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Help/Advice for Tendinitis

Discussion in 'The Watercooler' started by blountforcetrauma, Jan 20, 2015.

  1. blountforcetrauma

    blountforcetrauma Well-Known Member

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    Oct 23, 2011
    I woke up a day after my 33rd birthday with extreme pain in my shoulder and went to the dr and they told me I at least had a "strain" and so they sent me to a physical therapist. She told me that I have a pinched nerve and tendinitis. So I took a few sessions of physical therapy and had to report back to the dr and my shoulder hadn't really gotten any better and so she told me to suspend the therapy until an ortho specialist saw me. So today I go and see him and he tells me the tendinitis is in my rotator cuff and I have some other word in my shoulder that I can't pronounce. So I've been off for 2wks and now I'm gonna be off another 5. I've got to do physical therapy starting next week and he's gonna sorta "supervise" it or something. I was just curious if anyone else had dealt with that and could give me any tips to get on the mends a little quicker. He prescribed me some hard core anit-inflammatory for twice a day. Hopefully that will help. Also I have to go on Short Term Disability and was curious if anyone had any experience with that that might help me out with cutting through some of that bureaucratic crap.
     
    blountforcetrauma, Jan 20, 2015
    blountforcetrauma, Jan 20, 2015
    #1
  2. Ray D

    Ray D Staff Member Mod Team

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    Oct 18, 2011
    Was it brachial plexopathy by any chance? That's pretty painful. I've never had it, but have seen a couple people go through variations of it.

    Or maybe bursitis? Impingement?

    I'm assuming your doctor is an orthopedist or has sent you to one (or may if your symptoms persist or get worse).

    I'm afraid I can't help you much with how to speed up recovery. Follow your instructions. Rest, ice, etc etc. Take the anti-inflammatories. You may not feel they're working at first pain wise. But you need to reduce the inflammation, and once that goes down, the pain should reduce as well.

    Rest your shoulder, but DO NOT keep it completely still unless told to do so. You don't want to add frozen shoulder to your list of problems. Although sometimes it's unavoidable. Try moving your shoulder through as much range of motion as you can. Not quickly or with resistance of course. Just reach up, forward and to your sides (like a cross. Or, with your elbows bent, like the chicken dance ;)). Easily. Every so often. Obviously, if it's very painful, stop.

    Stick with the PT. Rome wasn't built in a day. Have they done an MRI? Fingers crossed it won't require surgery.

    They may give you Prednisone or some other form of steroid therapy. That will help. Don't be afraid of it if they do. You're not going to roid out or anything. ;)

    Short term disability depends a lot on who you're going through (or who your employer uses). Generally speaking (and only from my own experience), all they really want is your doctor to fill out some forms, document how the injury happened, and an estimation of how long until you can be expected to work again. The tricky part is that by the time everything is processed, you might be 3-4 weeks down the road until you see a check. If yours is anything like mine, you may need to be out of work for 2-3 weeks until it even kicks in - with the exception that if said injury was a result of accident or required hospitalization. But again, they're not all the same. Just be diligent on getting the forms filled out as quickly and accurately as you can. And prepare to wait a few weeks before you see any money.

    Good luck to you. I hope you get well quickly. Never had a shoulder injury. but anything that hinders you is frustrating. I know all too well.
     
    Ray D, Jan 20, 2015
    Ray D, Jan 20, 2015
    #2
  3. blountforcetrauma

    blountforcetrauma Well-Known Member

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    Oct 23, 2011
    Yeah I do have an impingement for sure. I can't remember the other thing he said that I have. It is right around my collarbone where he pointed when he said that. He told me I won't have to have an MRI because he could tell from the exam that it was tendinitis in my rotator cuff. If I do though, my insurance pays 100% of it so it will be fine. Man it's crazy because something as simple as pushing down on a soap dispenser causes discomfort! That's crazy man! They said a shoulder is just so complex that it's a bad place to have an injury. I do try to move it around and things like that but my range is pretty limited. At least it is on my left one than my right. I figure the disability is gonna take a bit to get here. I get my pastor's salary as well though so it's not THAT big of a deal but it is still stressful to deal with.
     
    blountforcetrauma, Jan 20, 2015
    blountforcetrauma, Jan 20, 2015
    #3
  4. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    Oct 16, 2011
    Most cases of tendinitis only last a couple weeks but it can also take up to months, which was the case with me. I had it in my elbow and it took 7 months before I could start exercising with it again. I can still feel it on days I do to much with it but not like before.

    However, I didn't have the option of missing work so that should speed up your recovery if you are completely resting it.

    Oh, and if you want to save on medicine, take 800mg (4 pills) 3x a day of Motrin. So 12 pills a day, thats prescription strength.
     
    Blast Furnace, Jan 25, 2015
    Blast Furnace, Jan 25, 2015
    #4
  5. blountforcetrauma

    blountforcetrauma Well-Known Member

    26,597
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    Oct 23, 2011
    Yeah I'm out for at least 5 more weeks and man it is HORRIBLE. My left arm is literally going numb! I have to go to therapy at least once a week and do their exercises twice a day at home and ice my shoulder a few times a day. I'm taking 500mg of Naproxen to try and get the inflammation out. My job is just so dang physical that even when I DO get better I won't be surprised if this happens again. NOW what's making matters even worse is that on the little form that I had to fill out, the dr had to fill out, and UPS had to fill out I put that my problem was due to extensive use at work. Well UPS told me that since I couldn't pinpoint a "moment" when it happened I had to file it under "short term disability". So that's what we had tried to do and come to find out that apparently UPS was wrong in what they told me and now I might have to start the whole process over again and get ANOTHER form and go BACK to the dr and BACK to UPS to have it filled out AGAIN! All the while I am only getting my pastor's salary and no UPS money. It's extremely stressful but I'm sorta caught in the middle of a bureaucratic crossfire. I'm hoping like crazy that they can justifiably "label" it short term disability just so I can get the ball rolling on finally getting paid. It's incredible how annoying it is and how much red tape you have to cut through. Thanks ambulance chasers....sigh....
     
    blountforcetrauma, Jan 25, 2015
    blountforcetrauma, Jan 25, 2015
    #5
  6. TerribleTowelFlying

    TerribleTowelFlying Staff Member Site Admin Mod Team

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    Oct 12, 2011
    Man, gotta love that red tape. Sorry to hear that, BFT.
     
    TerribleTowelFlying, Jan 26, 2015
    TerribleTowelFlying, Jan 26, 2015
    #6
  7. blountforcetrauma

    blountforcetrauma Well-Known Member

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    Oct 23, 2011
    I know dude. Work called me this morning and they are trying to figure out what to do about it. I am about to just go down there and talk to them myself to cut out another middle man because the bottom level safety supervisor has to talk to the upper level safety supervisor to then call me back and tell me what the upper level supervisor said when I could just go down there and talk to the upper level supervisor. Another wrench that has been thrown in though is that Natalie is now sick and I'm having to try and take care of her. My mother in law is supposed to do it on Mondays but she is fostering a baby right now and we are afraid Natalie might make the baby sick. So that is keeping me from being able to leave. Man 2015 aint looking like my year. LOL.
     
    blountforcetrauma, Jan 26, 2015
    blountforcetrauma, Jan 26, 2015
    #7
  8. darcrav

    darcrav Well-Known Member

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    "TENNIS ELBOW"

    or what eva you call it nowadays
    you ought not do that anyway :smiley1:

    seriously tho

    I would do yoga it helped me with a lot aches and pains
     
    darcrav, Jan 26, 2015
    darcrav, Jan 26, 2015
    #8

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