1. DRESSING/ GROOMING – Reaching with the left arm / shoulder is difficult. Trying to pull a garment of clothing over my head is difficult, and even more difficult trying to pull it back up over my head. Pulling pants or undies up is difficult, and trying to tuck clothes in to my pants is painful.
Impossible to do bra up. Can not get my arm around the back. Blowdrying my hair is quite a performance. I change the brush and hairdryer from hand to hand constantly and if I hold either for too long my arm jams and is very difficult and painful to straighten. 2. HOUSEWORK/GARDENING – Pegging clothes on clothesline, especially towels, sheets etc.
Vacuuming, mopping floors, scrubbing, gardening is difficult. Making beds, especially shaking doon as or blankets is painful, as is tucking the sheets under the mattress. 3. SPORT – Cannot play golf because I am unable to swing my arm. Cannot go to the gym or exercise because if I get down I can’t get myself up because I can’t push myself up with my shoulders.
Lack of exercise combined with cortisone injections and tablets have contributed to a significant weight gain. This in itself is unfair – considering I didn’t cause the problem. 4. SLEEPING – Should I accidentally roll on to my shoulder during the night it quickly wakes me with pain down the muscle into my elbow, and this remains for several days as a real muscle soreness and then gradually fades. 5. DRIVING – My neck makes driving difficult.
Because of my lack of rotation in my neck it makes it difficult to glance over my shoulders and looking in the side mirrors. Also, my family have commented that my driving is very tentative since the accident. I am too cautious and nervous. Even as a passenger in the car, anything other than a short drive is very uncomfortable and my neck and shoulder ache. It is difficult to reach across to the passengers seat to pick something up, and totally impossible to reach into the back seat to reach something. 6.
RELAXING/COMPUTER – I can only sit straight on at the television, cinema screen or computer screen. If I am not, my neck aches. The same goes for talking to people, I have to be directly opposite so that I don’t have to tilt or turn my neck. In a very short time I am in pain. If I happen to talk on the telephone (cordless) for any length of time, the upper muscle in my arm throbs because I have been holding the handset to my ear and my arm has been in the one position for too long… /2 – 2 – 7.
CARRYING – Carrying only the slightest weight makes my shoulder and arm ache. I am constantly changing from one arm to the other. This includes my handbag, no matter how small or light. It is impossible to carry something with my arm straight down – the pain is extreme right through to my hand.
Consequently shopping is very difficult. I have to rely on my family to do the grocery shopping and lifting around the house. The lifting around the house is very difficult when I am home on my own the majority of the time. 8.
NECK – My neck is constantly uncomfortable. The muscle between my left shoulder and neck spasms and tightens at any given time supposedly without any reason. The muscles up the back of my neck and up into my skull are constantly stiff and painful. The pain in my neck never leaves, it is basically at varying degrees of intensity. The pain and soreness often extends right down into my lower lumber area and rib cage. The headaches, pain and discomfort with my neck makes life very debilitating 80% of the time.
No matter how much physiotherapy I have, and exercising I do, relief is always only very temporary. Massage and acupuncture are the only short term relief I can get. 9. SCARRING – The scar on my shoulder is very unattractive and I am very self conscious when wearing summer clothes or swimmers. I have tried silicone patches, and all other potions known to man to help heal this ugly scar and to no avail. My bra strap aggravates the scar which is very difficult because I have to wear a bra.
10. DEPRESSION – The accident, pain, all the surgical procedures, cortisone injections and tablets etc have contributed to my depression which peaked approximately 18 months ago. I was prescribed zoloft and this has helped considerably. The accident and resulting injuries, contributed to my loss of self confidence. I had to leave a job which I had held for several years and which paid good money to having no income at all and paying for medical costs which drained my savings.
Worrying about lack of income and mounting medical costs were also contributing factors. Currently, my concerns are the length of time my injuries will take to repair, or worse if ever. Contemplating the latter does not help to lift one’s confidence. 11. LEFT ARM/SHOULDER – As mentioned above, if I have my left arm crooked in the one position for a short time, the pain is so excruciating.
It takes some time and considerable pain to straighten it again. Blowdrying my hair causes the same problem.