I am anxiously waiting in the lobby of the rheumatologist. I am scheduled for a cortisone shot today. I don’t like shots.

I hurt my shoulder about six months ago. I reached into the back seat of my truck, from the drivers seat, and felt a pain. It was almost like a glass shard was in there. I didn’t think much about it at the time.

Over the next few weeks the shoulder became more tender. I found it hard to sleep. Settling into my traditional sleeping positions made the shoulder hurt. It became increasingly harder to zip my skirts and put on hose.

I put off having it looked at until after the November elections. I was a candidate for state House of Delegates and couldn’t take time out of campaigning. Once I did, the doctor said it was tendinitis in the rotator cuff, due to a pull or tear. He sent me to physical rehabilitation.

Over the next twelve weeks, I endured the most painful tugging and pulling of my arm in my lifetime. The shoulder seemed to hurt worse with every visit. I spent hours on the couch with moist heat, trying to soothe the gnawing pain.

Finally, I told the therapist I would seek another treatment. While my range of motion marginally improved, the feeling of glass grating in my shoulder was increasing. The pain, like an abscessed tooth in my shoulder, did not respond to medication. Therapy exacerbated it.

My physician ordered an x-ray. The report noted “arthritic narrowing of the AC joint.” He recommended a cortisone injection. I agreed. Here I sit.

I don’t like needles. My nervous system seems so sensitive. Things most people tolerate well just send me to my knees. The cold, regardless of it being the weather or an ice pack, causes me great pain. Hell, bringing a shopping buggy in from outside on a snowy day will make my hands hurt.

I don’t like pills. But I have to take one daily for the arthritis. I tried skipping it on occasion, but I ended up miserable, on the couch with heat on my spine.

She’s running late. Just my luck. But, I will know soon if this will work.

 

*** UPDATE***

The shot did hurt. It was, however, tolerable. I am not trying to figure out just how my shoulder feels. There was a numbing agent used in the mix, so some part of the AC joint is numb. I am going to rest my shoulder for a couple days then begin stretching exercises again, at home. I’ll see if I can make any improvement in the range of motion. I may then go back to physical therapy to see if we can make greater improvement. We’ll see.

Tags: arthritis, Medicine, pain, shots