Shoulder....Venting

[Catrin]

It's becoming difficult to be positive about all of this, but it IS true that I do pretty well for an apparently falling-apart 56 year old. X-rays for my bad shoulder today that will likely be followed up with an MRI. As bad as my neck is, the shoulder seems worse and now they think something is torn in it. I am NOT going to allow surgery - they want to operate on so many parts of my body that where would we honestly start? It will be, however, good to know what is actually wrong with the shoulder, it's been a problem for a very long time. At least I will know if my chosen activity will be contraindicated or not.

So now I'm down to only walking/hiking - at least until my current shoulder flare settles down. Well, at least I CAN walk/hike/trek & hopefully the new orthotics that come on Sept 9 will help with that. I'm afraid to mention my hips to any of my medical folks, those are about the only major joints left that doesn't have a significant amount of arthritis - or at least hasn't been diagnosed with it.

Sigh - it's becoming challenging not to break out that huge container of Graeter's Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream...but I think some peppermint tea with cacoa is something I'm far less likely to overdo - and I've already had my allowed 2 ounce serving.

[Skierchickie2]

Wow - that's tough! . I have no valuable advice, other than to try to enjoy your hiking that much more, and embrace nature as much as possible.

And I find I'm much better off if I keep the ice cream out of the house (if only I could convince DH of that).

[Crankin]

I really empathize with your frustration, Catrin. It seems like hiking would be OK, but who am I to say? At least it will be nice to know what if anything is wrong.

[Catrin]

I actually do much better with ice cream if I always have GOOD stuff in the freezer. It's much easier to limit myself to a couple of small servings a week (no more than 2 ounces at a time) and I'm not tempted to cheat when I know it's there. Unsure why it works, but it does.

The problem is that I've LOTS of arthritis everywhere, including my neck, feet, and knees (and probably hips). I've had both major foot surgery (to repair tendon tears and a congenital condition), and a very bad fall last year led to knee surgery. Then there is the jacked neck and mountain bike injury that made it much worse and took me off the bike completely. Bit by bit all of my favorite physical activities keep having to go away...but hopefully I only need to take a break from my kettlebells - can't do anything else weight related!

[BikeDutchess]

Having been diagnosed with a SLAP tear (labral tear in the shoulder) myself, I can empathize. My kids keep trying to convince me to have surgery but I just don't know if I want to go through that, or just learn to live with the limitations. Hang in there, Catrin.

[rebeccaC]

gee thanks….now I have to get some salt&straw chocolate peppermint crunch ice cream on the way home……

Sometimes there are clouds in the sky obscuring the sun. Wishing more peaceful moments of being under a spring like sun and less bothersome clouds for you!!!! Btw I recently had a meeting with some wonderful compassionate people at a beautiful stone century+ old Episcopal Church....I left with a sunny peaceful mind ….the wonders of working towards compassion for others to benefit them and ourselves.

[salsabike]

Catrin, I'd go for a walk with you if I could. <3, kiddo.

[Sky King]

Just curious, have you ever thought of switching to yoga? I am giving it serious consideration, that or pilates. My masseuse was working on my shoulder and neck yesterday and she sure knows how to find that spot in my neck that I actually feel in my shoulder.

It's becoming difficult to be positive about all of this, but it IS true that I do pretty well for an apparently falling-apart 56 year old. X-rays for my bad shoulder today that will likely be followed up with an MRI. As bad as my neck is, the shoulder seems worse and now they think something is torn in it. I am NOT going to allow surgery - they want to operate on so many parts of my body that where would we honestly start? It will be, however, good to know what is actually wrong with the shoulder, it's been a problem for a very long time. At least I will know if my chosen activity will be contraindicated or not.

So now I'm down to only walking/hiking - at least until my current shoulder flare settles down. Well, at least I CAN walk/hike/trek & hopefully the new orthotics that come on Sept 9 will help with that. I'm afraid to mention my hips to any of my medical folks, those are about the only major joints left that doesn't have a significant amount of arthritis - or at least hasn't been diagnosed with it.

