right arm dislocation

Hello Everyone,

I am very happy to be here. Finding this site has already helped me.

Let me give you some history. Please excuse any errors I may make, I am trying with one finger on a kindle.

November 14, 2013, I was at work and picked up a 50 pound box of potatoes. The box ripped at the right hand slot about 4 inches. The weight of the box shifted and it pulled my arm out of the socket.

Damage to my shoulder, elbow, wrist and thumb.

I started having nerve pain right away, sharp pain and tingling. The shoulder remained sublexed for 2 months. Lack of sleep due to arm pain.

February 14, 2014, shoulder surgery, rotator cuff repair.

June 13, 2014, ligament repair on thumb and wrist under the thumb.

Still experiencing ulnar nerve pain. Two nerve tests. First, May 2014 showed no damage, regardless of the fact that I was having constant pain with no treatment. Second nerve test September 2014, showed the beginning of damage. Still no treatment.

Continued pain in shoulder which had been popping since PT started April 2014. Told muscles and tendons.

MRI finally scheduled January 2015, for shoulder and elbow, due to consistent popping with pain. Showed nothing. Follow up appoint sonogram at doctors office showed movement of ulnar nerve and flattening. Still no pain treatment.

Scheduled Tommy John surgery for February 27, 2015.

No cast or brace, only surgery dressing. Statement made to my husband after surgery. "It was worse than I thought. It's good that we did the surgery". You think?

Sever post surgery pain, similar to electric shocks. I'm on my third pain medication since Friday. Thankfully, Pitmom gave me some positioning suggests that have helped with sleeping.

I bumped my arm on the bed last night (about 2:30-3 am) and jumped out of sleep, pain and shock. Straightening my arm, which caused the eelectric shock and a pop. After the initial zap of pain, all of a sudden, the pain subsidies. OMG...I thought I ruined the surgery. Called the doctor, he said, that I couldn't have pulled out the surgery. He also said that the nerve may have just moved to a more comfortable position and that the release of pain could be temporary. He was right there.

I have delt with this excruciating nerve pain for a year and three months with no medical assistance. I feel as though no one in the medical field has believed me. Then they do the surgery and say, "wow it was bad".

Now I am not sure if this has to do with the fact that this is a workman comp and they try to go the cheapest rout or what.
Or
The fact that I have a high tolerance for pain and don't complain and just suffer in silence. I don't cry when I am hurt ever. I chopped off the tip of my left thumb in 2011 and never cracked a tear. I know that many people say they have a high tolerance for pain but due to my personal history of pain and non typical reactions, I do. I actually had a doctor right after my dislocation tell me I was confused, that I didn't duplicate the arm because if I had I would be reeling in pain. Because I wasn't crying and carrying on I was faking to get out of work.

I haven't had a full nights sleep in over a year. The pain and lack of sleep is getting to me in more ways than one.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

Blessings and healing to everyone
Leila

Thank you Betsy. Have a wonderful day.

Hello Melagain,
I am very sorry to hear about your high tolerance for pain. It can be a blessing and a curse. I am glad that your doctor listened and believed you. I am happy that you are on the mend. I have also been told that I am very stubborn... lol

I am just now getting a nurse. No idea why it has taken so long.

When I had the shoulder done I also slept in the recliner. I have no idea why that never crossed my mind with this one. Thank goodness Pitmom mentioned it last night. Funny how things slip your mind when pain is involved. You go from intelligent to blubbering ding bat.

Thank you for sharing xxx

Hello Pam,

Thank you so much for the welcome.

I am grateful to have found this site. It already has helped me a great deal. Just the smallest suggestion or note of support and understanding makes all the difference in the world. Being able to tell what you are experiencing and have another person understand is priceless. No one looking at you like you have two heads..LoL.

Thank you for the good wishes of sleep xxxxx

Hi Leila! Six hours of sleep! Woohoo! So glad it helped! I've had several workers comp injuries and surgeries (see below). Each one is different. The best thing I ever did was hire a lawyer. Like you, there was a delay in diagnosing the ulnar nerve and more damage was done before it was properly treated. If it hadn't been for the lawyer, it might never have been done. I was lucky enough to get the best surgeon in the area to do it! Of all of the surgeries I've had, the elbow was by far the worst as far as pain is concerned. Over time, you will learn what you can and cannot do. Even with permanent nerve damage, it is very manageable, at least in my experience. In the beginning, ice was my best friend. Now, it's the heating pad for the 'bad days'. "Slow and steady wins the race." Don't push things too far, too fast. That goes for your shoulder as well as the elbow. Oh, one last thing, when they have you exersize the injured side, don't forget to do the same on the other side. My pectoral muscle got so much bigger on the 'injured' side, my chest started to look uneven! One of the things they don't warn you about! Ha Ha!

