The Dirt Field

When Bobby and I went the beach a few weeks ago, we tossed a foam football around in the water in hopes that constant motion would keep us warm in the freezing water. The cheap foam soaked up a few gallons of the ocean and made the football weigh several pounds, which was painful to throw and catch. At the time, I didn’t think much of the wrenching sensation heaving that ball around caused in my shoulder; I just figured I had a weak arm and a bad throw (still very true).

Two days after our trip, I started feeling pain in my right shoulder. It was bad enough that I skipped my thrice weekly push-ups/back extensions/stomach crunches routine for that entire week, and when it still hurt a bit the following Monday, I skipped that week as well. (It was SUCH a hardship to avoid a set of exercises I despise.) The shoulder was mostly pain-free last Monday, so I did a shorter set of push-ups and the remainder of the exercises without issue. It seemed like I was on the road to recovery.

Come last Saturday, I set out to do the full exercise routine before we headed out for the night. That’s what all girls do before going to a show downtown, right? I started by asking Bobby what to do if it hurt, and he told me that I should just push through the pain. It did end up hurting, but I pushed through the pain like a champ and did the full set of exercises. IDIOT. Him? Me? You can decide.

My shoulder has been a nightmare ever since. The pain is not lessening; if anything, it’s getting worse as the week progresses. Adding to the cause for concern is my absolute determination to do the Shenandoah Mountain 100 race this Sunday. Unless the shoulder literally falls off, rendering me unable to steer the bike, I am not going to miss an opportunity to chafe for 12+ hours.

With the upcoming weekend’s event in mind, I saw an orthopaedic doctor yesterday but didn’t quite get the resolution I wanted. When I have a problem and go to the doctor, I would like the problem identified; I do not wish to defer identification to a later date once I have suffered sufficiently. Yes, I am sure doctors have their reasons and that often issues remedy themselves, but if I have taken the time to make an appointment, come in, and pay a co-pay, I would like a solution beyond Go Home, Wait, and Return. If you really want my co-pay that badly, just ask and I’ll pay it twice on this visit in exchange for an answer.

Okay, I’m done ranting. Sorry. I’m sure insurance/medical practice/etc. all provide good reasons for not being able to make a concrete determination of the problem. Whatever. Back to my appointment. The doctor had x-rays taken to baseline the interior structure of my shoulder, he moved my arm around a bit to see where it hurt (EVERYWHERE), and he gave me the diagnosis of, “It might be [this], it might be [this], it might be [this], they all have different treatment plans, wait for 3-4 weeks to see how it feels and then come back and see me. And rest.” The potentially required treatment plans ranged from “do nothing” to surgery.

So now I wait. My shoulder is throbbing, getting worse in fact, but I am waiting patiently and resting. When I get home, I’m going to go for a nice long rest on the bike, and then this weekend I’m going to go on a restful camping trip that includes a relaxing 100-mile ride. Then maybe, once my shoulder detaches from my body and is dangling in agony, somebody will give me a diagnosis.