Ugh! Back to Back MRIs today.

[dosmalo]

Back in January I had a pretty bad respiratory 'exacerbation' and probably should have went to the hospital but tuffed it out and eventually got better. Not good, but better. I thought all along that once spring and summer rolled around I'd get back into the groove and feel better.
The really weird thing about all this is my left should and neck have bothered me ever since. Sore as hell all the time and I can't get in a comfortable possession. Bought a new ortho pillow and that has helped but still no love in mudville.
Asked for x-rays and my primary doc said they wouldn't show much and I'd need MRIs so I went for it.
That was over a month ago and fast-forward to today and I just got home from over 4 hours of the most grueling 'healthcare' I've ever endured!
I'm sore as hell all over now!! I feel like I've been a car wreck!
I hardly ever ask for any kind medical procedures but knowing good and well it hasn't been anything I did (I would have remembered) I needed to know what's been causing all the discomfort and pain - is it tendon, muscle, skeletal - WTF is it??
I thought I would have some kind of consult with some kind of orthopedic PA or something but all I got was a freakin' CD (!) and was told to give it to my primary doc so I still know nothing.
Evidently this is what I get for asking!
I don't know whether to be pissed or relieved.

 

[sKiZo]

January till now is an awful long time to expect things to heal up on there own. That said, maybe get the doc to prescribe voltarin topical cream ... I find that works wonders.

Or maybe just head on down to the drug store and score some aspercreme with lidocaine. I alternate both here for my neck and shoulders.

 

[roger2]

my .02¢

An observation from my own experiences regarding muscle and/or joint pain, stiffness, etc, is that physical activity plays a significant role.

Could be lack of activity. Could be too much repetition of a specific activity. Could be holding the body in a certain position while doing an oft repeated or long enduring activity (surfing the web, watching TV, ...or anything).

Even though the majority of our physical activities are fairly constant over time, slight variations in routine can sneak in and after a while can cause problems that have no readily apparent cause. This type of thing has happened to me many times.

Exercise in general, gentle stretching, yoga, tai chi, etc. can often solve problems that medicines would only mask. Try to become aware of any repetitive motions that you make, or body positions that are held static for periods of time. If you add any new physical activity or exercise, start easy and do not try to increase quickly. Movement does a body good, as long as it is not highly repetitive, specific movement. And the more variation in types of movement the better.


Edit to add: a visit to a legit and skilled massage therapist can sometimes be much more beneficial than a visit to a doctor. A competent massage therapist WILL listen to you because they want and need to be informed before doing any work on you. And a knowledgeable therapist may be able to offer insight about the cause of your pain.

 

[ETLS]

I often find I cannot raise my head as I once could. Some say the weight of my beard has influenced this condition, but I believe it's because I wouldn't see my phone so I could post this.

 

[I LIKE MUSIC]

All my best wishes and prayers.

 

[dosmalo]

My career was in the petroleum industry working with VOCs (fuels) and then in municipal water treatment working with disinfectant chemicals (I've been well trained in PPEs too) and I've always stayed fit and pushed myself but even more so since I was given the COPD/asthma diagnosis about 7 years ago. My pulmonologist doc says I have a 1/3 of the capacity I should have and some pretty severe asthma on top of that. Guess I kind of put myself into overdrive after that but I find it very difficult to stay that way in the winter months and I absolutely hate winter with a passion and probably over do the shit I do in the warmer months. Deal is, this started in the winter.
I know my limitations and by now I'm used to pulling back before I cross that line but this neck and shoulder crap is something new for me and still a mystery.
I've finally had time to read some of the paperwork I left the hospital with and it says something about a radiologist doing an interpretation and contacting my primary doc. That's all good but I just thought I'd know something sooner.

 

[arts]

my .02¢

An observation from my own experiences regarding muscle and/or joint pain, stiffness, etc, is that physical activity plays a significant role.

Could be lack of activity. Could be too much repetition of a specific activity. Could be holding the body in a certain position while doing an oft repeated or long enduring activity (surfing the web, watching TV, ...or anything).

Even though the majority of our physical activities are fairly constant over time, slight variations in routine can sneak in and after a while can cause problems that have no readily apparent cause. This type of thing has happened to me many times.

Exercise in general, gentle stretching, yoga, tai chi, etc. can often solve problems that medicines would only mask. Try to become aware of any repetitive motions that you make, or body positions that are held static for periods of time. If you add any new physical activity or exercise, start easy and do not try to increase quickly. Movement does a body good, as long as it is not highly repetitive, specific movement. And the more variation in types of movement the better.


Edit to add: a visit to a legit and skilled massage therapist can sometimes be much more beneficial than a visit to a doctor. A competent massage therapist WILL listen to you because they want and need to be informed before doing any work on you. And a knowledgeable therapist may be able to offer insight about the cause of your pain.

Words of wisdom right here^^^^^

 

[mech986]

When an MRI is ordered, the radiology techs run the exam, the images are collected, and then read by a qualified radiologist. The techs are not trained to read, nor are they licensed to render a diagnosis, hence they can't legally tell you anything. The radiologist probably won't read the MRI till tomorrow, and if using an electronic reporting system, could get the report to your doc within a day or two. If still using hard copy reports, can take as long as a week for your doc to get it. Either way, you are not the radiologist's patient so he cannot directly report the result to you either, and the MRI is only part of the diagnostic regimen.

Your primary should have done a reasonably comprehensive physical exam on your lungs, chest, back, neck, shoulder, and ribs IMO, and listened carefully to your lungs and heart. A good examination of the motion of the joints should also have been done. You didn't advise how old you are, whether you smoked or not, or if you had other medical issues besides asthma (which may have been industrially based / caused). These may be factors in considering what kind of problems for the doctor to look for or consider.

If you had a bad respiratory exacerbation of your asthma, it's very possible you could have coughed long and hard for many times a day, and for many days. Not seeking treatment may have extended those days. I've seen many patients who suffered musculoskeletal strains and skeletal joint and muscle problems after bad coughing issues. MD docs don't always do well with musculoskeletal problems and hopefully this might be only that.

However, being older, smoking, industrial chemical exposure can be causes of many other issues so good this is being investigated. Hopefully it is muscular and that can be helped with the aforementioned massage and physical therapy, or occasionally some manipulation by an osteopathic physician knowledgeable in manipulation and structural diagnosis.

If not, hope the diagnosis becomes known soon.

Good luck!

NB: I did play a doctor in my former career.

 

[dosmalo]

^^Thanks for this!^^
I just received a call from my primary doc's nurse indicating that they have the images now and that my primary doc is setting me up with an orthopedic specialist so I'm hoping I'll find out what's going on.
Also, I was able to load the imaging CD onto my computer yesterday but, of course, I couldn't interpret jack except 'yeah, that's my neck and that's my shoulder.'
I also in another life used to work in the OR of a hospital and saw things I can never un-see so I've always had this bad phobia about what I call "the healthcare quagmire" and once drawn into it, it's nigh impossible to escape from it.
Right now my spidey sense is tingling like mad!

 

[2011etec]

First off im not trying to scare you just help possibly.If they cant find anything ask about the possibility that maybe you have muscular dystrophy.My best friend had symptoms very similar to what you are talking about and after going around and around testing for everything else one doc had a hunch and that's what it was.Again not trying to scare you but id be remised if I didn't mention this knowing what I know.It took my friend years to find out .