Sigh - it's becoming challenging not to break out that huge container of Graeter's Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream...but I think some peppermint tea with cacoa is something I'm far less likely to overdo - and I've already had my allowed 2 ounce serving.

[Aromig]

I'm sorry. It sucks that your issues are really taking away things that bring you joy.

I have a skydiving friend that has had multiple shoulder reconstructions and more hardware than you can imagine (the latest involved completely changing the joint -- the ball is at the shoulder and the socket is the arm bone) and it's finally worked for her. She was also an avid hiker and hiked often even when she had no arm mobility at all. She did have trouble keeping her balance (and was worried about falling on that arm) on rough trails, but she kept hiking so hopefully you can too.

[Catrin]

Interesting suggestion Murienn! Never thought about that kind of riding....

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[Catrin]

Sky King - sadly Yoga has many positions that I simply cannot do. Tai Chi, however sounds like a option IF I could find a local place that wasn't in the middle of my workday.

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[Catrin]

We finally did an x-ray and MRI of THAT shoulder. X-ray was almost perfect, somehow my arthritis has almost missed that one. Damn. I had hoped that was what was going on but it wasn't. Onto the MRI. They read that thing fast! I had the MRI at 7:15 this morning and my Chiropractor called me at 3:00 with the results. As it turns out I've a torn rotator cuff, the problem child is the supraspinatus, and it is retracted. From my reading I know that the amount of retraction greatly impacts the possible outcome of any repair.

Not that I'm considering a repair at this time. I've been living with this for a long time, and if I allow them to commit surgery it doesn't mean that I won't wind up with improved ROM. So, while it may have to eventually happen, the shoulder is pretty functional and will have to get much worse before I will consider it. So what if I can't do overhead pressing. My chiro is great at keeping it calmed down, and all of my other broken bits, with various active release techniques.

I have to laugh at this to keep from crying. I've so many things that one doctor or another have mentioned different surgical options just this year (not counting the knee surgery last summer), where would I possibly begin if I were to actually decide to do any of it ? So laugh about it, focus on stretching, doing what I can, and pray my body doesn't actually fall apart any time soon. Thankfully I can still swing kettlebells (2-handed only) and hike. I'm a lot better off than many - even if I can't walk without an odd gait these days.

[Crankin]

Well, now you know what exactly is going on. Your attitude is cautious, but correct. Why rush into surgery that may or may not improve the quality of your life? Hiking and some kettlebell work is not "nothing." You are doing more than 80% or more adults in the US.
I just saw a thing on Tai Chi tonight, on a local PM Magazine type show. It does look like a perfect complement for anyone, especially as we age. Is there perhaps a community class that is after work or on a weekend? The show I saw emphasized how Tai Chi works on flexibility and balance and doing the movements fast is a lot harder than most think.
Many years ago (1987?) my mom was taking my younger son for a walk by the lake near where she lived in San Diego. There was a group of older men practicing Tai Chi there and my son ran up to one of the men and grabbed onto his leg as he was doing a one leg balance thing, almost causing the man to fall! I am glad I was not there to see this, but I guess the guy had good balance from his daily practice...

[Catrin]

Good point Crankin! It is a bit frustrating that I've multiple body parts that some would consider needing surgery, but I think surgery is over-prescribed in some cases. My goal is to stay mobile and functional. If I can't keep that goal without surgery then I may reconsider.

I've yet to find a local TaiChi class that isn't in the middle of my workday. There IS a free class held twice a month at a local church that I want to try out as it's on Saturday - and free - but they seem to always coincide with other commitments. I think October may be the month that I will finally get to go and try it out.

[Aromig]

A few years ago I was looking for Tai Chi classes in Indy (a work colleague of mine had practiced it on Okinawa and raved about it and would do the classes with me) but found so few options. For awhile Beach Body sold a Tai Chi video program. I bought it, but didn't like it as much as I like in person classes. It did help me identify how I'm so much stronger in balancing on one side and helped me work on evening that out.