Im 54 years old (male) and had a spinal fusion in my neck back in 98. Have pain in it and heaviness across my shoulders (full of arthritis and showing signs of separation from last x-rays and scan about a year or so ago). But the real issue is my rotor cuffs. They are causing me Extreme pain in the front of my shoulders/arms like in the slit of the cuff (the extreme pain has moved from the front to the outside of my arm (for about 2 weeks) and now back to the front again).. It started at the right side about 5 months ago where it would jab me with pain to do the simple things like reach up to mess with the radio in the car. Then about 3 months ago my left cuff is doing the same thing. The pain, (with ill feeling inside and sick to my stomach) is so bad now I haven't been able to work for 2 weeks. I went to the emergency room because I don't have any insurance (nun offered in my work and can't afford it) and the Doc said I have damaged rotor cuffs... But they never took any x-rays or anything because I didn't have any insurance I guess (Huntsville Alabama - that's just the way it is here. They won't give me Medicaid/Medicare either, I guess cause I don't have any underage kids living at home (all grown))... or maybe it's just doctor not needing to... I don't know. He just gave me steroids that did not help any at all. Anyway, just crying out for any explanation of help... Is this the result of server cuff damage... and in both cuffs (what's the odds)? The pain allows me very little sleep and it's a wonder I haven't OD'ed on ibuprofen and BC's.

I emailed your question to my beloved chiropractor. He may have a suggestion. Please check back now and then. Meanwhile, read this: https://obamacare.net/obamacare-alabama/ Ask a social worker at the hospital for help regarding your eligibility for Medicaid.

From my chiropractor:

The problem here is that the only way to correctly treat a problem is to diagnose it correctly to begin with.

Giving prednisone is simply an anti inflammatory, not a cure.

If there are frayed tendons, for instance, this will continue to cause inflammation and pain. Get shoulder MRIs with contrast at a minimum, possibly cervical (neck) MRIs also.

I will be 70 in 3 months. I have your symptoms too. One shoulder, the other, sometimes worse than the other, never really very usable without pain. I don't want surgery. I seem to scar internally at the drop of a hat. One shoulder seemed hopeless forever, close to intense pain for 10 months, and then suddenly went back to the level it has been for years.

I go to great lengths to be comfortable. SLEEP is my main concern. I sleep on a soft couch, with a doubled comforter under me, and a series of pillows that are under my arms gradually up to my head. I change position once an hour. I don't like it but I wake up anyway. I don't sleep on my back (that hurts my shoulders for being too far back) but if on my side, I hug a fat pillow to keep my shoulders from being bent forward. This is most important of all.

I take Tylenol and ibuprofin together. It varies how much. Sometimes one of one and two of the other, or one each, or two of two. About 3 nights a week I take about 5 mg of THC/CBD cannabis oil, sometimes a little more. I hope you can get it. I don't get it legally.

When I SIT at my computer, I MOVE my arms a lot. Wiggle, lift, especially back as much as possible, because most of us hunch over our keyboards. Heating pad is my best friend.

I plan to live out my life this way. You are younger. I agree with the chiropractor. Get Medicaid even if you have to move to a different state.

Thanks Wondergirl and joypulv. And yes joypulv, the symptoms are pretty much the same...in both arms through at the same time. Definitely no laying on my back causing the shoulders to be to far back. The pain is terrible all the time and gets extreme at night. Did you get diagnosed as to exactly what is going on with your cuffs? And if so, what they say. Thanks again.

No, I didn't want to pay the co-pays for MRIs and such, and I have lots of pain in other places too. Going to doctors once in a while over 40 years was worse than not going at all. A chiropractor finally diagnosed my abdominal and leg pain 10 years ago, and did help a lot, not totally, and other pain set in, from doing strenuous work in my early 30s. Then getting Lyme and cellulitis later in life, and taking too many antibiotics, resulting in inflammation scarring. And not eating a healthy diet - too much sugar. Took me 2 years to study it all and sort it out and define each area of pain.

