# Finally went to the Dr. Today



## thansen (Feb 10, 2009)

So for the past few years my left arm and shoulder has been getting worse and worse. I kept fighten through long days thinkin' "if its not bleedin' and ain't bleedin' bad it will be allright". I spent a couple nights a week sitting in the chair with ice packs on my elbow and shoulder takin antinflamatory meds, and ibuprofen. I took this last month off and have just been taking it easy doing a few odd jobs around here and there to keep up with the bills and trying to get things healed up. My arm hasn't really been getting better and my girlfriend has been trying to get me to go to the Dr. She finally got me to listen today and we went into the big city. After a few tests the Doc diagnosis me with tennis elbow and a rotor cuff injury. So, after the xrays and a shot of cortizone in my arm and in my shoulder I sit here and type this silly thread just as sore, (if not sorer then ever) and I wonder how many other commercial fallers and sawyers are going through the same thing. I'm only 34 and the doc says that I'm pushing myself to hard and doing to much. But isn't that what owning your own small business is about, working hard so we dont have too later? Doc. says surgery won't be to far off if I keep this up.....I say :censored: and  See ya at work tomarrow gentleman! It might take me a little longer to get things done, but damn sure it will get done.


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## Groundman One (Feb 12, 2009)

I feel your pain.

Literally. 

I've been pounding the ground for eleven-years professionally (and several before that privately) and I know exactly the kind of beating you take. Everyone on our crew has at least one chronic injury from work. Ankles, knees, hip, back, shoulder, wrist, neck. We're a catalog of human weaknesses. But, we're all over forty and have been playing tough guy for years and years. It does catch up with you.

Take care of yourself. And be smart and know when to say when. Not worth it to cripple yourself up to a point where the day to day hurts. 

_(And don't forget the beer!)_


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## pdqdl (Feb 12, 2009)

I used to have chronic tennis elbow. For YEARS. Not crippling, but definitely uncomfortable. Any elbow bump made it worse. Worst of all, it would alternate elbows.

Ibuprofen, wrist and forearm braces, steroids: they helped, but it never went away until I started drinking green tea. At least a cup a day. And ALL the discomfort went away after about a month of drinking that [expletive deleted].

Furthermore, if I quit drinking the green tea, it comes back! I've been free for at least 5 years now, but I still get elbow twinges if I don't drink any for a couple of weeks.

BTW, green tea tastes like stagnant hay water. I hate it, even now. The best tasting one I have found is Bigelow's, especially the green tea with mint.

I have also read that fish oil pills are often beneficial for arthritis and other auto-immune inflammatory ailments. I can't comment now, because I don't have one anymore.


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## Bermie (Feb 17, 2009)

X rays can't see the fine details of soft tissue injuries, an MRI with a good interpretation is in order.
After that get yourself to a GOOD physical therapist!

If you've read my thread on the neck injury, nerve pain and all that, I can now say a month and half later I am in great shape, all due to my physio treatment and doing the exercises she gave me. I did have to take three weeks off, no income, but it was that or have to think about doing something else!

She diagnosed I had become very weak in certain muscle groups that support my neck and across the back supporting my shoulder. I've had several shoulder injuries over the years on that side and everything was out of whack. I've also had tennis elbow in the left arm. For long term relief you've got to know how and why you are irritating those areas and get relief initially but then treatment and exercises to strengthen it all back up. You are supposed to rest for at least a few days after the shots, otherwise you'll just irritate everything all over again!

Keep the ice packs thing going at the end of the day, its the athlete's best friend! BTW if you are on anti-inflammatories don't take ibuprofen as well, can lead to stomach bleeding, take Tylenol if you need a bit more pain relief.

As much as it may hurt, massage that tennis elbow as much as you can, everything is in spasm and until that gets settled you'll be fighting your own body.

I also thought my career might be over, but its not. My physio listened to me describe what I do when I work and when I play hockey and was able to tell where I was weak and what I needed to do to balance it all up again. It has worked.

OK, hope this helps, I know it can be a bit irritating to have the tree surgeons act like they are doctors but I wish you well!!


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## lawrencetreeman (Feb 18, 2009)

Heck just do what i did and get hooked up with a Massage therapist wow I feel better. LOL


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## Adkpk (Feb 18, 2009)

Got to rest it till it feels better then go easy on it for a while. Mine was really hurting last week. I took it easy on it and then when it felt better I went back to heavy work. Forgot about it until the pull cord on the 191 jammed and then I remembered :censored:. I'll be back a little later off to pick some green tea. Does green tea have caffeine?


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## pdqdl (Feb 18, 2009)

If the diagnosis is bursitis (tennis elbow), no amount of excercise or massage will correct the issue. Rest and anti-inflammatory treatment are called for. Altering the cause of the irritation is the long term solution, which might come from exercise, changing your work habits, elbow support, etc.

Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa, which is the insertion point of a tendon to bone. It is caused (usually) by excess strain to that attachment, usually by shock loading rather than sheer force. Think lots of backhands in tennis, hence the term "tennis elbow".

Other things like auto-immune problems can end up causing the inflammation, which tends to cause more irritation. It's sort of like putting metal filings inside an engine: you get lots more metal filings. Then you end up endlessly taking steroid shots, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc. Sometimes there is no permanent solution: Can you say "Arthritis" ? (inflammation of the "arthus" or joint)

Good luck. Try the green tea and fish oil, perhaps other "natural" anti-inflammatory efforts. They are completely harmless, don't cost much, and they don't interfere with other therapies.


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## Jumper (Feb 19, 2009)

Accupuncture may work on the pain-when I suffered a compression fracture on my back that was what really got me on the road to recovery, along with physio.

I also take Celebrex every day mainly to keep my feet from swelling.


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## Stein (Feb 19, 2009)

Adkpk said:


> I'll be back a little later off to pick some green tea. Does green tea have caffeine?



They make both with and without caffeine.


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## pdqdl (Feb 20, 2009)

Green Tea has a little caffeine, but not much. Not enough to notice if you ever drink coffee or any sort of soft drink with caffeine.

Imagine a bale of recently cut hay. Pour hot water over it. Green tea!
I really hated it to begin with, now it's ok because I am used to it. 

It's probably similar to the learning curve of cigarette smoking, you don't start out liking it, and then it becomes a habit. At least green tea is a good habit.


Celebrex is good stuff for arthritis, I take that almost every day too. Unfortunately, that whole group of anti-inflammatory prescription drugs are strongly associated with increased risk of cardiac arrest, so I'm trying to stay away from it as much as possible. End of day, ankle starts killing me...can't sleep, stay up late... Take the celebrex and be done with it!


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