Another Jab

When I first met the surgeon who would perform reconstructive surgery on my left foot, he was surprised to learn that in all the years I had been seeing my GP about my arthritis and foot pain, I had never been offered any type of steroid injection to help ease the pain of the inflammation.

Immediately, he ordered the procedures on both feet. And it was a revelation for me, as I stepped out of bed, one morning, and for the first time in decades, I felt no pain.

Of course, when the surgeon ultimately performed the surgery, he removed the arthritic joints as well as repairing the degenerative bone condition. I haven't had any pain in my left foot since my recovery from that operation.

I still received injections in my right foot, which had the degenerative bone condition repaired in the early 90s but the arthritis wasn't addressed for more than 25 years later. I haven't had a shot in that foot in about three years but the pain is minimal and manageable.

But now, I have pain elsewhere—in my shoulders.

I've had both x-rays and ultrasound performed on my shoulders. One shoulder, the left, has osteoarthritis; both shoulders have tendinosis.

Tendinosis is a degenerative condition that affects the tendons around the shoulder joint, usually the rotator cuff tendons, and occurs through a breakdown of collagen due to repetitive overuse and lack of adequate healing time.

I'm a terrible sleeper. I flail throughout the night. I end up on my stomach with my arms raised above my head. My GP thinks that my kayaking might also play some role, though I never feel any pain while I paddle.

Last week, I met with my doctor to discuss the next steps, now that I've been diagnosed with tendinosis. I explained that physiotherapy only helps a little but I'm hindered from some exercises because they cause me even more pain.

Not my doctor (image: Perplexity).

So, we agreed that I should try steroid injections to ease the pain enough for me to be able to perform the physio exercises. I thought my doctor would give me a requisition to see someone who would perform the procedure, but instead I was given a prescription to pick up at my pharmacy and told to come back, and my doctor would give me the shot.

Just over two hours after my first appointment, I had the new shot in my right shoulder, which gives me the most trouble. I was told that if it works, we'll repeat the procedure on the left shoulder and I'll get the shot every three months or so.

I was told to give it at least a week, so I have a few more days before I can determine the drug's effectiveness.

If it doesn't work, surgery might be the next option. Wish me luck.