 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Hepatitis / June 2009My sore shoulder
I think I have a pinched nerve from straining my shoulder a couple of months ago. Shoulder's still sore, arm is prickly/tingly/pins-and-needles and my fingertips are numb. So, I made an appointment to see the doctor, expecting a referral to a physiotherapist. It's a new doc. I seldom go, and there is a quite a turnover at our little clinic. In getting a bit of my medical background, he asks if I'm in menopause. "Yes." "Are you taking a hormone replacement?" "No." "How long have you been in menopause now?" "Since 2001, when I did treatment for hepatitis C, it immediately put me in menopause." "How did you get hep C?" "Um, it shouldn't make any difference how I got it..." "It makes a difference." "Why does it make a difference?" "You tell me how you got it and I'll tell you why it makes a difference." "Okay. I used IV drugs in 1982 and I'm pretty sure that's how I got it." "IV drugs. Yes, that would be how you got it." "So why does it matter how I got it?" "Well, depending how you contracted it, you could have been exposed to other health risks, like if it was sexually transmitted." "But hep C isn't a sexually transmittable disease." "Yes it is." "No it isn't." "Yes, it is." "Well, I suppose if both people had bloody open sores when they had sex..." "So it's a sexually transmittable disease." "But the hepatitis C virus is not transmitted through vaginal or seminal fluid." "Look, ma'am--" "--Don't call me ma'am." (me and doc glare at each other for a pregnant pause) Doc bows out of the staring contest by writing on a pad of paper for a couple of minutes, rips off a sheet and hands it to me. "You haven't had a complete physical in over five years, so I'm sending you for some blood tests, make an appointment at the front desk." ... and hands me the blood and urine test requisition form. "But... what about my shoulder?" "Make another appointment. We spent too much time on that other stuff." Do what I did--change doctors. They're hard to come by in this rural area, but I found one. Then I told the new one WHY I changed doctors. End of problem. > Do what I did--change doctors. They're hard to come by in this rural > area, but I found one. Then I told the new one WHY I changed doctors. > End of problem. I love where I live, but choice of physician and access to specialists is not an option. We're limited to whatever doc is doing his shift at the local clinic, and they're far from the cream of the crop. I'm fortunate it's nothing serious, and it is funny in a sitcom kinda way. What blew my mind was his ignorance about hepatitis C. Hope you're having a great summer, Thip :-) yeah, haha! It's like they asked me here where I live during annual physical if I "felt safe at home?" (yeah, i got rid of him years ago!) and if I wear a seatbelt (all the time!) - why doesn't anybody ask things like "did you ever have a blood transfusion prior to 1990?" Seriously, WS, it sounds like you are experiencing the same sort of malady I went thru a number of years ago - terrible numbness in my left arm, pins and needles that went all the way down to my fingertips - if I raised my left arm, my fingers would go tingly numb in an instant. I couldn't hold onto anything. It was getting down right scary! They sent me for physical therapy for it, and it was THERE that one of the therapists mentioned having been thru the same thing, I can't remember what the affectionate nickname for it was, but she told me it had to do with a nerve running up your arm into and underneath your collar bone, and it was very common in college students, for example, who sat in chairs with those dumb little side desks that caused them to lean on the one arm.... At that point I realized that a recent change in position at my employment had moved me to an area where I was working all day on computers that were lined up in rows, on these banquet sort of tables, as opposed to at a desk, and I was guilty of resting on my forearms against the edges of the tables as I worked.... Guess what? Once I became aware of that, and made the appropriate changes to correct my "ergonmics" and avoid doing that, it magically cleared up quickly. :) Best of luck in your search for answers. From my past experience,I would suggest you closely examine changes in your life recently that may had led you to change the way you are doing certain things, that could be causing that kind of a problem..hope that helps, but if not, yeah I can relate also to having only access to limited medical care, having spent almost ten years living on an island myself... Happy summer, ladies! :) >> Do what I did--change doctors. They're hard to come by in this rural >> area, but I found one. Then I told the new one WHY I changed doctors. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Hope you're having a great summer, Thip :-) Hey WS, Google 'Thoracic Outlet Syndrome' it is also mentioned here: http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/how_carpal_tunnel_syndrome_diagnosed_00003 4_7.htm TOS is similar in origin to CTS. This may be your problem. take care Cactus Jammies Tie Dye wiz >>> Do what I did--change doctors. They're hard to come by in this rural >>> area, but I found one. Then I told the new one WHY I changed doctors. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Cactus Jammies > Tie Dye wiz Ya might just have something there, CJ, I've been a chronic sloucher all my life :-) On another topic, how would one purchase one of your fabulous tie-dye shirts? Spidey > On another topic, how would one purchase one of your fabulous tie-dye > shirts? > > Spidey Spidey, I will get back to you on that. I am in full production mode for a couple of music festivals and farmers' markets. And I will be away learning how to build acoustic guitars in Saskabush for the whole month of July. About that thoractic outlet stuff, there is inflamation in the muscle shealth that surrounds the outlet itself, causing pressure on the nerve 'branch', thereby causing the phantom symptoms in your fingers, shoulder and forearm, etc. obligado cactus jammies >>> Do what I did--change doctors. They're hard to come by in this rural >>> area, but I found one. Then I told the new one WHY I changed [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Cactus Jammies > Tie Dye wiz I had a similar experience. I didn't mention the numb fingertips for years because I figurd it was CTS till my present doc (on my first visit to her) told me that with CTS the thumbs are never numb while for TOS they will be. Pain doc had me go get a MRI on the neck and bingo! It's taken months but this week I'm seeing a chiropractor, going for PT and getting shots in the neck, in that order. Can hardly type because of the pain and numbness. Char > I think I have a pinched nerve from straining my shoulder a couple of months > ago. Shoulder's still sore, arm is prickly/tingly/pins-and-needles and my [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > "But... what about my shoulder?" > "Make another appointment. We spent too much time on that other stuff." Oddly enough, I had an appointment today for much the same thing, and they also treated me differently after reading the hep c thang on my medical forms... Have you had an MRI on your neck? If not, get one with someone else...you may benefit from a cervical epidural... I had a sore shoulder for weeks. Finally went to the doc. He said I had calcium in the joint and that a cortizone shot would fix it. I took the shot. He said if it's not better in two weeks come back and he would repeat. Two weeks later he repeats the procedure. About another month goes by and still no good. I go back and he basically shrugs his shoulders. After about another month it finally feels better but now the other one is hurting!! I think the dragon burns out your joints as part of his quest to eventually bury you. I've had sore knees (both), sore hips (both, front an back), sore shoulders (both), Burning in the big toe (right side only) pain in the neck (my neck and me too). The joint pains all go away after a few weeks or months (except I'm still a pain in the neck) only to be replaced by another pain. The further through my Tx I get the less of a problem I'm having with my joints. Go figure. I hope the Tx cures this for me for good too. >I think I have a pinched nerve from straining my shoulder a couple of >months ago. Shoulder's still sore, arm is prickly/tingly/pins-and-needles [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > "But... what about my shoulder?" > "Make another appointment. We spent too much time on that other stuff." |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.