colin & Michelle for comments and info.
Unlike my first FS the pain this time is so much more and like you have been taking co-codomal and naproxen but they dont really do much as its nerve type pain. I have found heat is best as i can then get more movement and relief, I can sleep on my arm but wake up after a few hours and the pain to move it is just agony. Work wise has been an issue as i cant drive, the movement of turning the wheel is nok and doctor stopped me after assessing my rom and strength, but i find some days it is just to painful to drive a mouse as the pain through elbow and forearm is too much.
I am laughing today as yesterday my physio decided to try some unexpected manipulation and lets just say he stopped more or less immediately as my arm wouldnt move where he thought it would go and i lay on the bed writhing, all day was agony but today pain is tolerable so you have to laugh. I will look at hydrodilation as hoping to get a referral to orthopaedic in 2 weeks and may push for mua or release as I am only 2 months into the freezing but its a lot worse than my left was and i found mua worked then. But last time I did not have the bicep and lower arm nerve type pain so not sure if that changes the treatment route, I can only however imagine NHS timeline will be lengthy.
Best of luck to you both.
ha ha . the physio doing manual stretching. like you i was like a pig to slaughter wriggling and squeaking on the physio bench. . so jon did you have MUA for the other shoulder. was it done at hospital under general anastetic . and did it work. . i had the full 360 capsule release. which for the first 5 weeks the joint was like a new born and pain free. i used a CPM machine day and night and was on target. now a buggered up bicep tendon needs re attaching so back to the start. . you mentioned you found heat good for you. i purchased from the USA from T- SHELLZ / the mend me shop a electro magentic shoulder brace which also heats up. the electro part is aimed deep into the joint !!. on a cold morning i found it kick started my shoulder into kind of working. . and uddermint for cows teets. yes really!!!!. you dont know how far i will go to be pain free lol. it is stronger than deep heat. . if some one said put a chicken on your head and run around the garden and it will cure you. i am there !!!!. . the uddermint is 50% peppermint oil and it warms up your shoulder in a nice way and as a bonus you get to smell like a humbug as well. it does distract the pain for a while. . thats all the things we do seem to be about just distracting the pain until it come back to haunt . especially at 3am all quiet nothing moving except people with FS. . i have fast tracked my treatment and paid for it myself. like you naproxen and pain relief just dont cut the ache and its such a private thing to have people just dont get it. and me being with a gang of workers i just get the pee taken out if me shoulder all the time as thought they dont believe me.. . keep us updated jon and if you come across some miracle cure ( not a chicken on the head ). please share . and if you are down with pain have a rant on here to us . we know the ache . colin
after physio she set the joint with 50% stretch the KT tape. for me that kind of held the ache and stopped me pinching across the GH joint . murder in the summer so many white lines lol . c
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still have humour. even after all this lol . just got off the laptop. the report has landed from Harley street. and its a secret. . i have to go so SWLOC hospital in Cheam south London. 100 miles each way to see the surgeon on the 8th march. . see if i have to go under the knife again. this side L/H has cost me dear in time and effort. . the next picture will be sent with white lines. worst bit is you have to shave the area so i have a half smooth side lol. . or its a waxing for me. dont know how you lot suffer with waxing . c
You're inspirational Colin with your positivity and determination. Unless you've ever experienced a frozen shoulder, nobody can ever truly appreciate the all consuming affect it has on every facet of your life. Great news that you're making progress. I have got a date through today too for an EMG at the end of this month. This is the golden egg that will rule out anything sinister which I fear may be underlying with all my issues. Neurologist said he is only doing it to provide reassurance to me. The last 12 months of my life have been dictated by health, hospital and GP appointments, medication and health forums! Keep in touch Colin šš
My GP has mentioned MUA š
Have you tried Gabapentin? That is recommended for nerve pain. It's a tough one to come off though from what I understand. If you're managing to sleep on it you're doing better than I was.
I feel for you, keep in touch and let us know how you get on. I find it quite comforting this group, knowing I'm not alone with my suffering.
Hi Colin
The mua worked well, it was quick and painful but they knocked me out and gave me morphine/tramadol and then codeine so that kind of meant I was like a walking zombie for the first week. The physio after was really hard as every day was like breaking the healing but after 2 weeks I was at about 70% of full range and after 8 weeks I was at 95%, I have never got back to full movement and cant swing my arm over. If you imagine swimming backstroke my left arm just doesnt go right over it kind of goes outwards.
Hi LoobyM I have had pregaballin for a while before due to a disk condition that occasionally flares up and got onto a big dosage as i was getting a lot of nerve pain as the disk compressed my nerve. I hadnt thought about that but yes may help, might have to try. As I mentioned to Colin the mua worked but i was well aware it was not guaranteed to work and it did but i only got 95% rom.
Good luck
wow a quick rip ya arm apart lol . ACR and i had SAD as well . i went down at 3.30pm. private operation. i got the hump that i had no option of an evening dinner . hey i am a Taurian and love me food. . i came back up at 8pm lol in the dark and had a egg sandwich " starving ". . that was worse than the operation no food.. . did you bruise bad or was it easy. like you i had to go straight into physio . constant 24/7 day and night. . and i had a damaged auxillary nerve which left a dead spot on me skin. now recovered . just want to thank you Michelle. jon and barb . this chatroom really lost it over the past year ????. people leave a message and never return. . it means a lot . c
and also . are we all in the UK ? . i am near stanstead airport. 30 miles from london .
c
well the phone was red hot yesterday. . Harley street called. report is ready . solicitor called they have the report but Iām not allowed to see it. yes it is a work place injury. . surgeon called seeing him Tuesday and he will explain whats needed. another 200 mile round trip. complete opposite side of the M25. my fav journey. . it really ticks me off. when you offer to pay they fall over backwards for you.. . colin
good luck Colin, yes I am in uk just outside Wolverhampton. When you pay they see you the next day and nhs is anyones guess. Thinking of trying uddermint, had a shoulder support but it just bloody hurts so its sitting the drawer that holds all the crap I dont know what to do with.
Hope you get it sorted soon and likewise thanks for listening, I do laugh about it and I honestly thought the physio had broke my arm. The first thing I struggled with was the hoover but then I found ironing was ok - that is just bizzare to me but hey ho.
Colin my mua was private through insurance, there was some bruising but it was gone after a week. I really got it into my head I wanted to go home asap and being a late morning job I was back in bed about midday and then I slept for about 90 mins, woke up and told my wife to come pick me up. I got out after nagging the staff but really I was so high it was not good, to make it better my daughter had a visitor turn up at the door about 5 pm and I answered the door but looked really rough and just muttered to him. The shambolic man answering the door to my 16 year old daughters interested visitor was something to behold - I am an embarassment apparently when it was all I could do to not fall over, the joy of tramadol and morphine.
well today is the day
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had the report through. the tendonosis is attributed to the frozen shoulder.
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been summonsed to hospital this morning. had the surgeon secretary on the phone within hours making a appointment.
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got me paperwork and ready for a full circle of the M25 today. thats just as painful.
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got to go through operation options and costs . i am still holding out for a non surgical option here. the paperworks said otherwise.
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the real shame is if this was not through an insurance this would never happen so quick. shame the NHS got so bad post covid.
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i will add later whats to happen
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colin
great news hyaluronic acid injections into the tendon and steroid jabs as well guided into the sheath . . no operation. no summer in the garden lol . when he tested me he picked on the other shoulder yup still frozen. but it dont hurt now. just dont move. put that on the back burner for a while. . i think the sky summed it up. a blue sky day yay. . colin