“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

Dolly Parton

Update: there has been no improvement in the shoulder since Friday.  It hasn’t been excruciating, but it hasn’t been normal either.  Yesterday I figured I would do some bike and stairmaster at the gym (since there’s not a whole lot I can do that doesn’t affect it).  As it turns out, recumbent bike would have been a better choice. Today make neck and shoulder are bugging me big time.  The thing is, I intentionally was leaning on my right shoulder so as not to put any strain on the left, and it didn’t matter one iota.

So now I find myself in the position of not being able to get comfortable- in spite of the NSAIDS and muscle relaxants.  I had my first official break down this morning.  It was short lived (yes there were tears), but the truth is I have had it.  There is clearly nothing I can do NOT to aggravate my shoulder- even sleeping makes it worse.  I haven’t run, done boot camp, climbed, or done Insanity in what seems like forever, and I don’t feel like it’s made one bit of difference.  At this point, there’s little to no chance of being able to do the Tough Mudder or Chesire Half, and I am beyond frustrated.

What irritates me the most is how completely unhelpful the ortho doctor I saw was.  He didn’t appear interested in anything I had to say and seemed completely annoyed that I came to see him instead of a general practicioner.  However, I knew if I went to my PCP he was going to have to send me for xrays and to follow up with an ortho guy anyway- so why not get it all done at once?  The best part was how he told me how physical therapy works really well, but is a huge time commitment and then never even gave me the option of going.

Given that we are now on week 3 of this issue with no real signs of improvement, I am ready to change things up.  I found a sports medicine center that specializes in chiropractic medicine, physical therapy, and acupuncture.  The doctor there also happens to be a certified personal trainer who avidly does crossfit, so I’m sort of hoping if anyone will get where I’m coming from it’s him.  I called and left a message with the office today to see if they 1)take my insurance, and 2) can fit me in anytime soon.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can find someone who is willing to listen and can actually help.  I get that I am not some important super athlete, but it doesn’t make being injured and unable to train any less devastating to me.  I want to be out there giving it my best as much as any professional or olympic athlete regardless of my lack of talent. 😉  What I need is someone who understands that and can give me a better timeline and guidelines on what I can and cannot do.

Here’s to being hopeful!