HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Venting... camel and straw

Support Forums
>
Chronic Pain
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 7/23/2014 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know what I did wrong. This whole thing has been fried from the beginning. In Feb, I fall and hurt my left side upper extremity. They check my wrist and tell me to go home and put ice on it. 2 Weeks later I am still in pain and cant move my shoulder. Meanwhile I am at work in pain everyday. So then I spend 4 months trying to get the shoulder figured out. The MRI shows 3 partial tears, ac synovitis, spurs and impingement. The shoulder guy keeps telling me its tendonitis. The shot does not work. So I continue with PT.

At my last apt (early June) the shoulder guy said that surgery is his only option but he doesn't think its the shoulder. He doesn't recommend the surgery and doesn't think it will fix what is wrong. Not that he has an opinion on what is wrong. But, if I insist he will do the surgery. Oh yes, the next time we meet either I agree to a surgery he doesn't recommend or her will close my case.

I ask for a referral to a physiatrist. He agrees but sends in a DX code that Dept of Labor wont accept. They are bickering back and forth over codes. So I am circling without a landing spot. I decide that while I wait on the shoulder thing (I have an accepted DX code for the wrist) I will go to check my wrist. It wasn't a priority as the shoulder is so messed up. But I have to get some relief.

I finally get a Dr. to check my wrist... 5 months after the accident. I endure a wrist/elbow EMG/NCV thinking "okay, this isn't fun but at least this will tell me what's wrong." Nope, the EMG is clean. How can this be? I cant be imagining the numbness and pain. I feel so leveled. How can the Dr fix me if they cant figure out what wrong?????? I am so disappointed. I had such hope that this time I would finally get an answer. I just don't know what to say at my follow up on Friday. I don't even want to go at this point. After all that I have been through this is devastating.

Meanwhile I am still in pain. I cant move my arm properly, cant sleep without drugging myself. I have numb spots all over my arm/wrist/shoulder/chest/back. Fire shoots from my neck across my shoulder. I hurt with every movement. PT cant get me through PROM without being in pain. I have muscle atrophy/weakness in my fingers and shoulder. My life is turned upside down and I don't know why. My anxiety is through the roof.
I am so...done.
Daesin
Posted 7/23/2014 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
Have you had an MRI of your neck? If so do you know what it showed? Several of your symptoms sound a lot like cervical problems. If this were me and my dr said he does not think my shoulder is the problem I sure would not be interested in any surgery. I realize your are pretty limited with this being a federal worker's comp claim, but what about getting a 2nd opinion?
Posted 7/24/2014 12:12 AM (GMT 0)
I have to agree with Susie here and I think I mentioned this to you once before. I would get into a Neuro Dr and try to find out if all this is from a Cervical neck problem and it all certainly can be. Sorry as I do know what it is like to keep going around and around and getting absolutely no answers to anything I ask.

Don't give up and keep looking!!
Posted 7/24/2014 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
I think you need to do the MRI of your neck, shoulder and wrist, before continuing with anything else. With and without the contrast, so you can get a better image. Stay away from open MRI's as they just don't pick up things as good. Then go and get a second opinion from a neurosurgeon. Especially a neurosurgeon that does necks/shoulders...

I know it gets tring hearing the same advise from so many people, but most of us are in the same boat with you, I did not fall but was hurt in Car accidents.

But, if your going to go for surgery you want and need the best doctor out there and you want them knowing what they will do. I would literally run from this surgeon you saw if he told me stuff like that, I would not have any faith in this doctor at all, how could he even think of surgery for you without really knowing of what's going on or what could be wrong. Sounds like he wants to do exploritroy surgery for no good reason which your insurance might totally deny afterwards. You need a better diagnosis than what you got if you expect insurance to come through with payment.

At least sit down and think about it rationally. We are after all just trying to help you out.

