Yes, I am serious....14 years. In the beginning it was more of an annoyance. Over the first few years it got a bit more frequent but the pain could be tollerated. I talked to many doctors and was told everything from Carpal Tunnel to tendinitis. The next few years it got more severe, but I still got some relief from stretching, massage, and Ibuprofen. I kept seeing doctors, but still no answers, they kept saying there was no reason for me to hurt. The past 4-5 years, it has gotten worse, the pain is severe, I work customer service and sitting all day makes it unbearable. I have been seeing my primary care for it the whole time, he continues to refer me to other doctors to try to figure it out. Over the years I have taken Ibuprofen, Ultram, Lortab, Vicaprofen, Vicodin, Percocet, Soma, Flexeril, and so many other pain medications I cannot even remember right now. I have had physical therapy for a combined total of 6 years, I have done Chiropractic, massage therapy and every other back/joint pain treatment out there. I have had trigger point injections for about 2 1/2 years total, they stopped helping. Right now the only thing my Doctor can do is medicate me. I take Ultram during the day, Lortab 7.5 at night and still barely take any of the edge off. I finally contacted someone I know who uses marijuana and borrowed some. I can smoke 1-2 hits before bed, the pain fades immediately and takes me through the entire day sitting at work with very minimal pain if any, and then I do it again before bed.
I had not thought to do it before because I had an allergic reaction when I was young so I figued it was not an option. I finally decided the minor reaction would be better than this pain so I tried it. The allergic reaction never happened and the pain is helped A LOT! The best part is, I have none of the "fun" reactions that most people associate with it. I dont know if its due to the small amount or if it has something to do with my ADHD, but its nice to have pain relief and not feel imaprred all the time.
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The doctor told me that my nerve test was normal so surgery is really all thats left. They are going to go in and pull the bursa, move the muscle out of the way and shave down part of my shoulder blade because the feel that it is rubbing in a way that inflames the bursa and possibly impinges a nerve. I am so hopeful that I will have so much less pain that I will forget all about it! Thats what I hope for. Until then, I will continue to use marijuana as the best pain reliever I have ever tried. I will be sure to update after the surgery and let everyone know if it has taken away the pain as we hope it will. Wish me luck!! :)
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Over the years at work, were you under a lot of stress, and did you engage your shoulder you perform tasks that you could have easily handled with your fingers, hand, and arm???
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This sounds jusrt like my life for about the same amount of time. I'm curious if your issues have been resolved. Until today I was told the same thing, dismissed as muscle spasms do to scoliosis, fibromyalgia, etc...Until today I met with an Orthopedic Doc. who specializes in shoulders. Upon examining, shoulder, back, my symptoms, etc. He said you have scar tissue. He said the lumps that the other doc told me were muscle spasms, yet never went away with massage or physical therapy, were in fact lots of scar tissue. He ordered a CT scan to see if in fact I have any bone spurs. On top of the constant numbing and burning, my shoulder feels as if a pebble is lodged deep in my shoulder blade when I try to pull my shoulders back. It finally made sense and feel as if I'm on the right path. As much as I hate the idea of surgery, he said the only way I will get relief is to remove the scar tissue and possible bone spur. I am shocked at the amount of time and money wasted on misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis!
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I have always worked in customer service settings, both over the phone and face to face, so of course one of the things many of the doctors looked at was carpel tunnel and similar things that could cause the pain. I have been through so many diagnosis that I cant keep track. My current doctor is the 7th Orthopedic surgeon I have been to over the years.
I go in for my surgery on 2/17 and will post here as the healing begins to let everyone know if it helped. For me what they are doing is pulling back the muscle and the bursa, shaving down the shoulder blade and checking for any scar tissue in the area that could be causing the irritation. From what they are seeing, the shoulder blade is somehow rubbing on the muscle and bursa causing inflamation and irritation, also causing the nerves to be impacted. The theory is that by removing some of the bone, it will not rub and cause the irritation. I will post once I have an idea how effective it was. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this helps it and maybe even stops it all together.
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Have you found out any more info? Your description almost describes mine to a "T". About 3 weeks ago, I felt like someone punched me in the back, in between my spine and right shoulder blade. A co-worker of mine is also a massage therapist and she felt it and said it was a huge knot that ran along my shoulder blade and up into my traps. After two weeks of it not going away, I went to my dr. who also gave me flexiril. Did nothing to help! He also wanted me to go for an x-ray of the lumbar and thoriac spine. Didn't go because I don't feel that's the problem. Now it has been hurting when I breathe so I asked for a chest x-ray. Still awaiting the results. I also tested positive for the lyme antibody, and two of the bands on the Western blot, however, the doctor said I don't have enough reactive bands for it to be lyme. I always tested negative in the past. I'm wondering if this is related to lyme. Have you ever been tested for lyme disease.
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