Alot Has Changed

In the past four years a lot has gone on in the Thorpe family.  We’ve moved two more times.  The hubs resumed his NASCAR career. DD1 has graduated from high school and is a freshman in college. DD2 will be a senior this next year.  The bonus baby is a teenager.  Oh. My. Word.

Sadly, my rheumatoid disease has also continued to evolve.  It has progressed and not in a positive way. I have a GREAT rheumy doc.  He is determined to get me back to my baseline.  I have hopes that he can. 

A bad flare back in September (thanks to my friend Stress) sent me to the ER.  The Enbrel that has given me so much relief doesn’t seem to be cutting the mustard.  I still take methotrexate and Satan’s tic tacs when I have to. I religiously take vitamins and almost made it through the horrific flu season unscathed.

After enduring many sleepless nights or sleeping upright in a recliner, I finally schedule an appointment with an orthopedic shoulder specialist.  You don’t realize how much that slight inward roll of your shoulder means until you can’t do it.  Especially if you are right handed and it’s the right shoulder. Ouch!!

I got to the point that lifting my arm up and over to brush my hair was impossible.  Buttoning my pants became an Olympic jumping sport.  Yes, there should be videos.  And most possibly the most humiliating, was fastening a bra.  OK, at that point you gotta go to the doctor.

At the ripe age of 48, I need a total shoulder replacement.  Then I watched the video. Nope. Nope & no freaking way.  They cut your arm off.  Ahhhhhhh.  I’m still wigging out.

At least the doctor and I agreed that we needed to attempt to kick this can down the road.  Most TSR only last 15 years.  Which could mean I could possibly endure three of em in my life time.  I’m just not ready for all that.   Plus the healing time of 8 to 10 weeks, coming completely off ALL my meds, and the risk of infection led me to hope for other options.

The good Doctor ruled out therapy, noting that it would likely make the shoulder worse.  We opted to begin treatment with a shot into the joint.  It did provide more motion and flexibility.  But not being the brightest thing, I’ve tried to overdo it quite a bit.  Hard to make up that 6 months of slacking.

It’s been two weeks since the shot.  It is still painful to sleep on my side and I have spent a few nights in the recliner.  I revisit the good Doc in two weeks.  If this doesn’t produce enough relief, we will try to scope it next and clean it out a little bit.

I still don’t understand we can’t squirt some spray foam up in there.  That would provide some cushion and be a whole lot cheaper.