My Shoulder Blade Pain…it just got worse…

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I already posted awhile back that I have some pretty bad shoulder blade pain…it’s all in my upper back, between the shoulder blades.  It happens without warning, usually when I wake up in the morning. I attribute it to sleeping funny or because one of my kids crawled into bed with us and I had a knee in my back all night.

This last time, the shoulder blade pain, or rather the upper back pain between the shoulder blades, came unexpectedly, without warning, and while I was awake.  I was sitting on the floor, I guess I was slouching, when it started.

And the days that followed were horrendous.

It started last Friday…so, a week ago…  Then Saturday, I was laid up in pain all day, and my husband took the kids out so that I could rest and they could enjoy themselves and not be cooped up with me all day.  I spent Mother’s Day on the couch in excruciating pain.  By Monday, the pain had moved up to my right shoulder, around my side and into my chest muscles.  I could barely move when I woke up in the morning without feeling the almost unbearable pain.

I went to the urgent care clinic.  The doctor there prescribed Vicodin and Valium!  I was worried about these drugs, because I have heard they are habit forming. The Vicodin, while it would relieve the shoulder blade pain (or should), was going to knock me out.  The Valium, used as a muscle relaxer in this situation, was also going to knock me out.  In addition, it’s commonly used as a sedative and is seriously addictive.  It’s an anti-anxiety drug, and since I have an anxiety disorder, I was wary of using it.  I was worried I was more prone to becoming addicted to it than most other people.

That's not me, but I tell ya, I have a feeling this young lady will be me in her future. OUCH! "Double Jointed Shoulder Blades"

I took the Vicodin Monday night, and didn’t take it again.  I slept well, but I woke up with just as much pain as I did the morning before. I spent the rest of my day on Tylenol.  I can’t take Motrin or Aspirin because NSAIDs (Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) don’t mix with Prozac.

I went to see my PCM (Primary Care Manager) at my regular family practice clinic.  She was stunned that the doctor at Urgent Care prescribed those drugs to me.  She said, “If those two drugs [Valium and Vicodin] were prescribed to me, I wouldn’t take them together.”  She was glad I decided against the Valium, especially because it is so habit forming.  She told me to throw both prescriptions out and gave me another muscle relaxer prescription and instructed me to take half a pill at night-time only, so that I can sleep without the pain.

I took it last night, and it seemed to help.  My favorite sleeping position wasn’t painful this time.

The doctor told me that my upper back, shoulder and neck muscles were having spasms.  In addition to the new muscle relaxer, she told me I should get X-Rays and she referred me to physical therapy, which I’m very happy with.  I may decide to see a chiropractor, but unfortunately, my insurance won’t cover it.  It might be hard to scrounge up the money for that, so I’ll try PT first and hope that helps.

Thankfully, the shoulder blade pain has subsided for the most part. I’m still taking it easy, but I’m not laid up like I was before.  I’m actually useful, which is nice after several days of being confined to the couch.  All that time on the couch made me grumpy and anxious…it’s not good to be sedentary for very long.  It’s just not healthy.

I tried to do some minor abdominal work-outs today, but I could feel the shoulder blade pain returning when I started, so I stopped. Last night, though, I managed to get back to the gym and get a bit of a work-out in.  It wasn’t much. I rode the bicycle (the kind that are low to the ground with the straight back seats), and only did about 30 minutes and burned 146 calories. I didn’t burn nearly as many calories as I usually do, but I couldn’t get back into it all at once and risk hurting my back.

I’m a little aggravated about the whole thing.  I manage to get one or two health issues under control, for the most part, and a new one pops up.  How annoying.  But I’m going to deal with it and just keep on truckin’!

Related articles

• Are there any stretches I can preform to correct a pain in my shoulder? (zocdoc.com)
• Upper Back and Shoulder Pain – It Friggin HURTS! (alwayssick.com)
• Painkiller Use at Record High (abcnews.go.com)