Wednesday, September 2, 2009

I've Got the Shoulder Injury Blues


Way back in March of 2008, I spent three weeks in Hawaii on an amazing mission trip.

I only mention it now because I seem to have brought back with me a permanent reminder of this trip...and it's not been pleasant.

Most of my time was spent outdoors, assisting in landscaping a church camp and getting it handicapped-accessible...one of my many projects during those weeks was raking a large camping area and removing the sod. One day, while attempting to "rake" up a rather large piece of said sod (that sounds funny), I felt something rip in my right shoulder. And when I say rip - I mean, horrendously, painfully tear - leaving me in tremendous pain and unable to move my right arm for quite a long time.

I took Tylenol and came home and somewhat forgot about the shoulder...thinking that time would be the best healer and it would eventually heal on its own.

Hasn't happened, unfortunately. If anything, it appears to be getting worse. To the point that now, even trying to shift gears while driving my car causes sharp, stabbing pains in the shoulder area. Yikes - I can't imagine not being able to drive! I've babied it, given up Tae Kwon Do, and even given up lifting weights - hoping it would get better. To no avail. It's gotten to the point that every morning, when I wake up, the shoulder is throbbing...I don't even want to get out of bed.

I wonder if anyone else has ever had a similar injury....and if so, what's the answer? Don't say surgery- I'm a wimp when it comes to hospitals and doctors and such - I am doing everything I can to avoid surgery. There has to be another answer....

In the meantime, I'm just living on painkillers and babying my arm and doing a lot of complaining.

Peace.

1 comment:

Todd K. said...

you'd better get it checked out by a doctor - he could probably give you an injection or something for the pain so you don't have to have surgery. Good luck.