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I had surgery on my left shoulder 6 weeks ago, and have been in EXCRUCIATING pain ever since the day after surgery...(and that is with taking pain meds, Ibuprofen, Gabapentin, and using cold packs. ) Before my surgery I had an MRI done that showed that I have a torn rotator cuff, (suprastinus, greater than 50%), inpingement, bone spurs, arthritis. I think thats all. Anyways my surgeon did surgery but said that I did not have a tear AT ALL, so he didn't repair it. I totally believed him. Last week I got ahold of the Radilology Center, who said that they looked back at my MRI, and stand by their report 100%, that I absolutely DO have a tear. When I saw my surgeon today I explained my pain, again, to him, and asked him to please give me a referral for an MRI to ease my mind. He told me that I have Frozen Shoulder, and that he's not going to let me get an MRI right now, because it will show up as a torn rotator cuff no matter what, since my surgery was just six weeks ago. He said the "inflammation" will appear to be a tear. My question is, Is this true??? I have been doing my physical therapy, so I don't see how I could possibly have a frozen shoulder. Also, I have read that you NEED to do an MRI, to properly diagnose frozen shoulder.....So why isn't my surgeon letting me get one?? I don't care who's right, or who's wrong. I just want answers. Have been in this god awful pain for 6 weeks now. Ty for any help you can give!!
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tracey74894 lovelove11
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lovelove11 tracey74894
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tracey74894 lovelove11
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lovelove11 tracey74894
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tracey74894 lovelove11
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thechefshat lovelove11
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I sympathise with your predicament as I have found myself in a similar position more than once.
In a nutshell, it sounds like you want to get to the bottomof what's going on, you'd like to verify if there is a tear and if so, get it fixed. There is a route to doing this, but it this stage, it doesn't involve your current surgeon. Let me explain.
If your surgeon has been in and did not see a tear, then they will claim there was no tear. Sadly this sounds like they're putting their reputation before your wellbeing and I'm sorry to say that this is pretty much what each ofthe five surgeons I've seen have done with me at some point or another. This happens a lot with shoulders because they are the most difficult joint to treat - becasue there are so may thigs that can cause problems and the risk of getting it wrong is high.
If you want another MRI scan, you can get one done privately for around £250. However, no surgeon is going to take a scan done at 6 or 7 weeks seriously. You need to wait until between 12 and 16 weeks otherwise you're wasting your money.
Next question is how to get a referral. I've had my Osteopath do this for me. A Chiropractor, an Osteopath or your GP can refer you for an MRI. Only your GP can refer you for an NHS funded MRI, so you can speak with them about this.
Finally, some tears (particularly articular and interstitial tears) are difficult to see both on MRI and in surgery. The way around this is to have a contrast dye injected into the joint before the MRI, this is called an Arthrogram. This makes everything much easier to see as the contrast dye seeps into every gap. However, you're looking at about £550-800 for this privately and many providers of this service insist on a consultant's referral for this - though not all.
I don't know where you're based, but try contacting Vista Diagnostics in Waterloo, London as they do all of this, I have used them myself and are by far the cheapest provider. The likes of Bupa, Nuffield and Spire will charge a lot more.
You can also get a second opinion from another NHS consultant - speak to your GP about this, although this is likely to take longer. You might want to get your own private scan done, then take this along to the second consultant. It's up to you, but I find using the private sector for scans/diagnostics helps speed things up enormously.
Rgds, NICK
lovelove11 thechefshat
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tracy24377 lovelove11
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I agree with Nick in that it is too soon to have an MRI and that looking to have it done privately is the best option,I spent weeks going to my Dr lots of pain killers until they would refer me and when he did to a rheumatologist that was going to take 3 months min to get a first appointment by going private I had had a consultation scans and blood tests with in week and you cannot argue with the pics when presented the funny thing is if you go private you could meet the same Dr in the NHS
Iam now coming up to 4 weeks after op still in pain but trying to keep the arm moving keep dosed up to max hope all goes well💪
thechefshat tracy24377
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To the original poster of this thread, the nice thing about going private is that you can select the surgeon you want to see, but I don't think you need to go to that stage just yet. You can get your imaging (MRI) done privately and take those along to your NHS consultant appointment.
Incidentally, seeing a sugeon privately can cost anywhere between £70 and £200. Don't be fooled by price either, as price is normally based on reputation, not capability; which is why your current surgeon probably doesn't want to admit missing a tear as it will affect their reputation and the money they can charge for their private practice - doh!!!
Thx, NICK
shera48 lovelove11
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Would it be possible for you to go and have a second opinion with another doctor and explain about your experience. I think there is also a patient group that you could approach with your concerns about your treatment.
Hope you can get some help soon.
lovelove11 shera48
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tracey74894 lovelove11
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annie1963 lovelove11
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hotmess320 lovelove11
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Do you have limited range of motion? I understand you had surgery so it won't be 100%. Are your therapists saying that you are where you should be at this point in your recovery?
sarahjf66 lovelove11
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