Well this just sucks

[Timothy]

Back on track..

Sorry to hear of your shoulder issues.  Do what you can and adapt as necessary.

[crusader rabbit]

I know how much bad shoulders can interfere with the simplest things in life.  I prefer to sleep on my sides, right or left, it doesn't matter.   But my danged shoulder wakes me with pain about 45 minutes into my doze.  I roll over and get another 45 before THAT shoulder wakes me with pain.  And so it goes all night long.  If I sleep on my back, it's worse since Bunny only has a 30 minute tolerance factor for snoring.

Doc at the VA told me he would recommend a "reverse shoulder replacement" for both shoulders.  Problem is, that limits your ability to lift anything--40 lbs from floor to waist;  20 lbs above the waist.  That sucks.  I have range bags that weigh more than that.  Besides, I recently read that the reverse shoulder replacements are having a real problem with many requiring repeat surgery.  No thanks.

Only thing I have found that helps is something Bunny came across in one of her "new age" forays into yoga, essential oils and other nonsense.  She gave me a bottle of copaiba oil that I massage into my shoulders a few times a day.  When I started, I could hardly comb my hair.  After a couple of days, I had nearly full motility of both shoulders.  It doesn't stink, burn or generally screw things up.  It's not like any sort of liniment.  It's just a lightweight oil harvested from some sort of Amazonian tree.  There is a slight scent to it, but hardly noticeable.  After about a week of 3 or 4 times daily, I reduced it to once or twice.  Then, down to every other day.   Now, I use it just when the shoulders start hurting.  It hasn't "cured" anything.  My shoulders are still a very weak link and if I have to take stuff down from a top shelf, I will probably get some help.  But in daily life, the pain is mostly gone and it beats the crap out of surgery.

The stuff is not expensive.  You can find it on Amazon.  And, it may not work for you as well as it has for me.  Still, it's a cheap fix if it does.  Oh, and with the oil, I get a couple of hours of sleep on each side before I have to groggily roll over to the other side for another couple of hours sleep.  And, I can still shoot my hand guns and my rifles.  I did get rid of the .44 Mag Redhawk, though.  Just too much kick.  My carry gun is now a .357 Mag snubbie and I can shoot that all day.  Same with the AR 15...  No pain if I oil up the morning before I go shooting.

Good luck, Tom.  Let me know if the stuff helps you.

Crusader Rabbit

[billt]

Crusader,

I'm going to try some of that Copaiba Oil. It's all over Amazon. The other day I changed oil and filters on both of my vehicles. The next day my neck and back were killing me from crawling around under the car, and craning my neck. I finally gave up and went and bought a creeper with nice cushioning and a foam headrest. But that didn't help with the pain. Changing oil is yet another way to gauge your age. I used to do it without batting an eye. Today it's a major undertaking. I still fight through it because I don't trust these kids at Jiffy Lube, or even the dealer. Too many horror stories. 

[crusader rabbit]

Billt, I'm in total agreement regarding oil changes.  Throughout my adult life, I have made it a point to do my own oil changes for exactly the reasons you note:  I don't trust the kids at Jiffy Lube.

For the past few years, I have had to forego that simple maintenance task because it takes me too long to recover and I really don't enjoy pain.

My solution is an independant oil change business not far from my home.  The owner is a guy in his 50s who takes great pride in his work.  I have watched him from the waiting room, and he attends to all the items I would if I could still do it--tire pressure, grease fittings, general observations, double-checking the drain plug and oil filter seal, brake fluid level, p/s fluid level, coolant level.  Then he drops the vehicle back down and pumps in my choice of synthetic blend oil.  He then starts the car and double checks for leaks, proper oil level.

I pay about $5 more for his service than I would at Jiffy, but I think it's worth it.  You might be able to find something similar around Scottsdale.

I hope you get a measure of relief from the copaiba oil.  If you aren't expecting instant miracles and are willing to rub it in several times a day for the first week or so, I think you may find it helps.  Just make sure you get it from a reputable supplier.

