The Arm: A Brief Update

As expected, the insurance company providing Workmen's Comp coverage for my employer wanted a second opinion before agreeing to new surgery and a revision of the original shoulder arthroplasty from December.  So I'm scheduled for an "independent medical examination" on May 8th.  The doctor they're sending me to seems well qualified; he does a lot of knee and shoulder repairs for professional and collegiate sports teams here.

Still having problems, sometimes significant problems, with pain and stiffness in the right arm.  I move the arm slowly and carefully, because quick or abrupt movements make the chronic deep ache turn into sharp bolts of pain.

I don't like taking narcotics, and so far I've managed to get by with doses of Tylenol and Alleve and an occasional Celebrex.  But I'm taking more OTC analgesics, more often, than I ever have before, and that comes with its own cautions.  (Watch those kidneys!)

At this point, as inconvenient and unpleasant as additonal surgery might be, it looks like the best course of action.  Because living like this isn't a long-term option.  This is a drag.

Yeah, "like something the cat dragged in."  Exactly.