I am so sorry you are experiencing such pain, Anna, and I know you didn’t ask for advice but may I offer a bit? Several years ago, I also experienced a form of frozen shoulder. Nothing helped until I went to a practioner of ortho-bionomy. A couple of sessions and my shoulder was mobile again, a couple more and I was pain-free. He also tackled chronic back pain I had since childhood and gave me a level of relief I never thought possible. My husband also saw him for degenerative disk pain in his neck. Pain was gone after two sessions. The practioner gave us both gentle exercises that have helped keep many of our pains at bay. I highly recommend orth-bionomy for pain relief.

Now I want to address the stoicism of pain warriors. I have always been a never-give-in-to-pain sort. Worked regular hours with herniated disks (once two at one time) and various other back, leg, and shoulder pain. But, for five weeks, I’ve been sidelined with shingles. I’ve known worse pain but never any pain or discomfort so unpredictable and random or the level of exhaustion I’m experiencing. Maybe it is age, maybe it is an accumulation of years of pain, maybe it’s the wisdom that life doesn’t depend on my constant participation, but for the first time in my 64 years, I am giving myself a break from the daily grind. I do what I can when I can, then I rest. Never a napper, I am indulging in one, two, or occasionally three naps a day.

I long to spend more of this downtime from work being creative but can’t muster the desire or energy to even do much in that realm. At first, I beat myself up about my laziness. Then, admitted that I’ve never been lazy, not even close to lazy, and that it’s time to allow myself to rest and heal. With difficulty, I am learning to accept these temporary limitations.

I hope you find relief and if that relief is slow to come, I hope you learn to relax, rest, rejuvenate.