Shoulder injection #2

[den]

The first cortisone shot 6 weeks ago was into the bicep ligament and went rather well and was largely painless. Yesterday's shot was into the gap between the ball and socket. i.e into the joint itself. This was not largely painless.

The procedure had to be done in the CT Scanner with me lying still. The tech put a target patch in my shoulder, sent me into the scanner, then returned and marked a spot on my back. This was okay.

The Doc entered the room, administered a local, and said "Okay, this might still hurt a little." He explained that he would put the needle in, pump in some saline, then put me through the scanner to see if he had the needle in the correct place. "Don't move!" he added.

I said "Aargh!" as the needle went in. And "AAAARRRRGH!" as the saline was injected. Then the doc removed the syringe but left the needle in place FOREVER while I was pushed through the scanner again. He'd hit the right place which meant he didn't have to removed the needle and start again. Which was nice.

"Okay, I'm going to inject more anesthetic before the cortisone, but it might still hurt a little."

It did. I said "aargh!" then "MMMMMMPH!" into the foam supports holding me in place.

'All done!"

And it was over. 20 minutes was all it took. It hurt a lot at the time but that pain quickly subsided into a sort of dull, constant ache I've felt for the last 24 hours. It's about a 2 to 3 on the 1 to 10 pain index. I didn't sleep well because the pain woke me when I moved and stressed the shoulder, and I'm feeling a little wrecked today.

The 3rd and final shot is in 6 weeks, and after that I'll know if I need an operation.

Comments

[acelightning]

They put you through all of that, and they still don't know whether you need an operation or not? I hope they're not so miserly with the pain killers for the next thing!

[den]

These shots are for diagnostic purposes to work out exactly where the worst damage is. The next shot will be into the bursus of the rotator cuff. These three shots equal an equivalent of one standard cortisone injection into one place.

The Osteopath said an operation is the absolute last resort. I do have a small tear on the rotator cuff "But everyone has one of those!" he said. The worst damage is to the ligaments inside the shoulder joint, and he's sure the multi-shots will fix that, with rest. I have a frozen shoulder, apparently.

[acelightning]

As far as I know, I don't have anything wrong with my rotator cuffs, but I've never indulged in unnecessary physical exertion in my life. I do hope the treatment you get is completely successful, and leaves you pain-free and able to do everything you want and need to do.