I Wish I Had Eyes in the Back of My Head

I figured I should probably compose a present day update on here since it has been a while since I have written anything. May was a very busy month and rather stressful because I was going to be traveling to Boston, Massachusetts to meet with a new surgeon that I was referred to. At the beginning of the month my mom and I traveled to Nevada  to visit my grandparents. It was a very nice visit and the timing of going was perfect since I had my doctor appointment a week later. Going to Nevada was a great distraction and my whole body felt better from being in a climate with low humidity. I must say, it was very odd traveling without all of my medical records!

I loved the dry climate! The view is pretty good too.

My grandma; I definitely don't get my height from my mom's side of the family

My grandpa. We were eating lunch at this really good Chinese restaurant.
They had some pretty good sugar doughnuts. 

Once we returned home to Illinois it was time to switch gears and get ready for the doctor appointment in Boston. Fortunately all my records are pretty much together in binders so the packing aspect of things didn't take long at all. When it comes to getting ready to meet with a new doctor, it is more mental preparation for me; making sure I know what points I want to make, what questions I want to ask etc.

At the appointment with Dr. W it was decided the reverse shoulder replacement was NOT a good option for my right shoulder joint because my right shoulder blade is not moving properly at all and there is the fear that I will end up dislocating. It was made clear to me that you do not want to dislocate with the reverse replacement. The good news is Dr. W did propose an alternative option but before making an official plan of treatment he wants to contact my other doctors to get more of my history. The main goal at this point is to improve my quality of life by getting me in less pain and hopefully help me gain a little more motion to make me more functional. I am hoping to hear from somebody in the next week or so with how to proceed.

Where I met with the doctor

Since Dr. W did not need any further testing, my mom and I were able to take the next day and explore Boston a little bit. Boston is a very clean city and all the people we interacted with were very nice and had amazing accents. We took a trolley tour around the city and did a boat ride on the bay to see the skyline. We also ate at a food truck for the first time ever. It was pretty good too. We both had a barbecue pork sandwich and a side of corn bread. The owner had a sense of humor. He told me his sandwiches will make all my pain go away. I told him he should give me a lot then haha. My mom and I had a very nice day. Boston is one of those places that we want to go back to and visit because there is so much history and various sites that we didn't have time to see. I guess we are going to have to go back one of these days.

My mom and I 

Eating my sandwich. It was very
nice outside. 

Boston airport was unique compared to the other airports we have been too.
They have rocking chairs!

We've been home from Boston for almost 2 weeks. I've been thinking a lot about everything that was said in regards to my shoulders/shoulder blades and I feel like I am an ant at the base of Mt. Everest trying to climb to the top. There are so many issues that are wrong between nerve issues and all four joints that I don't even know what would be the best way to address things anymore. At my appointment I said we have to address my right side because it is worse but since the exam on my left side it has been hell. For the first time since 2012 my left shoulder blade is killing more than anything on my right side. Yesterday morning when I got up my scapulas were hurting me a lot. I was up the entire night from pain and not being able to get comfortable. I had my mom take a picture of me pushing against the wall because it is a type of test that is used and I knew something just didn't seem right. After seeing the picture, I wish I had eyes on the back of my head. I had no clue my shoulder blades looked like that when I push against the wall. It explains why I push doors with my feet, open doors with my feet, can't pour a half gallon of milk, can't wash my hair without bending over, and why I have lost a great deal of motion.

This picture is from Sept. 2013. Notice the right shoulder
blade is in a good position and is not sticking up. The
left shoulder blade is just protruding a bit at the bottom.
This was the mental image of what I've had in my head for
the past 8 months. 

May 2014. Looks much different compared to
September. There  are now two funky depressions
on the left which are either detached or loose
muscle attachments. The right one is now
protruding at the bottom and has its own depression.

Side view of my scaps. I have no clue what
will be done with them. I have to send an
email to my doctor next week. 

Now that I see what my shoulder blades looks like in the above picture, I feel like a complete idiot at my doctors appointment. I told Dr. W my right shoulder isn't in that bad of shape. Ha! Oh yes it is.

That's my motion when I try to raise
my arms up with my elbows bent. You
can see the left scap sticking out.

This is only how far my arms move in front of me. Pretty pathetic.
Everything I do in the day is all elbow motion. 

How my scaps look when trying to raise
my arms in front of me with elbows straight. 

So since yesterday morning I've pretty much been in shock over my scapulas. I do not understand why things have deteriorated the way they have in 8 months. In my emails to my doctors and other medical personnel I've been saying I'm getting worse and can't do so-and-so exercise but none of us knew this was going on with my shoulder blades. It is times like this where having your doctor is in a different state is huge downfall. Emails don't convey the true reality of a situation. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/486951778432190662/