Defective Shoulder Pain Pump Patient Lives in Misery

Queensbury, NYJulie D. did not know what a shoulder pain pump was until she was told about it just before her first shoulder surgery. She wound up having 2 surgeries on her shoulder, both involving the pain pump. Following the surgeries, Julie has experienced severe shoulder pain, which she did not initially think was a pain pump side effect. Now, Julie thinks that the pain pump may have caused her misery.

"My first experience with the pain pump was July 29 [2008], when I had surgery to repair torn cartilage," Julie says. "They [doctors] sent me home with the pain pump. After it was removed, I felt a continuous ache and had limited mobility, even after physical therapy. I had clicking, popping and grinding in my shoulder but the doctor assured me that was normal.

"After 2 months of physical therapy, I went back to work on light duty but my shoulder would still click, pop and grind. It continued on the same. I could only lift a maximum of 30 lbs at work [as a home health aide].

"Finally, in January I had an MRI on my right shoulder. It showed that the cartilage was re-torn. On March 10, I had another surgery. The pain pump was in for 3 days following that surgery. Since then, I have experienced a constant ache from my shoulder to my wrist. The shoulder is still popping and clicking. I am not in physical therapy yet. I'm on medication for the pain, which has not taken care of the pain at all. I'm supposed to go back to the doctor on April 29 to find out about physical therapy and for a check up. When I go to the doctor, I will bring up the pain pump and inquire about it. According to the articles, it was not approved for use in the joint. If he [the doctor] knew about this, why did he use it?

"I'm just miserable. When they describe the symptoms [of the pain pump], that's exactly what I have. The pump was in longer the second time than it was the first time. I'm left-handed, but I use my right hand for a lot. I haven't been back to work since March 3. I'm scheduled to go back in July, but I haven't started therapy yet or anything.

"I'm a home health aide. I used to be able to take care of clients—help them bathe and help them get dressed. Since last year, I am only able to do light housekeeping. This has seriously affected my ability to do my job. I'm really miserable.

"The heaviest thing I can lift is a coffee cup. I cannot lift my arm over my head. I can probably lift it 6 inches in either direction. The arm has been in a sling since the surgery, but in or out, it still aches. I usually sleep on my right side and I can't do that. I wake up in the morning in so much pain that I'm sure I've rolled on it in my sleep. I haven't had a good night's sleep since day 1 of this. I cannot do dishes, cook, vacuum or clean. This has affected my day-to-day life big time.

"The second surgery was worse than the first. The pain pump was in longer the second time and since then, the shoulder hurts more. There hasn't been a day that I have not had pain or aching in my shoulder since last July, but since the second surgery, the pain is twice as bad.

"If it comes down to having the shoulder pain pump or not, don't do it. Even with the pain pump, it did not take the pain away. It's better to be safe than sorry. I knew that the pain pump was going to be used, but I did not know at that time that it was not approved for use in the joints. I didn't know what it was until they [doctors] told me, and then I thought, 'Oh, okay, that's cool.' I didn't know about the rest until I read the articles and then, I was floored. Why would a doctor use it if he knew it was not approved for that purpose?