Ways to spend a Friday evening

My shoulder has not appeared to progressed any in the healing process so I made an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon yesterday. The appt was for 3:00. I arrived, gave them my pre-filled out new patient paperwork and sat down in the waiting room. Dr. Phil was on, there were no magazines and I didn't bring anything with me. So I suffered for about an hour until I was called back to the exam room.

There I sat reading a research article on a new surgery technique for rotator cuff repair. Hey - they at least had magazines!!

The fellow came in and had me explain the accident and demonstrate what I could and could not do. He then evaluated my strength and flexibility. All with a questioning look on his face. The next step was x-ray.

Once that was completed it was back to the exam room to finish the research article (it was very riveting - especially the shoulder cadaver pictures!)

The doc came in and we chatted and examined my x-rays. This was his 12th MS150! Very friendly man! It is great to have doctors who can relate to you, your injury, how you got it and do not want to stop you from getting back to that activity. Oh yeah - no definitive results from the x-rays.

Now it was time to set up an appt for an MRI with contrast. And guess what? They had an opening for 7:00! Goody!

First I had to get another x-ray of the shoulder. That meant waiting another 45 minutes in another waiting room waiting for a table to come available. Finally a room. The x-ray was taken, now we have to wait for a radiologist. 25 minutes later we get one (he was actually worth the wait - another nice doc).

The radiologist then prepped me for the injection - sterilization and numbing of the injection site, determination of where the needle was to be inserted via the use of a fluoroscope and then the eventual injection of the contrast media. The last part wasn't very pleasant. Another x-ray after that was taken and off for the MRI.

No waiting there - they were actually waiting for me and hoping I hadn't been sent to the wrong MRI lab!

I lay down on the table and get appropriately positioned and swaddled up (let's just make things even more claustrophobic). Then it is into the tube I go. All was okay at first, but because of my position and the extra fluid in my joint from the contrast my shoulder started to throb. By the time they let me out and freed me from my confines the pain was intense.

The one armed drive home was not the most fun. But the Vicoprofen I took once I did get there (around 8:30) was and helped a lot!!

Now the wait for the results. The doctor is hoping for the best (me too!) and that I just have a really bad sprain which will only require an injection of cortisone to make things better.

Hope for the best.