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I forgot you said in an earlier post that you had tried acupuncture before. How many treatments did you have? I didn't notice any results until about the third or fourth treatment. My nighttime pain has been reduced from a level 10 to about a 6 or 7 now, and I am no longer taking Advil. Even though I'd like to continue, it's risky to keep that up after six months.
The good people at my hospital's Natural Healing Center where I have the acupuncture taught me how to sleep on my good side -- pillow under the head w/ neck straight with another pillow between the ankles. I put some BioFreeze http://biofreeze.com/ on my shoulder before bed and take a pain pill with water and a couple of Ritz crackers just in case of stomach upset. I do still wake up from pain but it's at least tolerable -- I just shift my arm a little and go back to sleep. My spirits are better now, too. Not feeling as hopeless anymore.
Sending a prayer your way and hope you feel well soon!View Thread

Coincidence? No way!!! Don't believe a word. I've been through all this. The only thing that will pinpoint the exact injury to your shoulder is an MRI . Please have one done as soon as possible and take the image to an ORTHOPEDIC SPECIALIST for a proper diagnosis.
The MRI will show whether you have fluid collection around the joint, in the bursa sac, or if there is any kind of tear.
A rheumatologist is NOT the route you want to take. At the one month mark of my injury (Nov 1, 2012) I was also sent to a rheumatologist and he gave me the same line of BS -- that the flu vaccine had nothing to do with it and it must have been a coincidence. He prescribed physical therapy - WRONG! It only made the pain worse. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY on a rheumatologist!
The ONLY treatment that has relieved my pain is ACUPUNCTURE. I just came back from my eleventh treatment. Never in my life have I had acupuncture before this vaccine injury. I am now a total convert!
And, by the way, the vaccine injury lawyers accepted my case. If you have any questions about that, let me know.View Thread

Good find on the research paper. If you already spent the $31.50 I hate to tell you this, but that's the exact same paper the vaccine injury lawyer forwarded to me free of charge. I brought a copy of it to my doctor, who hadn't had any previous experience with flu vaccine injuries. She did take the time to read it and thanked me for giving it to her.View Thread

It has now been four and a half months since October 2, that fateful day when I was literally stabbed in the shoulder joint by the so-called "certified" male nurse, who I have since dubbed
"The Nincompoop from Hell".
My first 3 acupuncture treatments have helped the pain more than any drug, massage or physical therapy. Acupuncture has enabled me to decrease my daily ibuprofen intake by 75%. I have 4 scheduled acupuncture treatments left to go, during which I am promised to have improved range of motion so that I can resume the physical therapy exercises that proved to be too intense too early in the healing process.
My list of medical treatments is getting longer and longer, and the expenses keep mounting. I thank my lucky stars I can afford it. My heart goes out to those of you who have no medical insurance to fall back on!
Hang in there, everyone!View Thread

Absolutely nothing else has worked for me. After 4 long months of taking 1200mg of ibuprofen a day, pain killers at night, physical therapy, ice packs, heat packs, etc., etc. I couldn't take the agonizing pain anymore and scheduled myself for some acupuncture treatments. Within hours of the first treatment the stabbing pain was gone when I moved my arm in certain ways. Most importantly the horrible nightly throbbing and aching became tolerable. I just had my second treatment today and have five more to go. I could just kiss the acupuncturist I feel so much better.
My arm is nowhere near back to 100% range of motion yet. I still have trouble blow-drying my hair, putting on sweaters, etc., but it doesn't HURT as bad as it did before. I'm down to taking 400mg ibuprofen in the evening and one pain killer right before bed, and I keep an ice pack in a small cooler next to my bed just in case I wake up with that old familiar throb (didn't need ice last night!) I was actually able to shovel some light snow off the driveway today! Woo hoo!
My MRI showed the shot caused fluid collection on the shoulder joint. I have no idea if acupuncture will help other types of flu vaccine injuries described here, like anitaj's small tear in the supraspinitus, but I sure hope so!
My certified acupuncturist's office is located in the "healing arts" section of a well-known hospital and treatments are covered by my health insurance (Blue Cross Blue Shield).View Thread

In October I spoke with an attorney at a reputable law firm that specializes in vaccine injuries. I encourage you to review the information on this website http://www.ccandh.com/ and fill out a "New Case Inquiry". A knowledgeable attorney will call you right away with much needed advice on how to proceed. It won't cost you a cent to contact them -- what do you have to lose??
Since my injury almost 4 months ago I have kept track of every dime spent on medical bills, lost time away from work, gas mileage, etc. If I am still in pain after the 6 month waiting period, I will file a claim via this law firm. If all goes well, any compensation I receive will come out of the federal government National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
Good luck!View Thread

There is some GOOD NEWS I can share, however. I decided I couldn't take not knowing exactly what the injury was any longer and had an MRI. I delivered the image to an orthopedic specialist (OS) who after physical examination of my arm, additional specialized x-rays, and a thorough question and answer period, concurred that the injection did in fact cause the injury. My final diagnosis is fluid collection high and deep in the left shoulder area. He did not see any tears or evidence of a preexisting condition like arthritis on which anyone in the medical field can blame for this pain. Hallelujah to that! The OS showed me a white mass on the MRI and x-ray images that indicates fluid. Unfortunately it will take several more months to a year for that fluid to break up and cause me less pain and cracking of the joint (I'm told this too is caused by the fluid).
The OS gave some advice that really stuck with me:
(1) Ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory) helps to HEAL the injury. You must take the prescribed maximum dose daily to help you get better. Six months is my cutoff date for safely taking ibuprofen. After that it can become a risk to stomach and/or liver.
(2) Pain killers (narcotics) will only MASK the pain. I infrequently take the minimum dose to help me sleep a little better. The TraMaDol prescribed by my NP make me feel too dopey for daytime use.
MY advice to all is to stand your ground! Don't let anyone in the medical profession tell you the shot didn't cause this pain. We know better, don't we? Like you said, RickB, something must be done to stop improper injections! (Dr. Moser, if you're there, are you trying to raise any awareness among your colleagues?)
Good luck in 2013, everyone.View Thread

If you are not fully recovered from your shoulder injury in six months from date of vaccine, you can file a claim for compensation. Clients are asked to pay the $350 petition filing fee but the cost is reimbursed at the conclusion of your case, win or lose. Unlike traditional lawsuits, an injured party does not pay his or her attorney a percentage of his or her awards. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) compensates reasonable attorneys' fees and costs which are paid separately from any compensation award.
I'm keeping track of every dime spent and lost time away from work in case I do end up filing a claim.
Unfortunately if your shoulder has completely healed before that 6-month time frame, all the money spent on doctors, x-rays, MRI's, medications, physical therapy, etc. is out of your pocket. End of story. Sucks, doesn't it?View Thread

Sorry about your pain. If you're interested you can report your experience to the CDC Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) at http://vaers.hhs.gov/index
Also see http://vactruth.com/2010/09/06/shoulder-injury-related-to-vaccine-administration/
Good luck.
View Thread

I'm going in for physical therapy for the first time this coming Weds. If no relief after a few sessions of PT, I'm thinking of trying acupuncture. HAS ANYONE TRIED ACUPUNCTURE? DID YOU HAVE ANY LUCK? Thank you!View Thread
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