torn arm muscle?

[juldea]

I'm trying to make a family-friendly post here, but in all reality to get the gist of my mood, insert at least two expletives per sentence in this entire post.

It's time for another episode of random injury theater, it seems. This one might even be injury of the season, if not the year, depending on how it pans out.

Yesterday I had minor but significant pain in my bicep restricting my range of motion. I have no reason memory of injuring or overstraining my arm in any way, but there you go. As of about two hours ago this pain has grown so great that I cannot sleep; I was unable to find a position that didn't hurt badly enough to disrupt. I woke up and iced my arm, discovered my range of pain-free motion is even smaller, now, and have generally been battling tears for an hour or so. I'm typing this entry with one hand to keep the other from causing movement at all.

The pain is focused on a spot around halfway down my upper arm, just to the outside of facing forward. In my limited knowledge, this is the outside of the bicep. It has radiated out from that spot all the way up to my shoulder and down to my forearm. Also in my limited knowledge I have assumed that this is a torn muscle, although how I accomplished this in my sedate lifestyle is beyond me.

Of course, despite the law and all of that, I do not have health insurance and cannot just saunter into a doctor's office. This is my own doing and not something I am complaining about. However, it puts a limit on what I can do now.

More expletives. And tears - those are in abundance here, too.

Comments

[manamakeri.livejournal.com]

I feel your pain. While I know mine isn't a torn muscle, I have a strain in the EXACT same place that you described. I've had it for over a month and don't have insurance either. I keep hoping it gets better on its own, but that remedy doesn't seem to be the most effective :(

[doc-smiley.livejournal.com]

*hug*

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[skybabie.livejournal.com]

Do they happen to have a free clinic anywhere near you? That would be my first attempt at looking for help, as well as if it gets to bad most hospitals if they are county or general usually cannot turn someone away that is unable to pay - at least that is what is said in the area around here.

If it gets to bad though and you need help with $ to see a Dr. let me know and I'll get some to you as quick as possible.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, as of July 1 it is state law that everyone has insurance, and... I never got around to applying for the cheap stuff. So there aren't free clinics around here, no. :P Like I said, my own damn fault.

[skybabie.livejournal.com]

Wow I must be behind on the times :( wasn't aware laws could change like that...

Seriously though the offer is there if you need some $ I'll see what I can come up.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

The Massachusetts health insurance law thing was quite a while in the making, actually. I guess it just didn't get much press in other states.

I appreciate the offer but I don't think it would be useful... I know an ER visit fir a sprained ankle to be about $10k, and there's no way I'm borrowing that!

[kishpa.livejournal.com]

I think its time to put orange cones and yellow tape around you....and wrap you in bubble wrap! :)
Get better sweetie!

[siderea]

I know an ER visit fir a sprained ankle to be about $10k

Huh? I paid cash for all my emergency room visits and never went over $500 (in 1990s dollars.)
How'd you get stuck with a $10k bill for a sprained ankle?

Anyway. Something that might help is to get londo or other trusted person with strong hands to massage, hard, the arm upstream of the injury, esp right around the point of the shoulder, around the clavicals, the back over the shoulder blade. If you have any knots or tenseness on those parts of you arm, they are pulling on the place you describe hurting.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

2004, when I first moved here, at Whidden Hospital in Somerville (now closed, I think.) I went in uninsured for a sprained ankle, and later got bills for $9,000-odd and $900-odd. That was cleared up with the hospital's free care program at the time, thankfully. But, I got them.

londo is a trusted person but not a strong-handed one. ;) I have D&D games tonight and tomorrow I will likely attend, so I will see about grabbing a massage from one of them.

[nemoalia.livejournal.com]

You should tell everyone it's an injury sustained while knitting!

(Be prepared with details. "I was just binding off, and in my excitement...!")

[siderea]

2004, when I first moved here, at Whidden Hospital in Somerville (now closed, I think.) I went in uninsured for a sprained ankle, and later got bills for $9,000-odd and $900-odd. That was cleared up with the hospital's free care program at the time, thankfully. But, I got them.

Wow. I hobbled in to Mt. Auburn Hospital with a sprained foot, in 1995 or so, and it cost me $450~, including the x-rays. No free care. What on earth did Whidden provide you with that cost $9k? Did you get much better drugs than me?

[ex-sleek838.livejournal.com]

Hmm perhaps when the strain feels better, even if you don't exercise regularly, stretching helps a lot. And lay off the hot monkey love ;)

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I know I came home with an ankle brace of this variety (http://leedergroup.com/images/82.jpg) and probably some painkillers, but nothing memorable. I don't recall x-rays but I know that I went in because my foot was swollen and purple, so they probably did x-rays. There was nothing hugely significant done, though, which is why I was also shocked by those figures.