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Posted 3/31/2012 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, I just found this site and I thought it might be just the place to ask for advice. I am 54 years old and had a labrum tear in my shoulder repaired on Jan. 20. I am going through physical therapy and am doing ok, at about 75% range of motion and they are happy with that.

The problem is that I have chronic pain and it is driving me crazy. I cannot sit still, I cannot get comfortable. I keep moving to distract myself from the pain all day. I try not to take pain meds since I have a limited supply left and only have that many thanks to the shared incompetency between the pharmacy and my doctors office they filled my last refill twice. I had to argue to get it filled at all.

My doctor is arrogant and doesn't listen to a thing I say to him. My shoulder was freezing up when I saw him on my last visit and he just got all annoyed like it was my fault I ruined his great work. I don't trust him to help and he is very leery about giving out pain meds. I am starting back to work this next week and I just don't know how I am going to make it in this kind of pain all the time.

Does anyone have any experience on how long it is typical to be in pain after this kind of surgery? Any ideas on help with chronic pain? Can I see another doctor? I have doubted any doctor will deal with me since it is the result of surgery from another doctor. Thanks for any words of wisdom anyone can offer.
Posted 3/31/2012 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
 When you have chronic pain, I highly recommend seeing a pain management doctor.  Make sure to bring all your records with you.  The biggest problem I see you having is a doctor with an inflated ego.  At this point it does not seem like he will help you, and when you have chronic pain, a pain management doctor is more aware most times of those types of problems.  Of course there are no easy fix, it takes time.  But do get your records and try a pm doctor.

Good luck to you,

Kathy

Posted 4/1/2012 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Withers,

In 04, I had a labral tear in my right hip from a car accident. I was walking in pain for about two years until I had surgery to repair it and then had about six months of major recovery (crutches, cane, PT).

It is a different labrum, of course, but there may be some parallel in recovery issues.

I wish I could say that the pain went away, but it did not. It is certainly better than before the surgery, or the year after, but my right hip still causes me pain. Some days, especially when I don't sit or walk much, it is o.k. and mild enough to not be on my mind. But when I have to sit for a while (1+hr), walk too much, or take too many stairs, the pain can get bad enough that I need to take something.

I've found that surgeons tend to underestimate the recovery time for surgery and since you're just a few months out, there will likely be another four months until you'll have a clear sense whether you will have long term pain. PM doctors may see your pain as temporary and may or may not treat you on that basis.
Posted 4/1/2012 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Withers and welcome to the chronic pain forum. I am sorry that you have to be here but glad that you found us. Suffering with pain of any kind is just not fun, it just takes the life out of a person if you don't get it under some kind of control.

I am going to assume its the surgeon being really stingy with the pain medication, they usually are. Most of them will give a few short weeks after surgery and thats it, after all they did surgery and we are suppose to be just fine, right. Your guy seems to have a bit of the God syndrome, many drs pick it up and they are the worst of the lot in my book.

You will need to most likely get in with a pain mgt specialist in order to finish out your recovery from the surgery. Lets be honest if your surgery was in January, that was not all that long ago. You do have to keep your arm moving so it does not get frozen, that is not fun either. Once you have made a full recovery from surgery, who knows you may not need any pain medication, but for now you do need some help. You will need a referral from a dr to see a pain mgt dr and your primary care physician can take care of this on your behalf. You will need a copy of all of your records from your surgeon and the op records too.

Just so you know there are two types of pain mgt drs out there. One does nothing but injections and procedures and the other does the same but will also write scripts if he/she feels it is necessary. So be sure to find out ahead of time if the dr will write a script. Just so you know the drs have all really tightened up on giving medication these days because of all the people misusing and abusing medications and the DEA is involved and the drs are scared to death. New guidelines have been put in place for the drs and many just say I don't want any part of this mess.

Please keep us posted on how your are coming along and good luck getting in to see a pain mgt dr. Take care...Susie
Posted 4/4/2012 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Withers and welcome,

I have a bad back and neck with Chronic Pain (CP) for 1.5 years to date, which was a work related injury. I had a 2 level fusion done in my neck. Before surgery I had horrible pain shooting down both arms and into my hands/fingers with numbness to the last three fingers on both sides. After the surgery, for two months the pain was a lot less. However, after that I began to experience an increase in the intensity and frequency of pain and the numbness has now spread to my entire hands. A recent CT Scan revealed that my fusion failed.

I am staying with my surgeon and will most likely need corrective surgery once my workers comp case has been resolved in my favor. I did switch Pain Management (PM) doctors. I didn't like the way I was beng treated, so I found another PM doctor. I had to send a short letter to my former PM doctor stating a BS reason for leaving. Had I told the truth, they would never have given my a letter stating I'm a "Patient in good standing", which is very important to have. That tells my new PM doctors that I wasn't forced to leave my previous PM doctors due to any drug violations.

I recommend you find another surgeon/ doctor who will treat you better and you should also see a PM doctor who can help you deal with the CP. I can't tell you how many times I saw one doctor after the other and they all said the other doctor was wrong and shouldn't have done this or should do that. It is always wise to get a second or third opinion. I wish you good luck and hope you can find some type of permanent pain relief. Keep us posted.

Cheers!

Charles
Posted 4/5/2012 9:17 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Withers, and welcome here. I'm sorry that you are still in so much pain and with such a difficult doctor to deal with.

Please keep us posted on your progress.
Posted 4/6/2012 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
Hi withers, welcome to the forum.

I had surgery for my shoulder in October, but it's never quit hurting. It's not frozen, but the supraspinatus tear was not repaired. That tear often accompanies other problems when you have injury.

Labrum doesn't heal fast, if at all. There's not much blood supply. I stopped PT because it was making the torn muscle worse. Swimming, no freestyle, just a little breaststroke, in a warm pool helps me maintain range of motion.

MRI shows what's going on. X-ray is worthless.

I'm getting limited pain relief from tramadol, good relief from Elavil 5 mg. The Elavil lasts 12 hours and gives me a hangover. I'm looking for something shorter acting in the same category. Nortriptyline has been suggested by other members. Muscle relaxants and opioids don't do anything for me.
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