In my research, I learned 2 things about surgery: one is that doctors report success, but patients report that they are no better than before, 6 months and a year later, in high numbers. Two is that MRI interpretation isn't as precise as we think, and mistakes are often made. So why am I going to pay for them, get diagnosed, and get surgery? I'm not.

Each of us has a different situation, however, and given your age and the fact that you had cervical surgery, you really need those MRIs. Did you look into ACA (Obamacare) online? Small employers don't have to have a plan, and low income workers don't have to sign up on their own, but it might be worth it. Also look into Disability - SSD - at your SS office or online. That can take years to get, and it has a Catch 22: you have to have been unable to work at all for a long time. But check it out anyway. I know many people in their 50s who are in that no man's land before retirement, and it's tough.

And get that cannabis oil, or the candies! It's for pain, not getting stoned, in the right combination of THC and CBD. A dose will last 6-8 hours. It doesn't really kill pain, just makes it tolerable, and it takes away the stress all around the rest of you.

PILLOWS are very important. Do not use a typical polyester fiberfill one. You need shredded foam like you see on those TV commercials for 'My Pillow.' Those cost a ton of money for shredded urethane foam and you can make them yourself. Just buy one of those eggcrate mattress toppers, cup it up with scissors into pieces, and sew up inside a pillow case, or buy a zippered pillow case. Put regular pillows under them in a way that they work their way up a slope. Your shoulders need to be on the first, lowest pillow, and your head on a higher pillow. And hold a separate huge pillow under your top arm, and switch sides throughout the night.

K. Thanks joypulv

Keep us informed as to how you're doing!

Okay, Wondergirl (thanks), will do. Think I'll make another trip to the ER and see if they'll find out what's going on. Last time they pretty much sent me out the back door.

Okay, Wondergirl (thanks), will do. Think I'll make another trip to the ER and see if they'll find out what's going on. Last time they pretty much sent me out the back door.
Ask for a social worker, too.

ERs are not going to help.
Do all the slow, tedious work needed to do this right.

ERs are not going to help.
Do all the slow, tedious work needed to do this right.
Hopefully, they'll admit him.

Huntsville, AL. They can't afford to.

Huntsville, AL. They can't afford to.
Obamacare?

From their site --
Huntsville Hospital, the second largest hospital in Alabama, is a 941-bed hospital that serves as the regional referral center for north Alabama and southern Tennessee. In recent years, the hospital has expanded its service throughout the region with the development of Huntsville Hospital Health System (http://www.huntsvillehospital.org/affiliates), making it the third largest publicly owned hospital system in the nation with more than 1,800 beds and 12,000 employees.

Huntsville Hospital is committed to providing quality health care that improves the health of those we serve. One of the ways we fulfill this mission is to provide financial assistance to those members of the community in need. Our Financial Assistance Program may be able to assist with expenses for your care.

That's fine. Just not the ER.

Been to Huntsville hospital more than a few times. There assistance program consisted of throwing me the Medicaid papers to fill out and mail in, which I was refuses by Medicaid (I guess cause I don't have any kids at home). Other than that, there medical assistant program is to set up payments for the ER bill. They won't admit you unless it's life threatening or you have insurance.

It would be your income that supports x-number of people. You must earn too much. No health insurance through your employer?

Nope. I'm unimplemented for the last to weeks cause of the pain and difficulty to use my arm. Maybe I need to resubmit the paperwork to Medicaid. I know a guy here in Alabama that had to go through means of a grant to have heart surgery because he said Medicaid wouldn't help him. He couldn't work cause of his heart condition either/no income. This is Alabama.

Nope. I'm unimplemented for the last to weeks cause of the pain and difficulty to use my arm. Maybe I need to resubmit the paperwork to Medicaid. I know a guy here in Alabama that had to go through means of a grant to have heart surgery because he said Medicaid wouldn't help him. He couldn't work cause of his heart condition either/no income. This is Alabama.
Yes, resubmit.

Will do