LOL! We all have our tolerances for meds! I can take 1.5mg of klonopin which is higher than the normal dose but that's what I need.

I also take 400mg of Topamax for migraines. Some people take 75 mg. I tried taking 375mg and got a migraine almost immediately.

As we all say, every one is different! You do what you have to do and find what works for you!

I asked my PT about your frozen shoulder. He said that usually it takes about 8 months so at least you have some idea. The object is to have your frozen shoulder begin to melt.

You may not need to do the pain route. It may actually be more beneficial to not stress but rather stretch. When I come to a point where I may feel pain, I am to back off. The muscle needs to stretch not tighten from pain.

My guy started with passive stretching. In other words, he moved my shoulder. But first, he just had me on my back and gave a massage to check the tightness.

This sure sounds a bit "wrong" as I type it.

Uh...sounds pretty good to me there!

My shoulder hurt so bad last night that I called my massage therapist this morning and begged for her to work on it today. She spent an hour on me trying to get the muscles in my shoulder/neck/shoulder blade and arm to relax. Tight as a board. I didn't sleep last night. I tried 6 pain pills, heat, ice, nothing worked. Not sure what was up but, I do feel a little better after she worked on it this afternoon.

EIGHT months?????? OMG! I will get through this, I have no choice. I do not want surgery.

Shappy, Taffy, Aarcyn. Let's work on this together. Got a plan? I guess I will find out mine on Tuesday.

Support support support. Incentives? I know what will get Shappy through...

FG, I swear the frozen shoulder pain is unbelievable. Its the capsule contracting down and scarring. I think my painful stage was like 4-5 months.

Stick with it.

Ok this was weird but what helped me at night was i tucked a pillow under my arm pit and tried to sleep that way when I slept on my side. It helped keep the arm neutral. Also sometimes I would make a ^ with two pillows and lay on my back with my head at the top of the ^ and lay a small pillow under that frozen arm.

When I saw my new ortho this week he said that he sees 500 frozen shoulders a year and will only do surgery on 1-2 people. He then examined me and said I think you might be my first one of 2009.

Have you looked at t some of the exercises I sent ya FG? Also I swear I had to almost wait to the end of the frozen stage to do them. The easiest one is walking your hand/fingers up a wall.

what pain medication are you taking? I had the doctor prescribe the "big guns."
Percocet. I do not play around with pain, I want to sleep.

Plus the pain only adds to my stiff muscles.

I see the PT twice a week and do the exercises many many times a day, various ones.

It started with passive stretching.

My PT said there is hope to melt your shoulder and increase the muscle. You have to stay away from the pain though. Does your massage therapist rub hard enough to hurt?...in a good way?

I have been on percocet.

My Massage therapist knows what she is doing. She's been at this for a long time. She is working with the pain mgmt doc and my neuro.

And Shappy, if I could get my arm stretched out in front of me to reach the wall, that would be a start. LOL! I do sleep with a pillow under my arm. I cannot even lay on my shoulder. I have to sleep on my back or left side. I used to sleep on my right side. So this is an adjustment.

Stand as close to wall as you have to to touch the wall FG!

Do I have to tell you have to cheat now?

Ah, yes, you do. So cheating is good?

lol! Yes FG...that is...when it comes to FS and exercises. Now, stand really close to the wall and even if you can only touch it barely and spider crawl a quarter of inch. Well...that's it! Man, you must have it bad!

(gonna get my um....you know... to some p.t. and see if we can't finish it off)