stevenpiziks | Shoulder Surgery 24 (Redux)

The surgery pain in my shoulder still won't go away, and I made yet another appointment with the new doctor to talk about it. We came away with this:

1. Apparently, 85% of patients report satisfaction with shoulder surgery. That means 15% have continual problems. I seem to be one of them.

2. Based on my most recent MRI, the doctor still doesn't think that exploratory surgery is necessary (good), and a second shoulder operation (which never goes as well anyway) would be a bad idea.

3. The doctor suspects the main tendon is still inflamed, which is causing the problems, but he isn't sure. He advised taking more anti-inflammatories. If it is indeed inflammation, a third cortisone shot might help, or even solve, the problem, but he didn't want to give me one unless he was sure the tendon was inflamed.

4. He wouldn't prescribe more painkillers. "As surgeons, we only prescribe meds post-surgery, and you're past that phase. You'll need to talk to your GP." (I later did, and he prescribed more Meloxicam, but nothing more powerful.)

5. Because the pain isn't going away, I need to "put a pause" on the physical therapy.

So what do we do?

In the end, I paused the PT and was scheduled for another MRI. I got an appointment only a day later and went in for it, but the first available appointment for follow-up wasn't until the Wednesday after Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, however, the MRI results showed up in my patient portal. I untangled the medical jargon--here's where it's an advantage growing up in a medical family--and saw that, yep, the tendon is inflamed.

Next week I see the doctor, then, and he'll probably give me the cortisone shot. I hope that ends it!