🚀 go-pugleaf

I'm having loads of problems with my right shoulder.  I've
used a mouse-oriented software package extensively and after
having done so for a few years (at a pretty intense level),
I've developed problems with my right shoulder and the right
side of my neck.  The pain appears and on bad days and since
its appearance, it's very quickly become intolerable.  The
pain is pretty much isolated to the area right above my
shoulder blade and it stretches over to the left and then
straight up the center of my neck and into the base of my
head.

The head/neck pain set in full force a few hours after I left
work.  Tylenol didn't help; Advil did.  The next stage was
that the pain started specifically in my shoulder blade and
the neck/head aches came earlier in the evening and lasted
through the evening, into the next morning at times.  After
the head/neck aches were gone,, residual pain was present in
my shoulder.  The final stage (now) is that the pain in my
shoulder is often present as a dull ache and most often
begins as soon as I begin typing and/or using the mouse.  I
do have days, though, where I have very little (if any at
all) discomfort.  I spent most of October-December, however,
living on ibuprofin and blaming the flu for these problems...

Recently, I became suspicious that it wasn't the flu and did
some reading on typing injuries. I've been correcting
posture/mouse position (actually, trying to elmininate use of
the mouse), etc, but I have two questions about residual
inflammation.

I'm scheduled to see an orthopedist on Monday and to have
X-rays taken today.  

And all of this leads to my two questions...  Unfortunately
(in a strange sort of way), I find that I feel very little
discomfort today, the day that I'm scheduled to have xrays
taken.  Yesterday wasn't a bad day either.  Earliler in the
week, however, I had bad enough shoulder/head pain to go home
and run for the ibuprofin.

So, at last, my questions:

Is it possible for xrays to show and an orthopedist to detect
any problem given that I'm not presently feeling much pain?
(Are there residual effects of such inflammation/problems)

Do many people who experience such problems --- having some
good and some bad days (or is it an all or nothing type of
deal)?

(I'm embarrassed to be going to the doctor on such a good day
-- he'll probably think it's all in my head (when actually
it's all in my shoulder).)

Thanks for any insight.
Barbara



Software Engineering Institute		bjz@sei.cmu.edu
Carnegie Mellon University