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pain in my shoulder

L

louiseb

Well-Known Member
Messages
427
I have had pain in my shoulder for the last 11 months, sometimes its very severe some days its not there at all.
I went to the doctor who gave me antiflammatry tablets thats caused me to have a asthma attack i went back to the doctor and he said to make an appointment with the gp in the surgery who does minor surgery to have a cortizone injection.
so made the appointment for the injection turned up and the gp said I couldnt have the cortizone injection as all the pian is caused by bad posture.
I then had my 6 month check up recently at the rhematology clinic for my S.L.E (lupus) and the rheumatologist though it was fibromaliga.
she said to try hot baths heat pads etc which I have tryed and it helps abit but not enough am in FED UP im sick of being told different things by differnt doctors and nobody has done anything to help with my shoulder.
do you think it would be out of the question to ask my gp for a scan of my shoulder im abit nervous of asking my gp incase he gets annoyed also I have heard that shoulder pain can be linked to diabetes has anybody else had problems with their shoulder linked to diabetes.
oh and just to add before anybody asks im not taking statins was prescribed them but never took them :oops:
 
Hi there,

Not much help I'm afraid but I too have shoulder pain every now and again and I read somewhere it was connected to diabetes. I have never asked about it just sort of put up with it. When I get it (I have it at the moment) I can only lift my arm up so far some days and its impossible to fasten any clothing where I have to reach around to my back. Is this the kind of pain you mean because I am also very interested to hear what anyone says.
 
if your Doc thinks it is down to poor posture (which is a possibility) then as I advised another member over a similar thing involving the neck and spine, get yourself referred to a Specialist for a second or even 3rd opinion.

Why has no scan or X-Ray been taken, that would narrow things down a bit.

Ask for a scan or X-Ray as this is obviously bothering you now and it looks very much like you are not getting the best advice. You also seem to be not getting the best treatment. We can all make educated guesses but they are supposed to be HCP's with your health in mind !

Be assertive but polite. :wink: If your GP gets annoyed then he isn't much of a GP ! I would get annoyed right back.....they are not God's and cannot dictate to you. It is YOUR health.

(I never ask about a statin BTW, there are many reasons for this sort of pain and that is just one of them. A consideration but never my FIRST thought.)
 
louismum said:
Hi there,

Not much help I'm afraid but I too have shoulder pain every now and again and I read somewhere it was connected to diabetes. I have never asked about it just sort of put up with it. When I get it (I have it at the moment) I can only lift my arm up so far some days and its impossible to fasten any clothing where I have to reach around to my back. Is this the kind of pain you mean because I am also very interested to hear what anyone says.
Click to expand...


yes thats exactly the kind of pain I mean some days its severe other days it doesent hurt at all I would say i have the pain about 3 or 4 days per week .
I can only lift my arm up so far and find it very hard to to carry out normal day to day tasks like carry shopping home or lift a full kettle or a saucepan full of water to cook veggies.
the thing that I have found that helps the most for the pain is shoulder massage
 
cugila said:
if your Doc thinks it is down to poor posture (which is a possibility) then as I advised another member over a similar thing involving the neck and spine, get yourself referred to a Specialist for a second or even 3rd opinion.

Why has no scan or X-Ray been taken, that would narrow things down a bit.

Ask for a scan or X-Ray as this is obviously bothering you now and it looks very much like you are not getting the best advice. You also seem to be not getting the best treatment. We can all make educated guesses but they are supposed to be HCP's with your health in mind !

Be assertive but polite. :wink: If your GP gets annoyed then he isn't much of a GP ! I would get annoyed right back.....they are not God's and cannot dictate to you. It is YOUR health.

