Yesterday I had an ultrasound-guided injection of local anaesthetic and steroid into my right glenohumeral joint (in my shoulder). Last night when I went to bed I realised how much I must have accepted the pain; it was so weird to have none.
A couple of months ago I had a similar injection into the swollen bursa. It had absolutely no effect at all. Some time later I realised that the reason it didn’t work at all is because the pain was in a different location. The anaesthetic didn’t even make a difference – I should have at least had a couple of days pain-free if the injection was in the right area.
This time I’m pain free for now. I should know by about Friday whether this injection has worked. The doctor still isn’t certain, not a lot has shown up on the MRI’s or x-rays. He’s hoping and so am I.
It’s great to be able to lift my arm above my head, to pull off a top over my head, to take off a shirt, without the action causing pain in my shoulder. I’m not allowed to use my arm for a couple of days. I have to remember that for now I’m free of pain because of the anaesthetic, not because the problem has gone away.