So after 2 months of physical therapy, xrays, and an MRI this week, the orthopedic surgeon says "Lets try some cortisone in that shoulder, and see what happens". So he sticks this looooong needle through the back of my shoulder into the bursar sac that sits underneath my collarbone and on top of my shoulder. The idea is to get the inflammation to go down, thus reducing the pain I've been dealing with for the last 6 months. Then we can rehab the joint tendons and muscles. FECK! It feels like a horse is trying to kick a railroad spike into my shoulder joint.

I'm torn between getting drunk, getting high, or drowning myself in the hot tub.

Any other ideas?


Randy

Ice fishing?

Hookers and Blow, man.
You must be hurtin', or you would have figured that out on your own.

Then we can rehab the joint tendons and muscles

 
My Mrs had some micro surgery done on her shoulder a year or so ago which has fixed her right up.
 
She hasn't looked back since...
 
Seriousness aside though she had a lot of trouble with it before much like you are describing and she doesn't even mention it now.
 
Given the options you've listed for just now though, if it was me I'd plump for the drugs everytime.  But then there was a time I'd plump for that option whatever the circumstances.

Jonbouy

Then we can rehab the joint tendons and muscles

My Mrs had some micro surgery done on her shoulder a year or so ago which has fixed her right up.
 
She hasn't looked back since...

Sorry to hear her shoulder surgery effected her neck like that.

Sorry to hear about that Randy. I've been having a lot of trouble with my left shoulder and won't go to the doctor for fear of what you're going through.

Hope it feels better soon.

rsp@odyssey.net


So after 2 months of physical therapy, xrays, and an MRI this week, the orthopedic surgeon says "Lets try some cortisone in that shoulder, and see what happens". So he sticks this looooong needle through the back of my shoulder into the bursar sac that sits underneath my collarbone and on top of my shoulder. The idea is to get the inflammation to go down, thus reducing the pain I've been dealing with for the last 6 months. Then we can rehab the joint tendons and muscles. FECK! It feels like a horse is trying to kick a railroad spike into my shoulder joint.

I'm torn between getting drunk, getting high, or drowning myself in the hot tub.

Any other ideas?


Randy

Somehow I think if you actually tried having a horse kick a railroad spike into your shoulder joint you may realize the actual pain ain't so bad because I think pinching your underarm tissue* will not distract you from the pain.


*my first thought

Sorry to hear about your shoulder, Randy.  I hope you find something that works.  Good luck.  

Having had a barage of sports-related injuries I can confirm that getting a cortisone shot in your should is NO fun. But, worse, it's only a temporary relief and can actually make things deteriorate in the long run. It sucks, but the best thing to do is ice it down (to reduce swelling) then warm it up (to get the healing blood flowing - hot tubs are great for this). Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.) can help reduce the swelling and the pain, but sometimes you need to feel a bit of pain so you don't accidentally hurt it worse. I had three months of PT on my last rotator cuff injury (in lieu of the surgery I actually needed because my insurance would only do that if I was a professional athlete - ended my days of playing softball, tennis & volleyball).

I don't want to come across as some kind of new-age hippie,  but have you thought about some sessions of Reiki? My dad is the world's biggest skeptic but he swears by it for pain and stress reduction. His girlfriend is a qualified practitioner. He says that after a session his heart rate and blood pressure are way down. Lower stress = less pain. 

Also consider adding an astaxanthin supplement to your daily diet. It really is a remarkable antioxidant and has  anti-inflammatory properties which can help with pain. To the same end, it's worth taking a turmeric supplement as well. Google around about the anti-inflammatory and pain reducing properties of turmeric, because there's a lot of excitement surrounding it.