Dear James, Daniel and Emily
So I saw Dr. Adler today about my neck, I gave him the full run down of everything, symptoms etc. He did an exam, looked at his records (it turns out that I did have an X-Ray done 5 years ago when this first flared up). And after going through all of that he gave me a couple of things to do and a diagnosis.
1. Taking medication to control the pain isn't a bad thing per se, so continue with the ibuprofen once a day and the occasional ice pack.
2. He recommnended some exercise to improve my muscle strength in my shoulders and neck. Ideally swimming would be best, but if that is not an option then rowing would also be good for improving the strngth in the muscles where I need it.
3. But, and this is what made me happy, he admitted that since the pain has been there for 5 years now, that there might be something else going on, or at the least that the therapy etc. needs to be stepped up a notch. So he is referring me to physiatrist who will do the additional testing to really locate the source of the pain and better diagnose what can be done to alleviate or cure it.
So there is a hazy light at the end of the tunnel. Until I see this other Dr. and they run the tests I just have to be careful to not stress the neck, take my pain killers, and probably see the massage therapist every week. And try to figure out when I can find time in my schedule for some exercise.
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