Where Does It Hurt?

I am normally an active person. I was one of those kids who couldn’t sit still, was always on the go and in constant motion. Probably drove my parents crazy. This frenetic energy followed me into adulthood.
I like to keep moving and, given that for most of my working life I find myself situated in front of this computer for hours on end, I make sure I find the time to exercise daily: walking, bike riding, lifting weights, calisthenics, or just working around the house.

Staying active has suited me well these many decades. Nothing like the comfortable ache of pushing and testing your muscles and joints with good, hard effort, then rewarding yourself with a soothing hot shower, an enjoyable meal, and relaxation with family and friends at the end of the day. But a lot of that has changed for me recently.

What if those comfortable aches begin to linger? Or if those sore muscles and joints remain sore long after what is considered a “normal” period of recovery?

I feel your pain.

In fact, I feel my pain. For months now, I have been battling chronic shoulder pain. It hurts to do just about anything that involves using my left shoulder. This video will give you an idea of what it feels like:



The sad fact is, I was not acting (okay, maybe a little) in the above vid. My shoulder is filled with pain, especially when I use it a certain way. And since the pain radiates along my entire arm, it even hurts when I write posts, like this one.

Being a man, and by that I mean: being a stubborn creature who only visits a doctor as a last resort, I first ignored the pain, hoping that it would go away, like most aches and sore muscles eventually do. When it did not, I added aspirin and a heating pad to my home remedy. Still no improvement, so I added constant complaining and moaning to my inept self-healing cure. Again, no change. So I had this conversation with my wife:

Mike: My shoulder is killing me!
Wife: Go see a doctor.
Mike: I don’t know what to do anymore.
Wife: Go see a doctor.
Mike: I mean, I’ve tried everything…
Wife: Go see a doctor.
Mike: It’s never felt like this before.
Wife: Go see a doctor.
Mike: It really hurts.
Wife: Go see a doctor.
Mike: Think I should go see a doctor?
Wife glares at Mike, sadly shaking her head as she walks out of the room.

I finally take my lovely wife’s advice and visit my doctor. This begins a chain of events that takes me from x-rays to physical therapy to a botched MRI to more PT to a cortisone injection to another MRI to weeping like a small child to more physical therapy to one more cortisone injection to sucking my thumb in the fetal position to one last trip to my physical therapist (who my wife now thinks I am secretly dating) to…today.

Or should I say: tomorrow.

Thursday, October 16, 2008, I will be having arthroscopic surgery to repair the pain in my left shoulder.

I look forward to this procedure with paradoxical caution: I am not thrilled with the prospect of being anesthetized and having someone poke around my bursa, bones, muscle, and what-have-you, but on the other hand I am tired of the pain and ready to remedy it.


I leave you with two thoughts to ponder while I am recovering:

1. This will be my last post for a while, depending on when I will be able to sit back at this workstation and work this keypad pain free and without the threat of hindering my healing.

2. Listen to your body. That comfortable ache after exercise or physical activity is a good thing, an indication that you have been active and your muscles and joints are happy and healing. But if that ache lingers or turns into something more, then do yourself a favor and listen to your wife.

Go see a doctor.

Until next time…

peace,

Mike