(I never ask about a statin BTW, there are many reasons for this sort of pain and that is just one of them. A consideration but never my FIRST thought.)
Click to expand...


thanks ken for the advice I will make an appointment with my gp and try to get it sorted out
 
louiseb said:
louismum said:
Hi there,

Not much help I'm afraid but I too have shoulder pain every now and again and I read somewhere it was connected to diabetes. I have never asked about it just sort of put up with it. When I get it (I have it at the moment) I can only lift my arm up so far some days and its impossible to fasten any clothing where I have to reach around to my back. Is this the kind of pain you mean because I am also very interested to hear what anyone says.
Click to expand...


yes thats exactly the kind of pain I mean some days its severe other days it doesent hurt at all I would say i have the pain about 3 or 4 days per week .
I can only lift my arm up so far and find it very hard to to carry out normal day to day tasks like carry shopping home or lift a full kettle or a saucepan full of water to cook veggies.the thing that I have found that helps the most for the pain is shoulder massage
Click to expand...

I am also very interested in this thread as I too suffer from (sometimes excruciating) shoulder pain, which my rheumatologist suspects is cause by small deposits of calcification building up in the shoulder joint and then crumbling into the joint itself. I have a referral for an x-ray, with instructions to get it done smack bang in the middle of the next flare-up. In the interim I have Tramadol/Paracetamol combo which I take only when the pain is REALLY bad, and they do offer significant relief.
 
I suffered an injury at work which was finally diagnosed as a Rotator Cuff Tendinosis. The road to the diagnosis however took a year !

I also cannot lift my arm above head height nor can I stretch my arm out or rotate it without pain.

I had Physio, which helped a bit and also cortisone injections which did not help. X rays showed nothing.

Eventually I had an ultra sound scan done on my shoulder which clearly showed the damage done and while the scan was been done the doctor put a cortisone injection directly into the right area. This did help for a few months but any attempt to use my arm properly results in days of pain again so it looks like I am stuck with this permanently.

There is always an option of surgery but for me that is not an option at this time !

My advice would be to see if you can get an ultra sound scan done to assess any damage within your shoulder. BTW cortisone injections regularly are not a good idea for this condition apparently ! Wish I had known that before getting them !

I have Diclofenic tabs when it gets unbearable but otherwise I just put up with it.
 
I am also very interested in this thread as I too suffer from (sometimes excruciating) shoulder pain, which my rheumatologist suspects is cause by small deposits of calcification building up in the shoulder joint and then crumbling into the joint itself. I have a referral for an x-ray, with instructions to get it done smack bang in the middle of the next flare-up. In the interim I have Tramadol/Paracetamol combo which I take only when the pain is REALLY bad, and they do offer significant relief.
Click to expand...


I forgot to add in my origional post thatI have had an x-ray of my shoulder the pain got so bad that I went to A&E about 8 months agao as I actually started to think maybe I had a broken bone in my shoulder.
anyway the doctor there said the x-ray showed nothing wrong but x-rays would only show bone problems anyway ans I needed to have a scan to be sure and to ask my rheumatologist to arrange this however I never asked the rheumatologist as it was not the usual one I see and she was adamant it was fibromalgia after just 10 minutes of talking to me and limited excamination in which she said my neck and back muscles were very tense.
so not sure how much help the x-ray will be hope you get to the bottom of it.
I have an appointment with my gp for 2 weeks time to discuss my shoulder problem and hoping he might agree to a scan
 
sugarless sue said:
I suffered an injury at work which was finally diagnosed as a Rotator Cuff Tendinosis. The road to the diagnosis however took a year !

I also cannot lift my arm above head height nor can I stretch my arm out or rotate it without pain.

I had Physio, which helped a bit and also cortisone injections which did not help. X rays showed nothing.

Eventually I had an ultra sound scan done on my shoulder which clearly showed the damage done and while the scan was been done the doctor put a cortisone injection directly into the right area. This did help for a few months but any attempt to use my arm properly results in days of pain again so it looks like I am stuck with this permanently.

There is always an option of surgery but for me that is not an option at this time !

My advise would be to see if you can get an ultra sound scan done to assess any damage within your shoulder. BTW cortisone injections regularly are not a good idea for this condition apparently ! Wish I had known that before getting them !

