I had my first round of prolotherapy injections into my left shoulder this morning.
Turns out, all my fears about the local anesthetic were unfounded, as this one didn't cause searing pain, and amazingly offered some relief during the injection process - enough that it froze the skin, and some soft tissue, but the lovely *poke* into the bone wasn't comfy, and the fluids going in were unpleasant as hell. The doctor did listen to all of my concerns before the injections, and he answered all of my questions afterward. I think he might have been having an off day last time I saw him, because he was nothing but nice today.
On my way to the appointment, my resting pain level was about a 6... So I wasn't feeling all that great to begin with. During the injections, the highest pain spike was a 9, but it only lasted 2-3 minutes, before settling down to an 8 for the rest of the injections. About 15-20 minutes after all the injections were done, all of the local anesthetic had worn off, and my shoulder pain was down to about a 7.
We're now at 2 hours post-injections, and the resting pain is about a 6 again, but when I move it too much, or in certain directions, it'll spike to an 8 or so for a few minutes.
The next step is (for me) the hardest... Waiting...
Waiting to see if this offers any lasting effects...
Waiting to see if this makes me more functional...
Waiting to see if this will decrease my pain...
Waiting for all of that before I can start on any other joint...
Apparently I did well though. He expected me to cry or something from the needles, and the pressure of all the fluids. But I didn't, because it didn't really hurt any more than my "normal" shoulder pain lately. I did wince a few times, and I think I Grrrrr'd once or twice, but that's about it.
I'll try to update frequently-ish, so you can all see the healing/recovery/regeneration process.
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3 weeks ago
4 comments:
So, the first 2 nights post-injection, I slept through the whole night without dislocating my shoulder! The third night, I woke up to a dislocated shoulder, but it was just where the scapula moved way farther than it should, and not the "ball and socket" part of the shoulder that had the injections.
Next round on my shoulder, I'm going to have to explain that to me "shoulder" means everything attached to the shoulder either directly, or indirectly which move at the same time as the shoulder. Like my clavicle and scapula, as well as the pectoral, where it attaches to the ribs/sternum... because right now that's where the pain is, from the tight shoulder bits pulling on them.
But... with the swelling that takes place after the injections, my shoulder felt more stable, and tight(in a good way) than it has in 13 years. Now I just have to convince my muscles that they don't have to be knotted and rock-hard 24/7.
HELLO. I have EDS III and have gone through 15 visits out of state for prolotherpay and PRP. I had so many areas done, the fingers, elbow, achilles, but mostly each time, the entire lumbar, SI joint, adductors, hamstrings, pelvis, pubis, and gluteal muscles.
Many factors come into play with recovery. Eat a fair amount of protein, drink water. Rest. It usually took me 6 weeks to recover, however last time it was tough, as I had more PRP, so it was a LONG 12 weeks. So, patience is the key, but it is very hard. Love your heating pad, and bathtub. I have noticed changes for the better as far as stabilization of my joint, and healing of achilles. So I wish you luck with your recovery, rest!!
Jessica,
Thank you for the words of enocuragement and advice! My doctor doesn't feel comfortable doing so many joints in a single sitting, so it looks like I'll be having them each done at separate appointments. It's going to take some time, but I'm so glad I was finally able to find someone willing to treat me.
I have EDS, type III and have done Prolotherapy and PRP on almost every joint, including cervical, lumbar and sacrum and every one reacts differently. My cervical spine was amazingly different after just 3 rounds (and I have had many cervical and other injuries on top of the EDS from extreme sports: motorcycles, four wheelers, snowboarding, mtn. biking plus four knee surgeries and a hip surgery by 26- I don't recommend surgery- I didn't heal well from those at all, but that was before I knew I had EDS). My knees, hip and ankles I have to do a few times a year because I am so loose that I continually tear things, but then I don't sit still much either. I'm a full time massage therapist. What I have found out is that getting a moderate pressured massage with some trigger point work into any of the muscles that seize up really helps me recover quickly. It helps bring blood flow to the healing area and it also relaxes the muscles. I don't totally rest. I've found that by moving sooner, I recover faster. I usually walk in the pool or start aqua jogging in the deep water gently within 24 hours of injections and it has made my healing time so that I can go back to work in 4-5 days. And when I get injections, like last week, I did both ankles, hip socket, groin, glute and IT band. So I do a lot when I go in!!! All I know is that 2 years ago I could barely walk, my neck and shoulder were sliding out in my sleep- it was bad. I am so much better now!!! good luck with your injections and be patient, sometimes it takes 5 plus rounds to get the results you want. Also try epsom salt baths to relax the muscles, hot tub, wet sauna, movement in the pool- they all help. Massage and acupuncture are great tools too!! take care!
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