Monday Gripes 4/26/10

Today the gripes involve pain. After all, what's more gripe-worthy than being in pain?

I had surgery on a torn rotator cuff back in 2006. Once the doctor got in there with his scope, it didn't look as bad as he thought it would, so he just cleaned up loose and frayed ends and left it at that. You see, apparently if a rotator cuff is only partially torn, the only way to fix it is to cut it completely loose and then sew it back. You can't just sew the torn part, and since there was less tearing than he thought, he hated to cut through still-good tissue.

So. It's been good for some time now, but in the past two months, it's started to bother me again. And I'm afraid surgery on it, again, will be the only thing that will help.

In the meantime, I'm trying to do what I can to ease it, maybe even figure out a way to live with it. But that's difficult, because the pain is there every moment of every day, to one degree or another.

The worst times are when I'm working on the computer (naturally!) and when I'm trying to sleep.

On the computer, I've discovered that sitting in my office chair and stretching my arms out for the keyboard is what does it. Now, my main computer is a laptop, so I can move it around. Thus, I tried sitting on the couch with the computer in my lap. That is SO much better for my shoulder...

...but it's worse for my back. (sigh) I can't sit on the couch all day unless I want to be a cripple when I get up.

So I've tried an alternate solution, sitting in the recliner with the computer in my lap. That works better for my shoulder and the back is okay...but there's no electrical outlet within reach, so I can only work here for as long as the battery holds out.

As for sleeping...there is NO comfortable position. So I flop around every minute or two, until I finally pass out from sheer exhaustion. Once it go to sleep, it either eases up or just isn't enough to wake me, as I do manage to sleep all night. Go figure.

I tried taking Aleve for two or three weeks, but that only upset my stomach and didn't fix the shoulder. The heating pad is nice while it's on, but doesn't have any lasting effect. So, what's next? If it doesn't clear up, I fear a visit to my friendly neighborhood orthopedic doctor may be in store...

Hope you're having a healthier week than me!