Many prayers and well wishes to you and do keep us posted on this, we do really care.
Posted 7/24/2014 2:58 AM (GMT 0)
Ditto to all the other advice-check your neck. You might read some of the threads here related to cervical fusion and see if the symptoms sound familiar to you. Sorry you don't have an answer yet. It's been too long.
Posted 7/24/2014 3:19 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the responses, It is kind of you to provide help and advice.
I know the MRI is the answer. I have been asking for one without success. Sadly this is my 2nd opinion. The first guy dismissed me due to the fact that I wasn't healing. Sorry about that, I was kinda hoping to heal too. He screwed up the insurance by reporting tendonitis and not looking at the MRI. The shoulder MRI shows a mess.

The shoulder specialist (my 2nd opinion) has now irritated the claims examiner from DoL by writing scathing letters demanding they add diagnosis codes that include "Pain." DoL doesn't accept any code with pain listed as problem. Pain is a symptom not a problem. So they are waging a war which I cant win.

Meanwhile I was lucky to find a wrist guy to check this out. He is a 2 1/2 hour drive. No one wants to take DoL cases and this one has been stepped on so badly that it is asbestos. Currently I only have two accepted Dx codes, Wrist sprain NOS and L Shoulder tendonitis. We are working to get more added but I am in this terrible loop where I cant get the tests I need as there isn't a corresponding Dx code that has been accepted. I cant get a Dx code accepted unless I can prove there is a corresponding problem. I have a Dr who is mad and edit off the examiner, yelling at my advocate and threatening to dismiss me (not sure if that isn't such a bad thing but then where? Even if he did get this straight I would never let him touch me. His ethics are seriously deficient.).

I like the wrist guy but he wasn't able to find an issue on the emg. Dr's tend to hold a lot of faith on these tests; even though they can be wrong. Or, they can be checking the wrong area.

My advocate is at her wits end. We were so sure that this EMG would show damage...I guess it isn't in the arm but in the neck. According to the advocate DoL "doesn't want to buy a neck" so they will fight this even if I am able to get a Dr who will fight for it.

I just want to be able to pick up a bottle of water, brush my hair or get out of bed without being in pain. I really want my life back. I would settle for an altered life that wasn't so chaotic and painful. But I don't have a choice at this time and its really frustrating.

I appreciate y'all letting me vent. I am so utterly upset. Sorry for whining I am just so devastated. My light at the end of the tunnel was turned off.
I will see the wrist guy Friday, give him the chance to dig in and try to get this figured out. My head tells me not to get hopeful though. Just a really hard day.
Thanks again.

Sorry, I had to edit a word in your post. The admin/owner of Healing Well has rules in place & one of those is about language. Since we never know the ages of people that read these forums we have to keep it clean, as his goal is to keep Healing Well a family oriented site.

Post Edited By Moderator (straydog) : 7/24/2014 9:24:59 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/24/2014 3:29 PM (GMT 0)
Omg, what a mess!!!! No wonder you are so upset & you have every right to be. It is very reasonable to be looking at this being cervical related because of so many of your symptoms. If they are not going to accept your neck in this, can you file it under private insurance? I would think so if the worker's comp is saying no to it.

Emg's are not the most reliable testing out there unfortunately. An MRI is much more definitive. I would look into trying to get my neck evaluated under my private health insurance.

Good luck.
Posted 7/24/2014 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
Same here; have the neck checked out.

Meanwhile, good look and if you need to vent, we're here.
Posted 7/24/2014 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
I cannot add any advice except regarding shoulder. Good luck with getting this figured out. And for sure stay away from surgery until it is. Best to you in this terribly frustrating time.
Posted 7/25/2014 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
Ask about another neuro surgeon specialist referral from this wrists doctor on Friday. The wrists doctor should be able to recommend another doctor to you...There has to be some one else...you drive a long way for this guy, might be worth a long drive for the best neuro surgeon.

