Hey All,
I have fibromyalgia & am very, very used to being in pain. I also have osteosthritis in my knees due to multiple surgeries, the first of which I had in my teens. But I have a new pain & am at a loss as to what it is & how best to treat it. I'm hoping it may sound familiar to some of you & that you might enlighten me.
This new pain is in BOTH shoulders & started at the same time. It's a bit worse in the left, but the pain is about the same on both sides. I can't really determine where the pain in centered. It feels like it's below the joint & feels like a bad, bad bruise. The top of my shoulders (traps?) ache like mad, but I have the idea that it hurts there because I'm using my arms in an odd way. I can't life my shoulders beyond mid-range without stopping & adjusting, if at all. I was pushing a cart & despite resting them on the bar, each step caused a sharp pain precisely in that spot just below the joint itself. My upper arms are sore even to the slightest touch, which made me think fibro, at first. But the symmetry of the pain & the fact that my regular fibro pain med isn't helping much has lead me to reconsider. Only ibuprofen offers any relief, but even that is short-lived. I'm using a pain gel & moist heat pack with some limited success, but I'm not getting better. These measures are only helping me to just barely get through it.
I've had lots of pain for lots of years but this is doing me in. Does it sound like arthritis? If so, is it possible that it's other than osteo? Of course, I need to see a doc to be sure, but I'm wondering if it sounds familiar. Please, if so, I'd be most grateful to hear your opinion & most of all, what would help ease this pain. Thanks very much.