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  1. #1

    Default Don't disregard chronic pain!

    This thread is for all the "youngsters" out there...I have been suffering for a couple of months with "severe" left arm pain from my shoulder to my fingers. It began after working the second storm this fall in New Jersey...I had no defining moment of "Dam, I just tore something" but the pain began and I thought, well, it will go away, I just overdid it. I continued working, trying as best as I could to work around the pain, and trying to baby the arm(which is a little tough to do in my job)...The pain didn't go away, but got worse, and as it got worse, my ability to move the arm was severely impaired. I have no strength in my left arm to lift even the lightest of weights, just the action of grasping or lifting caused me great pain.
    I had made an appt with my orthopedic doctor, but the pain got so bad meantime, I went to see a GP and he diagnosed tendonitis of the shoulder and injected my bicep with cortisone...it had little effect and by time my orthopedic appt rolled around I could hardly move my arm at all due to the extreme weakness and pain.

    Finally the orthopedic doctor diagnosed tendonitis of the shoulder(rotator cuff) and tendonitis of the elbow, and injected both joints(ouch)...and put me on bed rest for the last several days, he told me I could try to work this week, but must be very careful, as with tendonitis it is very easy to retear the tendon or tear it more. It seems it takes months for tendon tears to heal, and while the steroid injection reduces the inflammation, thus reducing the pain, it does not heal the condition.

    The moral of this story is.....do not ignore chronic pain...it is a message...your body is telling you that there is something wrong. We all have daily aches and pains, but pain that doesnt go away should not be ignored...as continued use may do more damage than the original injury. Tomorrow will tell, I will have to be careful, but I will see if I can work without causing the pain and interferring with my mobility again. I am hoping it goes well.
    Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.”
    Abraham Lincoln

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