Prayers that you can get another doctor...I had the same run around with my pm doctor for a bone scan this past February. The run around game, good god was aweful, but a good neurosurgeon got it passed on through correctly. You'll get that one good doctor to get this worked out for you too...
Posted 7/25/2014 2:38 PM (GMT 0)
I was opposite of you..i went into the dr with chief complaint of shoulder, bicep, elbow,and wrist pain.they did an mri of my cervical spine and boom...there was the answer. Three messed up discs ! I still insisted something was wrong with my arm so they finally did an mri.it showed possible small tear in my rotator cuff/ tendonitis and also fluid in the elbow with tendinitis also possible tear in my bicep. Ortho said that the tear in my bicep is probably not so because that happens 99% of the time in men only.!!? So i am hoping this acdf if c-4-7 helps.good luck on your journey and i hope you get answers. ...i know how frustrating it is to be thrown around to different drs ....
Posted 7/25/2014 4:17 PM (GMT 0)
I had an issue with my shoulder after operations from extensive ULE breakages, including three fragmentations of the distal radius, now held together with screws, and stainless steel pegs in my elbow for the "Terrible Triad" , but never had an MRI.
I kept swearing that they missed something in my shoulder, as I had caught my 12 ft. fall with my entire left arm.
After a year of therapy, I still have some "weirdness" in my shoulder, but my OT explained to me how a tendon extends from my shoulder(at the neck) all the way down to my elbow, attaching my muscles. In fact, he could push on it with his fingers and completely stop my pulse to my wrist all the way down my arm, which is abnormal.
I also had two orthocord sutures implanted to hold my muscles to this tendon during the healing process, and I think they are still in there.
They never told me that, but I doubt they removed them after only 10 days of healing in the hospital, before sewing me back together.
Now you guys have me wondering if it is something in my neck, because it occasionally feels that way.
Either way, I think Straydog may be onto something, Daesin.

Post Edited (JackLegofAllTrades) : 7/25/2014 10:35:36 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/28/2014 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for all of the suggestions and support. Stray Dog and members: my apologies for breaking TOS with the poor word choice in my last post.

Update:
The wrist guy advised me that the EMG was clean and there was no permanent nerve damage.... happy and deflated at the same time.
However, he still believes that there is neural involvement despite the EMG....What?
He told us that those tests (EMG/NCV) aren't that good at finding 'this type of issue' as they won't catch intermittent compression or irritation.... well just knock me down!
He explained that if you are in a position where the nerve isn't compressed then it wont show up on the EMG...absolutely validating what y'all have advised. If I were to do it again sitting up then it would probably show. Stunned....but no, I didn't offer to do it again.

He said that the Ulnar nerve is obviously involved. He just doesn't know where, yet. He did find tendonitis at each side of the elbow and of the biceps. This "could" be part of the issue as it compressing the nerve and could be causing weakness/tingling/pain/numbness in the wrist/hand.

So we got a steroid shot into the elbow and will go to PT for two weeks. He said if nothing else this would make the elbow feel better and provide "at least some relief"....this would also let him rule out one of the simpler to fix things. He explained that I appear to have neural issues in the Thoracic outlet, but that I don't exactly fit the typical presentation. If this is the case (TOS) it would be much harder to treat. He is hoping that the steroid shot would clear the elbow/wrist issue. Otherwise he will begin to rule out TOS.

The steroid shot didn't really hurt. They sprayed anesthesia before poking my arm. But after about 45 minutes it came back with a vengeance. The next 24 hours were absolutely & utterly terrible. It felt as if someone had crushed my elbow with a large hammer. I am now at pre-injection pain levels in my elbow. Dr. said it would take 4-5 days for full effect of the shot. I believe this is going to be helpful. I really want it to work! I know it won't touch the shoulder or neck; but if it pulls anything off my plate that will be a blessing. Even if it is just one elbow out of the equation, I will take it gladly.

He was also able to answer one of the mysteries from my "what is my body doing now" file. I have an almost constant burning/itching sensation in the left armpit. The other Dr. said it was my deodorant. No, I didn't believe that as I had already explored that answer myself. When I told him what I had been told He laughed (Yes! & not the first time either) and said it was definitely neural. Either my axillary or Ulnar nerve is being pressured. he promised "we will get to that.".....Wow!

Fingers crossed, still watching the sky for a large boot.
Daesin
Posted 7/28/2014 3:32 AM (GMT 0)
Congratulations on beginning to find answers and especially on finding a doctor who sounds wonderful! May it continue until you feel much, much better! I'll be watching for updates.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply