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I've known about the arthritis in my lower spine since at least 2016, and I had bursitis in my shoulder back in 2017. This current "frozen shoulder" on my left arm is leading to new discoveries of just how old I'm getting.
I went to the doctor again on Thursday morning about the continuing pain in my shoulder and a new occasional pain shooting down my arm. They x-rayed my shoulder to make sure I didn't have a bone spur causing the nerve problem. I suppose the results are a mix of good news and bad news.
Good news: No bone spur that would require surgery to eliminate. Also no sign of desmoid tumor like my brother is having treated with radiation in one of his shoulders.
Bad news: There's also arthritis in my upper spine. Here's the exact quote from the radiologist:
That's disappointing. Old age will be painful. Being in the spine, there's not really any good way to avoid aggravating it. It's still better than the muscle cramps I had many years ago before figuring out that gluten was causing the nerve damage. Given a choice, I'd much rather have the arthritis.
For now, I continue the stretches and add some exercises to get my shoulder back into working order again.
I went to the doctor again on Thursday morning about the continuing pain in my shoulder and a new occasional pain shooting down my arm. They x-rayed my shoulder to make sure I didn't have a bone spur causing the nerve problem. I suppose the results are a mix of good news and bad news.
Good news: No bone spur that would require surgery to eliminate. Also no sign of desmoid tumor like my brother is having treated with radiation in one of his shoulders.
Bad news: There's also arthritis in my upper spine. Here's the exact quote from the radiologist:
"Degenerative changes without fracture or dislocation. No prevertebral soft tissue swelling appreciated. Multilevel facet arthrosis in the mid and lower cervical levels."
That's disappointing. Old age will be painful. Being in the spine, there's not really any good way to avoid aggravating it. It's still better than the muscle cramps I had many years ago before figuring out that gluten was causing the nerve damage. Given a choice, I'd much rather have the arthritis.
For now, I continue the stretches and add some exercises to get my shoulder back into working order again.