My name is Tyler. i am currently 22 years old, 17 when my problem started. I currently weigh roughly 160lb, roughly 125 when the problem started and was in good shape. No known trauma or previous health conditions.
I have been dealing with a chronic shoulder problem for over 4 years now. The pain started when i was waiting tables working 60-80 hour weeks regularly. It started as a sharp pain that worsened with movement and especially worsened when trying to lift something heavy or light. Details of 4 years ago are blurry but i try to recount as much as i can. I ignored the pain for roughly 4 months thinking it would simply go away. When i finally saw my family physician we didnt think much of it and i believe i tried some hydrocodine and rest. I cant remember if the pain went away after resting or if it persisted at that time. Over the years the pain has been cyclical coming and going. the general pattern has been roughly 6-8 months of pain then a few months of relief or minor relief.
The pain originated as a sharp pain however shortly after evolved into more of a pain familiar with swelling. im not entirely sure if this has persisted the entire length of the problem or simply most of it, but i can more times then not find a large muscle knot somewhere around the rhomboid major. I say that muscle as the general location but i do not know if it is a deep or superficial muscle in that spot. I can say it is between the scapula and spine below the scapula and just on the outside of the medial border.
Over the last year to year and a half i have been experiencing what i believe to be an impinged radial nerve in the same arm. I have an on and off burning pain in my elbow along with arthritic type pains in my wrist and hand.
I know that my high levels of stress and anxiety will worsen the pain and very regularly trigger the pain if it is not currently bothering me.
I have seen numerous types of doctors or medical professionals major and alternative. My regular physician has seen me since before the pain started and is familiar with my problem as the first person i went to for help. I have seen an orthopedist who did and MRI on my cervical spine first followed by one on my shoulder later on at my request. Both MRI's and X-rays have been seen by multiple doctors of varying specialties and all have found nothing at all out of the ordinary.
the list of different specialists i have seen goes as follows.
regular physician, orthopedist, multiple chiropractors, massage therapist, pain management, acupuncture, Active Release Therapist/Chiropractor, Airrosty soft tissue, psychiatrist, and multiple physical therapists
i have tried multiple medications including:(most i tried different dosages)
hydrocodine, darvocet, flexoril, skelaxin, xanax XR(after other anxiety meds that i cant remember) and finally i have been taking AmbienCR for chronic insomnia for about 4 months and a few months before that at other times.
pain killers and muscle relaxers did absolutely nothing for the pain. anxiety meds offered some but very little help. the part i stress the most at the moment is what i discovered with the AmbienCR. At first the ambien was strong enough that it knocked me out and did what i wanted, let me sleep. I quickly built up a tolerance(as i do with EVERY medication i have taken) and realized that the AmbienCR would relax me to a point that ALL pain went away and i would flat out feel amazing. Call it a euphoric high if you want, my focus is on the fact that forcing myself to relax seemed to get rid of the pain. I used the Ambien for about 2 months as more of a pain killer then sleep aid and it worked wonders. I could function during the day, i wasnt constantly depressed or frustrated, and i was able to sleep at night. Im not trying to convince you or anyone that this is a solution i should or want to use but i want to offer as much knowledge as i have that might point towards finding a problem or a solution.
It would be amazing if anyone has an idea as to what the actual problem is however i realize that without a real visit it is asking quite a lot.
I would love simply if someone could suggest to a specific type of doctor or specialist that i can set up an appointment with. my pain management dr dismissed me in less then 5 minutes and had me out the door with a referral to a sports medicine doctor. My physician seems to be out of ideas whether he will admit it or not, and my chiropractor wants me to see an endocrinologist for blood work to focus on the idea that i build up a tolerance to medications within weeks of starting.
The cycle seems to be pain causes stress, stress causes pain, both cause depression, and i have no idea how to fix any of it.
I had a previous chronic back pain that started during a chiropractic adjustment while recieving help for my shoulder roughly 3 1/2 - 4 years ago that lasted for over a year before finding a solution. Novocain injections in the facets of L3-5 bilateral were done as a diagnostic procedure. For whatever reason, the injections relieved the back pain. I have no reason to believe this is relevant to my shoulder pain as the shoulder problem started over a year before the back problem. However i want to mention anything i can think of.
i have been upfront and honest with my regular physician about any irregular usage of my medications and alcohol. I drink in excess on and off as the pain worsens. Most medications i have taken were ineffective and i took larger dosages in hope of relief but generally got none. I tried using marijuana for pain management but the effects were more negative then positive.
i would appreciate any help or suggestions i can get. My entire adult life has revolved around pain and coping. I have been unable to hold down jobs for any respectable amount of time and school has suffered far to much. I need to break the cycle.
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