Health check

While my thyroid cancer issues seem to be under control, the rest of my body issues have not been.

I have been going to PT for my chronic right arm and shoulder pain for a little over a month now. I even went to see a Neurologist for possible nerve damage and have an appt for nerve testing next week. My right arm and shoulder have been feeling better and stronger the past couple of weeks, but I can still feel twinges of pain with certain arm movements - during pilates, picking up things or reaching for something with my right arm, lying down regardless of what side I lay on, these things still seem to irritate my right arm/shoulder. My PT says whenever he works on my T4, C4, and C5 areas, I seem to have better mobility. I was only given two exercises. Things are progressing a bit too slow for me. With my brother and nephews in town for the holiday, I decided to give it a go when I took them to Solid Rock earlier this week. I did a few routes, and I can say for sure that I am not ready to climb just yet. My PT wasn't too happy with me the next morning when I went in. Hopefully I didn't do too much damage by going climbing when I wasn't supposed to.

Last Friday (11/18), I had my appt with a Rheumatologist for my knees. First thing she says to me is 'You should not be running....you have osteoarthritis.' I know that, but why shouldn't I be running? I was confused because no one up to this point had told me not to run, at least not that I remember. Not the Rheumatologist I saw four years ago, not my PCP or her backup, not the PT for my knees. She wrote out the things I need to do: continue my PT exercises, including the ones I have to do at the gym (I've only been doing the first two I was given since my last PT session for my knees at the beginning of October), get down to my ideal body weight (like I haven't been trying, right?), stop all high impact activities (no running). If my knee pains don't improve over the next couple of months, she said we would talk about getting injections. Great. I was sent to get updated x-rays of my knees. Four years ago, my x-rays showed mild bilateral osteoarthritis, tri-compartmental in the right, patellafemoral in the left. This time, bilateral and tri-compartmental in both - the left knee got worse! So she said absolutely no running.

I just couldn't get over the 'no running' thing. I was already up to running twice a week. I had picked out a new pair of running shoes last week after run club and was looking forward to picking them up this week. WTF. I had a PT appt the afternoon after my Rheumatology appt. He told me he didn't think I had to completely stop running because the x-rays can only tell you so much. That sounded promising. I also asked my chiro about it this week. He said the same thing, but I definitely had to start out walking first and work up to it. My acupuncturist agreed with the Rheumatologist, and is concerned about trying to stop my knees from further degeneration. All I could think was that hearing 'you have osteoarthritis' was way worse than hearing 'it was cancer....we need to take out the other side.' At least my thyroid cancer can be surgically removed and managed by my replacement thyroid hormone meds and annual checkups, but OA, well, there is no cure for it.

I had jokingly mentioned to my Rheumatologist that I was probably going to see her in a few weeks for my right arm issues. So she checked it out as well. She looked at the notes for my right arm and said I went to see the Neurologist because of a droopy right shoulder. Huh? She initially said, 'rotator cuff injury', but after a few mobility tests, said it was probably tendonitis. All I could think to myself was 'great, next think it'll be arthritis again....argh!!!' My PT said he thought that my droopy right shoulder may have something to do with my arm/shoulder issues, especially since the droop is more than normal for the dominant side. Interesting.

So, my body seems to be failing me. My thyroid cancer stuff...well, I go in for my blood work pre-ENDO appt next week. Hopefully the several times I have missed my afternoon T3 dose won't completely screw up my thyroid levels.