About to lose my mind. The pain is non stop and has been since July.

Been to Physical therapy, surgeon 3x's. 2 cortisone shots in the joint, and an MRI...

All options seem marginal at best for treatment. I am now on protonix as I have been downing about 3200mg (wrong) 2400 mg! of ibuprophen a day and stomach is not feeling great.

Sleeping on couch so as to not move and bump shoulder, but not sleeping through the night.

Asked about pain meds 1-2x's a week for a month so I can sleep through the night at least once a week. Surgeon says I need surgery if I need meds that powerful... Surgery has similar outcome to doing nothing... May shorten by a couple to a few months resolution???

Wouldn't be so bad if I did something manly to cause pain, but did not do anything. I can pick up a bag of concrete, but can't get mail out of the box, or tuck in my shirt.

Anyone else deal with this?

Thinking I may just go back to phys therapy.

If Dr Lovallo is still seeing patients at the Anderson Orthopedic clinic in Arlington, that’s where I would go. He did my replacement surgery. The relief I got made me wish I had done it sooner. He has done surgeries on several professional athletes as well

Good luck

I have been seeing Dr. Johnson in Lansdown, thinking I need another opinion. Appreciate the recommendation.

I went though the Frozen Shoulder thing a few years ago. Surgery worked for me. I could only afford to take a couple days off from work and its a 75 mile drive from home to job so pain killers were a no go.
Good times

I cut the dosages in half from the below article, and had great results.


https://thedaily.case.edu/stud...reating-dental-pain/

So, 200mg ibuprophen, and 500 mg acetaminophen.. I am guessing 3x's a day?

Certainly willing to try. Thanks!

Yes, that's what worked for me. You're welcome, and I wish you luck.

quote:

Originally posted by Dreamerx4:
So, 200mg ibuprophen, and 500 mg acetaminophen.. I am guessing 3x's a day?

Certainly willing to try. Thanks!

Been there done that! I have had fourteen fractures, and the frozen shoulder trumped all but one in terms of pain. I ended up finding a really great therapist and started dry needling. I do believe the dry needling did help, but frozen shoulders cycle on there own time. I had more relief after a round of dry needling than any of the pain killers I was given. It’s worth a try if you can get even a little relief.

My friend took 1 ibuprofen twice a day for knee pain. When his kidneys were checked 2 years later they had lost 30% efficiency, and Dr immediately took him off those meds. Be carefull

And to think I was sure the post would say “can I put it on the smoker or do I need to thaw it first.” Hope you feel better soon. A nice bbq sandwich might help.

Well your experience is likely different from mine. I had a rotator cuff injury, and subsequently frozen shoulder but more immobility than pain from that. I was told it would improve in a year. It didn't--but it did in two years, with no surgery needed.
With that much pain I think a second opinion is a great idea.

Be careful with ibuprofen.

In the early 1980's I was taking a lot of it for severe headaches. I ended up in 1984 with bleeding ulcers that were only stopped after 2/3rds of my stomach was removed.

Dr. said "No ibuprofen for the rest of your life."

YMMV

Wife just had surgery. Frozen shoulder, torn bicep, and 98% torn rotator cuff. Insufficient pain treatment as the Docs are afraid to prescribe opiods. Tramadol has not been effective. You may want to go to a pain center.

They can put you under and manually manipulate the shoulder.
Don't think that after surgery it will be less painful. But , going forward a year with physical therapy it should improve and be pain free.

Shoulder still frozen. Cuff repaired and bicep reattached. Therapy twice weekly-still extremely painful. One of the worst places to rehab due to the mobility and flex of the joint

I have scheduled a second opinion with another shoulder Dr. Monday at 9

I use ice packs as I can, and a tens unit... those both offer some relief.

Problem is I move just so, and I have literally seen a flash and feel nauseous. Those pains take 15-20 minutes to ease. They don't happen often now that I protect it so much... but the continual pain at a 4 just is really tough. Been months.

Can't raise my arm, can't tuck in my shirt, pull up my pants, thread my belt... very frustrating.

I can't imagine poor folks dealing with chronic pain for years, I am really struggling mentally with just this. Exhausted,and sore.

Thanks for replies!

I am just not sure what to do about ibuprophen... will try reducing and mixing with acetominaphen now.

Are you taken statins? When I had a frozen shoulder 2x the Dr said that he thought they were the cause.
Several weeks of PT worked for me.

May have an impingement. MRI ?

Before taking that surgery step, if I may, I would suggest a Bowen therapist.

americanbowen.academy lookup:

There are 4 in VA - Salem, Springfield, Stafford and Waynesboro - any location nearby for you?

You may feel relief after first treatment, but will need a continuing schedule for long term improvement of shoulder, neck ...

Above is based upon my lifetime experiences.

This bullshit campaign against opiates is really coming home to roost. Addicts always find what they want but real patients never get what they need.

I would talk to a doc before I start mixing NSAID. Just because stuff is OTC doesn’t mean you can’t create toxic results.

No statins. No heart disease, no diabetes, not a woman... "most common folks who get this" I am 47...

No impingement. I do have a degenerative something in my neck, but has been ruled out.

MRI shows small tear in labrum? and adhesive capsulitis... Frozen shoulder.

No real reasons know to cause it, no real treatment is more effective than another. 3 phases, I am in first being pain...

After appt on monday, I will look into dry needling, and I will have to check out a Bowen Therapist, I am near Winchester, so not close, b ut am feeling pretty desperate.

Thanks!

I had frozen shoulder as a result of my humerus break and surgery.

The doc was starting to get concerned, but PT eventually did take care of it for me. If it had gone even 2 weeks longer, I would have had to have surgery to relieve it.

Whatever you do, don’t take aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen for very long. If PT and NSAIDs don’t do the trick, surgery might be the only option for you.

CBD also helped me with my elbow, since it’s a natural anti-inflammatory. I take a softgel daily and rub lotion into my elbow. If I need more, I chew a gummy as a booster. That doesn’t happen often. I never need to take ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen any more and I know my kidneys and liver are happy about that.