I have Diclofenic tabs when it gets unbearable but otherwise I just put up with it.
Click to expand...


thanks for the reply sue it was very helpful im going to ask my gp if I can have a ultrasound scan of my shoulder.
unfortunately i cannot pain killers most affect my stomache as I have crohns disease and GERD (reflux problem) also most antinflammatory tablets cause me to have an asthma attack.
 
sorry sue forgot to add one last question does the pain have to present at the time of ultra sound scan to show the damage sorry if that sounds like a stupid question :oops: as some days I have no pain
 
The pain was present anyway at the time of the scan but it is not a requisite !

Apparently an ultra sound scan is better than a CT scan for this as it shows up better. My Consultant certainly knew his job anyway and I was relieved to have a diagnosis even if it did not cure the problem.
 
i to have pain in my shoulder, which i never had until i was diagnosed with type 2 last march, i cannot reach up after a certain level, and also putting arm into coat and fastners at the back and carrying stuff. i havent told my gp, cos at the minute i to am sick of different doctors telling me different things like one saying i need stips to take bg and then others saying that you dont, and other things as well that they cannot agree on, i feel like i have been shrivelled up to a minute speck wen i come out, so i havent said anything to them i just suffer in silence till now , or thought it was my imagination, i now find that it isnt thank you for that
 
new kid on the block said:
i to have pain in my shoulder, which i never had until i was diagnosed with type 2 last march, i cannot reach up after a certain level, and also putting arm into coat and fastners at the back and carrying stuff. i havent told my gp, cos at the minute i to am sick of different doctors telling me different things like one saying i need stips to take bg and then others saying that you dont, and other things as well that they cannot agree on, i feel like i have been shrivelled up to a minute speck wen i come out, so i havent said anything to them i just suffer in silence till now , or thought it was my imagination, i now find that it isnt thank you for that
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I know how furstrating doctors can be when they are all telling you different things, but if your shoulder is bothering you then you should get it checked out. after all the different doctors opinions on my shoulder I am finally getting a cortizone injection next by the gp who is head of my practice.
as for the test strips I know its frustrating but we are pretty much in the same boat. you should try buying your strips from ebay its alot cheaper.
welcome to the forum and ask as many questions as you like everyone here is very helpful and I hope your shoulder feels better soon.
 
hi louiseb
I can sympothise with you . I had an accident some years ago and as a result i
am on some pretty strong painkillers day and night. The first and formost thing to do
is get yourself a note book and write every little detail of your pain / What time it gets worse / record how it effects your standard of life / e.g - trying to tie laces or struggling with putting a jumper / So when you get a new appointment with your DR you can pass him your pad and you won't feel intimmidated . If he does'nt take you serious demand a second opinion with a different DR. The most important thing is log it every little detail . record the severity of the pain 1 being low 10 being high.
One of there own rules is if you require pain relief they (HAVE) to give you it.

hope this helps JF :D
 
louismum said:
Hi there,

Not much help I'm afraid but I too have shoulder pain every now and again and I read somewhere it was connected to diabetes. I have never asked about it just sort of put up with it. When I get it (I have it at the moment) I can only lift my arm up so far some days and its impossible to fasten any clothing where I have to reach around to my back. Is this the kind of pain you mean because I am also very interested to hear what anyone says.
Click to expand...


Sounds like you might have a frozen shoulder, i had this for a year and had it opertated on in sept 2010, and pleased to say im cured but still have a way to go with physio
 
louiseb said:
louismum said:
Hi there,
I can only lift my arm up so far and find it very hard to to carry out normal day to day tasks like carry shopping home or lift a full kettle or a saucepan full of water to cook veggies.
the thing that I have found that helps the most for the pain is shoulder massage
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Has any one suggested frozen shoulder or capsulitis. You mention limited movement. Typically if you can lift say one arm up only half way and the other right in the air could be a good indicator. Do you get pain at night rolling over on it? Also try bending the affected shoulder / arm over so you are resting the hand on the other shoulder and GENTLY try pulling the elbow towards the shoulder with the hand on, if it is painful another reasonable sign of Frozen shoulder. No guarantee though so you will need to see the doc. Options if it is are physio, works for some and not for others, cortozone injection same again but would only have one even if they offer you more. Some people have had micro surgery. Cortozone gave me back my flexibility but I still suffer occasional pain some three years on but milder.

Regards
Jeremy
 
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