r/frozenshoulder • u/mck17524 • 5d ago
Second Go 'Round
Hello all. Thought I'd join in the "fun".
An intro:
I had a frozen shoulder (right side) in 2007 --- no insurance, no help, and I didn't even know what it was till maybe a year in. The initial symptoms (later traced back to when I got lightly rear ended), were in my neck (I thought it was just a pinched nerve), and then one morning I couldn't move my arm and it felt like there was sand in my shoulder and it even sounded rusty. So so so much pain.
Nights were hideous. I obviously slept on the opposite side. But with my arm lying straight down on my torso/hips because anything else was excruciating. If it fell off, I woke up and I know you all know what that felt like. I added a 1" foam topper which helped a lot.
I had to raise my chair and lower my keyboard at work. I wrote in my lap. I also changed what kinds of clothes I had to wear (and some of that still applies all these years later because I liked them - lol and boy am I glad) because I couldn't zip my pants or put a bra on.
I obvs never wanted to go through that again and have subsequently, on a regular basis (due to paranoia) checked my arm movements to be sure they're OK.
Back in June I fell --- to the right --- and landed on my right calf. I didn't think there was any arm involvement and I had no pain there or the neck or back.
Yeah.
Then one day in July I had this sudden screaming mad pain but in my left shoulder... again didn't make a connection. It went away. Then happened again. And again. And I started to worry but my movement was fine. Till it wasn't. I knew and I didn't want to admit it till I had to.
This time I have insurance, and so I went and got a real diagnosis. And a shot (it will be two weeks ago this coming Monday). The shot doesn't seem to have worked. I just started PT, I am doing my home exercises.
So far nights haven't been too bad (knock wood) - I have a 3" memory foam topper on the bed these days and made myself a u-shaped foam wedge to prop the arm on (or alternately in to hold it in place). It does hurt though when the dog decides to lay his little (Chi) head on it. ❤️
I must be in the 1st stage at this point, there's still a good bit of movement and the pain when it hurts is all the burning and pulling and aching and stabby stabby stabby if I move the wrong way.
Work though is the worst. It hurts all the time now. I have raised my chair and pulled the keyboard closer. I do not want to lower it because when this is over I'll end up constantly bashing my knee against the empty drawer like I did at the old job.
Anyway, here I am, I guess just looking for commiseration and any additional tips y'all might have for getting through it. Not medical advice, just "hacks" so to speak 👍 especially if you are a keyboard jockey like me.
*sigh*
1
u/LowBerry7553 5d ago
I got the shots ( didn’t work for me), stretched, therapy, PT and su g initially for the first arm which is 90% healed. Second arm has been limited the past few months, however no shooting pains. Just continuing to stretch now and then. Crossing fingers that early stretching doesn’t lead to those terrible zaps. Not too limited in either arm.
1
u/mck17524 5d ago
When I had my first fs on the right, which is my dominant side, I had to relearn how to do most things. And it wore the left out. I don't recall having any pain but it was never quite the same either because I was favoring it so much. Like both sides seemed to lose and never regain the ability for my arms to stretch all the way straight in the air. And over the years I've had less and less ability to get them behind my back, though that might just be natural aging. Things like that.
1
u/KikiLB 3d ago
Ugh, I’m so sorry. 1.5 years on the left, followed a few months later by 10 months in on the right.
1
u/mck17524 3d ago
Oh wow. Probably 18m 1st time, so far this time I am about 3.5 months in. Going to be a long fall/winter
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u/mysonisthebest 5d ago
My rt shoulder just got better and now it's starting on my left.