For some time now I have been in quite considerable pain with what most other sufferers would recognise as a “frozen shoulder”. However, after taking my ailment to the medicos and several failed treatments from my GP, a steroid injection, some X-Rays and finally an Ultrasound scan. I was to learn that I didn’t actually have a frozen shoulder at all. I had an equally painful condition called “Calcific Tendonitis”. Seemingly I had a deposit of calcium about the size of a couple of Jelly Beans neatly settled in the rotator cuff area of my shoulder. It was this relatively small deposit that had been causing me some really terrible pain, upset my sleep pattern and at times prevented me carrying out some pretty basic task like putting my belt on or even pulling my trousers on in the morning when getting dressed!
Well, I am pleased to say that after a minor medical procedure that involved me having a needle inserted into my shoulder under ultrasound scanner, a considerable amount of pain killer and lot of what felt like digging and stabbing, although it was actually careful probing and extraction, the offending calcium deposit broken up and much of it sucked out. This rather uncomfortable procedure rather than painful one plus two days of further discomfort (quite painful discomfort if I am honest) has left me facing six weeks of slow recuperation. So far all seems to be quite good now and after about 10 days my arm and shoulder is already 100% improved in terms of mobility and very low level of pain. I think I could say that I am down from pain level 9 to pain level 2 which is wonderful given the months of agony and broken sleep I have endured!
Just to give you a rough idea of what went on during the procedure here is a video of the procedure with the exception that mine was undertaken using an ultrasound scanner that had the “picture quality” more associated those blurry scans that many new mums get from the midwife. I have to confess that I was rather disappointed that the doctor was not prepared to let me follow the the procedure on his monitor!!
And now the Movie!
Release of calcific deposit from the shoulder
3 comments:
Glad to read you are slowly returning to full match fitness, well at least as much match fitness as a chap your age deserves anyway.
I understand how frustrating it must have been for you during this time not to be able to swing the arms shoulder high but then having served as a VS I am not sure it was a skill you were that comfortable with in the first place.
I am slightly taken aback about you blood lust and desire to watch whilst the good doctor went about his business and I wonder what a reader from Chad might make of it all, perhaps this is why there are no readers from Chad. They are all put off by the apparent blood thirsty English.
MAD
Hello again, thank you for your kind words and wisdom. The arm swinging is doing well but aligning my thumb down the hand is still a little bit painful. All I have to say is "Bend the Knee"!!
I hope you are not cocking the wrist
Yours instructionally
MAD
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