Hello Rick, Pitmom and Susie,

Thank you for sharing. It is so nice to get up after a frustrating night of sleep and read heartfelt notes. Last night I slept 5 full hours... then an hour off and on. The towels and pillows are helping.

Rick, I hope your trip to get your meds in the rain went safely.

Pitmom, thank you for the information regarding your ulnar nerve and that I have to go slow. I too have permanent nerve damage and have been very worried about this. It is a relief to know it is manageable. LoL on your statement about working both sides of the body..hehe those are things that you never think of and part of what people neglect to mention. Thank you again for responding that first day. You were a life saver in more ways than one.

Susie, sorry I missed your post about the meds. No doctor has said anything about any of these. I have been asking for help with this for over a year. I will wright these down and start demanding help. I agree about the high tolerance for pain being bad. It has proven to be exactly as you stated. Getting the pain under control has been difficult to say the least.

I feel that due to the fact this has gone on for so long, not only my body but my mental state has been affected. Being laid off was the last straw which pushed me over the edge. I think because I am a proud person and fearcely independent, it has been hard for me to ask for help or express my feelings. I pride myself on being strong and admitting I am in pain or need help is hard and felt like a failure on my part.

Finding this site and reading what others are going through has helped me to open up. Everyone's positive thoughts and suggestions have helped me to get things off my chest and not feel like a failure or a whiner. It has also shown me that it could be worse but what I am going through is legitimate. It is okay for me to demand help from the doctors. To advocate for myself.

Thank you xxxxx blessings and healing to everyone

Melagain,

Evenings are the worst.... I totally agree.

I don't have a work comp nurse yet. After a year and four months and how my case has been handled I'm not surprised. I'll request one asap.along with a pain specialist.

Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience. Hearing about how others have handled their own situations has helped me to have a clear direction.

Hello Pitmom,

I actually slept (with the help of sleeping pills) 8 hours!!!! I am very happy to finally get some sleep. The only down fall was that the pain meds wearing off. It is a happy double edged sword.

Benadryl ahh good suggestion. This could help me with the itch from the pain meds. Thank you for the suggestion.

My post op appointment is Monday at 10 am. I'll be interested to finally see what it looks like. I'm also bringing the list of nerve meds that Pam suggested.

Thank you! Added to the list xxxxx

Thank you Susie,

I think my frustration with the pain is that I have been dealing with it for a year and three months. I can't imagine why I have had to wait so long in between surgeries. I have requested pain management since my shoulder surgery in February 2014. I think because I feel like I am not being listened to, the pain from this surgery feels overwhelming.

I appreciate you acknowledging that my pain is real and mine. Just by you saying that makes me feel better.

I would not take anything without checking first. I have an unnamed platelet blood disorder. Due to this I have to be extremely careful.

Thank you again xxxxx

That's certainly what good moms do..sometimes. Sounds like you have a great daughter who knows this was going to be hard for you, going or not going. Also sounds like she would understand if you can't stay for the whole thing.

Wishing luck for both of you on this very difficult day!

Thank you both so much I feel so whiny...I just needed to vent.

She just ran her 100m and came in 6th because the girl next to her fell face first with out putting her arms down and my daughter stopped to help her. Poor girls busted her lip.

Pain is worse than this morning but it is good to be out of the house in the sun and fresh air.

Next race will be the 300m.

Thank you again for listening to me this morning. It felt good to get it off my chest and not burden my family. I appreciate your support xxx

What an awesome kid!! And what an awesome mom to teach her such compassion and concern for others.
Stopping to help the other gal was a testimony to that.
She's the winner, if you ask me.

You can whine all you want here. LOL. Seems to be a safe place to do that.

You just keep endorsing compassionate, loving actions.
And ice on, ice off.....ice on, ice off