Crusader Rabbit

[tt11758]

I know how much bad shoulders can interfere with the simplest things in life.  I prefer to sleep on my sides, right or left, it doesn't matter.   But my danged shoulder wakes me with pain about 45 minutes into my doze.  I roll over and get another 45 before THAT shoulder wakes me with pain.  And so it goes all night long.  If I sleep on my back, it's worse since Bunny only has a 30 minute tolerance factor for snoring.

Doc at the VA told me he would recommend a "reverse shoulder replacement" for both shoulders.  Problem is, that limits your ability to lift anything--40 lbs from floor to waist;  20 lbs above the waist.  That sucks.  I have range bags that weigh more than that.  Besides, I recently read that the reverse shoulder replacements are having a real problem with many requiring repeat surgery.  No thanks.

Only thing I have found that helps is something Bunny came across in one of her "new age" forays into yoga, essential oils and other nonsense.  She gave me a bottle of copaiba oil that I massage into my shoulders a few times a day.  When I started, I could hardly comb my hair.  After a couple of days, I had nearly full motility of both shoulders.  It doesn't stink, burn or generally screw things up.  It's not like any sort of liniment.  It's just a lightweight oil harvested from some sort of Amazonian tree.  There is a slight scent to it, but hardly noticeable.  After about a week of 3 or 4 times daily, I reduced it to once or twice.  Then, down to every other day.   Now, I use it just when the shoulders start hurting.  It hasn't "cured" anything.  My shoulders are still a very weak link and if I have to take stuff down from a top shelf, I will probably get some help.  But in daily life, the pain is mostly gone and it beats the crap out of surgery.

The stuff is not expensive.  You can find it on Amazon.  And, it may not work for you as well as it has for me.  Still, it's a cheap fix if it does.  Oh, and with the oil, I get a couple of hours of sleep on each side before I have to groggily roll over to the other side for another couple of hours sleep.  And, I can still shoot my hand guns and my rifles.  I did get rid of the .44 Mag Redhawk, though.  Just too much kick.  My carry gun is now a .357 Mag snubbie and I can shoot that all day.  Same with the AR 15...  No pain if I oil up the morning before I go shooting.

Good luck, Tom.  Let me know if the stuff helps you.

Crusader Rabbit

Thanks brother, I'll give that a try!!  Gotta be better than ANY kind of surgery!!  That being said, the latest orthopedic surgeon is the first surgeon I've ever dealt with who talked me OUT of surgery!!

[Sponsor]

[tt11758]

A quick update...................

Headed to the range on a toasty 4th of July afternoon to see how much recoil I can tolerate at this point.

Here's how it broke down:
Walther PK380 I think I can tolerate for AT LEAST two mags full
Carry-size 1911 in .45ACP.  I can shoot it for self-defense IF the bastard will agree to die in 7 rounds or less.  After that I think it might hurt me as much as it does him.
AR15 I can tolerate about 20 rounds.

Needless to say, the shotguns and big-bore rifles never even came out of the Tahoe.

I didn't sleep well that night, due to the sore/achy shoulders.  Sadly, neither did Miss K (she said my "crappie-flopping" kept her awake.)

[Big Frank]

That really does suck TT. At 55 I'm close to your age and have arthritis in both shoulders along with every vertebrae from head to toe and who knows where else. Luckily for me my experience living with arthritis for the last 35 years has been much different from yours. I didn't tear my rotator cuff but the doctor had to cut through it to do my shoulder surgery. For several years every time I moved my arm it was grinding the bones together. You could say the bastard was grinding me down.

The solution? Cut off a half inch or so of my collarbone. After 6 months of PT it was even better than the good shoulder. I believe I was in my late 40s when I had the surgery. That may have been the difference in having a successful outcome or not. If the surgeon says it's too late then I really don't know what else to say except to wish you the best of luck and let you know that I sympathize with you perhaps more than someone who's never had shoulder problems.

At this point you probably can't do much to make it better but can try not to make it worse. Like I keep telling my mom, if you're doing something that's causing you severe pain, quit doing it. If it's something you have to do, take a break and work on it some more later. Hang in there brother. I would try that Copaiba oil. It couldn't hurt and may actually help.