First, let me clarify: this doctor isn’t going to give me any more Prednisone or other steroids. He says it will melt my kidneys and kill me faster than my heart valves. Bummer.
What a killjoy. It’s like getting caught by the Baseball Commissioner for taking steroids except all I want is to walk like a regular person as opposed to limping around and falling over a lot.
But Dr. Lawrence IS a fancier of lidocaine shots. Today, I got one in my right shoulder and after his Christmas vacation, he will take on my hips.
I don’t have anything wrong with my hips. It’s my back that’s screwed up. The back is so calcified and arthritic, it sends signals to all the other local joints, so my bad back makes the rest of me hurt. Double bummer.
It turns out my shoulder has become arthritic, too. It didn’t used to be. It was one of my “normal” joints. Now, like the rest of me, the shoulder is calcified and that calcification is pinching a nerve.
That’s why my hand goes numb. And the rest of the arm hurts so much.
To be fair, it only hurts when I lie down, as in “trying to sleep.” If I could sleep sitting up, I wouldn’t have a problem, or at least not yet. It’s one of the reasons I stay up so late. Lying down hurts, but sitting up isn’t nearly as bad. Of course, then there’s walking. That’s bad too. And let’s not even think about running!
It’s nothing special. Just my body being itself. I sure hope this shot works.
Garry got one in his left shoulder about two months ago and it worked for him so I live in hope.
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Categories: Arthritis, Health, Humor, Medical humor
Serendipity Seeking Intelligent Life on Earth 
If you haven’t already tried it for the steroid-induced arthritis (yes, that’s a side effect, too), try the dietary supplement glucosamine. I swear by it, as there are times when my right hand and arm are completely unmanageable. I’m glad to hear the lidocaine shots worked for you, too.
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I hope for the best too Marilyn. I never thought about this as a solution to my issues. Hmmm
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THE JOYS OF GETTING OLDER…. EVERYTHING HURTS, WHAT FUNCTIONNEND PERFECTLY YESTERDAY IS GONE TODAY…. I JUST SPOKE TO A 95YRS OLD AUNTIE WHO WAS HEALTHY ALL HER LIFE LONG, NEVER AT HOSPITAL, NEVER A HEALTH SCARE – NOW SHE HAD TO SPEND TWICE A FEW DAYS AT HOSPITAL BECAUSE, ALL OF A SUDDEN (HOW STUPID IS THIS!!) – her heart has a serious problem (sorry for the caps, was writing without checking)….. She can’t understand how THIS could happen to HER – and my mum is suffering from this and that (plus blindness) for decenies! I DO hope you get the right kind of shots because this now just spells out MISERY and that’s not for you! Another friend literally sleeps in his chair, I can’t even tell right now what’s the (health) reason for this but it’s the only way the poor guy gets some hours of sleep. Only the getting up after is a huge problem. ALL THE BEST!
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I hope for the best. Getting old is getting old and we’ll all die of something, eventually. I would just like to be able to enjoy whatever time I’ve got!
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I hope the shot works for you Marilyn.
Leslie
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I think it will. Not permanently but for a while, anyway.
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Sometimes you just need some relief from the pain.
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owww…
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Yes, but it’s a “shot” ow compared to a long period of not being able to do anything.
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Got it.
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I think it will work. Mine in my hip (pre-surgery) worked well for a while. Some people get years of relief.
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He figures it will go a couple of months. That’s how it worked for Garry’s shoulder and last night I actually SLEPT. We can do three of these per year and if that will keep me moving, I’m for it. Yes, the shots hurt but compared to being immobilized, it’s a piece of cake. It’s a few seconds of pain, then a few months of being almost human again. Oh how much I’d like to ride a horse.
Doc says he’s treating a former jockey and she’s a complete wreck. Horses do that. Jockeys are more mutilated than football players.
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I’m hopeful for you, Marilyn.
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Me too. I know nothing is going to make me “young” again, but at least not quite so OLD.
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Good luck with your pain shots. My sister got them for her back before her surgery (though I think she got cortisone, I don’t remember…). Hope yours work.
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I hope that this works well for you, too, Marilyn. Have you ever tried sleeping in a recliner chair? I’ve had a few nights when back problems motivated me to try this, and it was quite effective!
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I tried sleeping in the recliner right after heart surgery when I couldn’t roll over and needed something that would keep me in one position. It’s fine as long as the TV is on.
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Arthritis isn’t fun. I remember trying to massage the “lumps” out of my grandmother’s fingers. Hard, bony knobs hidden under crepe-y, dry skin. Now that I’m nearing my own arthritic battles (the left hip is going soon) I literally feel your pain. You might invest in a nice recliner chair. It would offer a halfway point between sitting and lying down. Good luck with the shots!
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Comfortable furniture REALLY helps. A LOT. I highly recommend it. It ain’t classy, but it makes life bearable.
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Keep me posted, although I am painfree, just immovabl sometimes
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Painfree would be really nice because I’m already immovable. I’ve actually gotten to the point where no one is trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. How pathetic is THAT?
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I hope it works. My body is falling apart. For me some stretching helps and Chiro (I have FibroHELLasia plus arthritis—Ug). I just ordered a sock helper. Getting old sucks.
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It’s definitely not for wimps. Stretching helps only if I’m careful which part of me I stretch. Some parts are a little loose (bad ligaments from too many years falling off horses). They do not want to be stretched. The rest of my is calcified. I could be a giant vitamin pill for something the size of a mountain who needs lots of calcium.
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So sorry.
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Well, you get old or you get dead. I’ll take old!
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He is right. I have had injections in both my shoulders and am pain free now. Hope it works for you too.
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I actually got some sleep! Remarkable! if this works on my hips, life might just improve a lot!
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I hope it does. All the best.
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I hope so too.
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At least I got through the night. It’s achey this morning, but he warned me that was going to happen. That’s the joint reacting to the shot. But otherwise, it was a decent night. I am encouraged.
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I hope the lidocaine gives you some relief. Looking forward to a shot for my aching left shoulder. I cannot jump into free agency til my arm is loose.
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