Severe shoulder pain- help 😔

[Ansumpasty]

Hello. I’m looking for any reassurance as I’m worried sick.

I woke up 3 nights ago with pain in my left shoulder (top of arm, rather than near neck or back), as if I’d been sleeping in a bad position. It was mild irritation all day but I was able to carry on. It’s not heart and chest related and is definitely coming from the joint or things that attach to the bottom of the joint.
That evening, it started to feel a little worse. I tried lifting my arm and stretching from the door frame, which was a bad idea. Fell asleep on the sofa and woke in agony. It’s been agony since- the type of pain that knocks you sick and I’ve been in tears. The last 2 nights I’ve barely slept. Managed a few hours last night by sitting up in bed with my arm propped up to my side.
I can’t move my arm out the side more than about 6 inches without bad pain. It feels like a constant toothache at the top of my arm, even when still.

I went to the GP yesterday who checked me for things like ectopic pregnancy, referred me for an x ray and gave me naproxen. The x ray can take a while to come through.

The only thing I can think of is that 2 days before it came on, I tried to lift 2 giant pumpkins in a bin bag and swing them into one of the giant tip bins. It didn’t hurt afterwards, though? Can pain come on 2 1/2 days later?

I’m prone to health anxiety and I’m getting myself in a massive state of worry. I start a new job in 3 weeks and I’m terrified that this will still be here and jeopardise it for me 😞 I can’t even get myself dressed.

I have another doctor calling me this afternoon and I’ve booked an acupuncture session. The naproxen is not good for my stomach, so I’m taking co codamol and ibuprofen, but it only just takes the edge off.

I’m finding this extra hard as I have a phobia of medical tests and my anxiety tends to jump to worst case scenario.

I can’t do any of the exercises I’ve found on YouTube as it hurts way too much to lift my arm. Currently alternating ice and heat.

Kids off school for half term and I’m feeling so guilty that I’m ruining it for everyone by being in so much pain 😔

Anyone had anything similar or can offer me any reassurance? I’m so worried.

It is be a sign of peri menopause oddly. Mine is more or less gone since starting HRT though it was not as bad as when it happened first before I started HRT. I woke up with mine too.

It sounds a lot like the calcific tendonitis I had some years ago. Pain was so bad that I went to A&E as nothing was touching it and it came on quite acutely. X-ray showed a huge calcium deposit around the tendon which had obviously been developing for some time before I had symptoms.
The cure for me was immobilisation in a sling, sleeping in an upright position, dry needling under ultrasound to break up the deposit then physio to rebuild the muscle.
I would caution against any specific exercise recommended here without knowing what the problem actually is.

It can be.

Still waiting on my x ray, haven’t heard back when it will be yet. I’m in so much pain that it’s nauseating, and that’s when still.

What did anyone else take for pain relief? The codeine from the doctor is literally doing nothing. Having temporary relief from ice (only when it’s on my shoulder) but I think that’s because it’s so cold that it’s distracting. I’m getting so worried why it’s still agony after 3 days. 😥

You seen the physio? What did they say?

I’ve managed to get an emergency appointment with a private physio tomorrow at 5

Get them to write a letter to GP then go from there

Do you know if they can prescribe anything? I feel like a muscle relaxant would be beneficial but the doctor would only give me codeine to take ‘before bed.’

Codeine makes you very constipated. Best to get the prunes and movicol started now. You don't want more pain and misery on top of everything else.

I’ve noticed already! I’ve taken some of my husbands movicol. With the amount of pain I’m in, I can’t help but worry this is some being serious. Finding it hard to keep my anxiety in check 😔

I think you might be better to immobilise the joint until you see the physio. I don't know if others would agree, but you really don't know what you are dealing with. A big scarf as a sling then wrapped around your chest might ease the pain a bit.

Really depends what it is - my GP never got to the bottom of mine but the physio said not moving it was making it worse abs gave me gentle exercises to do. Couldn't do any of them initially as the pain was too great though. Alternating wheat bag and a hot water bottles helped relieve the pain a little bit until i next saw the physio. I'm so happy to be able to fully move my arm again without pain, but it did take ages. Hope the physio helps you a lot and quickly!

Was your pain as bad as mine, so like an awful toothache type pain at the top of my arm, even when still? Moving it is awful. It hurts to press into the joint at the top of my arm. What pain relief did you take? Sorry for all the questions- it’s a massive help to me to hear of someone having something similar because I feel really alone and worried about it

I was crying with the pain, couldn't sleep or concentrate. It radiated down my arm and I couldn't straighten it or move it out to the side. When I had to lay face down on the physio table I couldn't cos the pain was too great in the back of my shoulder and top of my arm. I took paracetamol, ibuprofen, deep heat, and a steroid injection from the GP. The only thing that eased my pain was physio. After the first session it still hurt a lot but I could put my arm through my T-shirt sleeve without crying.
I think a professional physio should be able to tell you what they think is wrong

@Ansumpasty what did the 2 doctors and the nurse you saw think it was?

That’s a huge relief because it does sound very similar, thank you. I’m literally counting down the minutes until 5pm tomorrow

They thought probably soft tissue inflammation or maybe a small tear. Said it wasn’t exactly like frozen shoulder

I've had a rotator cuff injury for 12 months or so and the physio wasn't sorting it out, it got to a point where it improved and then stopped, so went for the steroid injections. Saw Professor Levy in Reading who was brilliant. If you can afford private I can highly recommend him. Or you can get a referral from the NHS to go there.

I've had a shoulder injury (full thickness rotator cuff tear - lots of physio and strength training later, I never notice it).

Shoulders can be really painful - they are very "crowded" joints. So please try not to worry about worst-case scenarios - I know it is hard but that won't help the pain. Physios see a lot of shoulder injuries, so I hope yours can help, and provide some reassurance and a plan too.

Thank you :) I’m getting myself into an awful state and feel on the verge of a panic attack with the pain (and the worry of it not going away). Just spoke to another doctor after calling 111 who has upped my codeine.

Does anyone know if naproxen is superior to ibuprofen, or just I just stay on the ibuprofen?

An MRI would be more helpful than an xray imo but it does sound like a rotar cuff issue where its a tendonitis type thing or a tear. Once an mri confirmed moderate tendonitis i had a steriod injected which made a huge difference to the pain

I wonder if the physio will suggest that. I have a massive phobia of tests and all things medical, but the level of this pain has me acting out of character and if someone ordered an MRI, I’d be there with bells on 😂

@Ansumpasty naproxen is good, but it can be harsh on the stomach, so it's best taken with omeprazole to prevent stomach ulcers forming.

@Covidwoes omeprazole gives me diarrhoea- I can’t win! I’m going to stop the naproxen and go back to ibuprofen as my stomach is definitely not happy. Not sure if ibuprofen is any gentler, though! I wonder if it can be taken with Gaviscon?