Of a pain in the neck

 

OK, here's a rant. Why rant? Because I can. Because I have carved a little, safe space on the interwebs, a place where I can blather on and on and if no one sees it, then, well, fine. If you are not interested in reading about my aches and/or pains, feel free to click here, "help yourself to as much food as you like and safe journey. No hard feelings." (source)

<rant>

My right shoulder hurts. I had my first covid shot in my right shoulder, and it started hurting. My left shoulder already hurt so I was trying to avoid aggravating that so I opted for the other one and this is what it got me. I waited it out and finally, finally decided to go to the shoulder doctor. He checked me out and spoke of things like PT, a steroid shot, pills and an MRI. I chose all four.

Results (long story short and all that) -- MRI showed maybe some bone spurs but no other problem. He prescribed me some pills to help take the edge off the pain. They didn't but it is nice to know that they were supposed to. The shot took 3 days to work, made things much better for 2 weeks and then stopped working. The PT was judged by the physical therapist to be useless because I had no loss of range of motion and no loss of strength. Just ache and pain.

So I went to another doctor of who a specialist in shoulders and nerves. He decided to do an EMG which is a series of painful electric shocks and needles, strategically applied to the parts of me that have an aversion to shocks and needles and already hurt so they don't need any help. The result? Maybe something slight in one particular area but for the most part, I reacted properly to the shocks and needles. Apparently, a normal test result involves cursing like a sailor and wishing death on the doctor's mother. Hooray for normal test results!

Meanwhile, the first doctor, having heard that the PT said that therapy wouldn't be useful suggested I go to a different therapist -- this one is an expert on shoulders. So while doctor #2 prescribed an MRI on my cervical spine, plus some different pills because "hey, you never know", doctor #1 had me go to physical therapist #2. So I scheduled the MRI and went to the therapist. The therapist pushed and pulled and prodded, twisting my various arms in all sorts of directions and finding areas where my muscles hurt when hit with a sledgehammer. She conceded that there is no way to know if the rib and arm muscle pain is what is causing the shoulder ache or if they are the result of my accommodating the pain and changing my posture and gait. Either way, she recommended a series of different exercises in which I lie down with a large rubber band and move my arms to make me big and strong and master of said rubber band. Just like the cavemen did when their shoulders hurt, no doubt.

As this therapist still had no idea what was wrong, and didn't know if therapy was called for or useful, I'm not that jazzed to spend my evenings cuddling with a rubber band and have even less interest in carving time for 2 appointments a week for the next 6 weeks so I can cuddle with that rubber band in full view of the entire of the therapist's office, and paying 20 bucks a shot for the privilege. A treatment regimen works best when it addresses a known ailment. The whole "we don't know what's wrong with you, so take these pills because, you know, whatever" seems so 2019.

Meanwhile, at home, I have tried Tiger Balm which is made with fresh tiger and no bomb. It is refreshing and minty. Next I will try to rub it on my arm.

Today I heard from the insurance company that the cervical MRI was not approved. The reason? There is no proof presented that I went through 6 weeks of physical therapy. So, and this is what sticks in my version of a craw, the insurance company won't approve a diagnostic tool until I have gone through 6 weeks of ineffective treatment for an undiagnosed problem. At $20 a pop.

I'm sure that the insurance company is trying to delay, hoping that the relatively cheaper PT appointments, coupled with time and my memory-span-of-a-goldfish will save them from having to pay for an MRI, but that stinks. And with this tiger balm on my arm, so do I.

</rant>

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Edits:

Got the MRI (thank you Dr. P.) It showed stenosis and some other stuff.

Dr. P put me on steoirds, gabapentin and wants me to start PT specific to the new diagnosis. To this, I am not averse. So far, the pain is reduced but incosistently. I have trouble sleeping (though last night, I was able to sleep on my side!).