Hi, I'm cowgirl! How can I get through the pain of dislocations when out and about?

cowgirl

my both my shoulders keep dislocating - so far luckily not both at the same time!  The pain is so bad that I’m unable to walk to get help which can be a bit scary when I have no phone reception and it’s freezing cold.  Any ideas how I can force myself to ignore the pain and get to a place where I can get help.  I can’t relocate my shoulders myself.  I’ve had operations but the ligaments stretched out again after a few years.  My Doctor told me not to tie them in so that they can’t dislocate because if I fell and couldn’t stretch out my hand then I could land on my head and break my neck.

Rosie_Scope

Hi @cowgirl, welcome to the community. This is a difficult one! I hope some of our members with similar problems will be along soon to offer some advice, but I just wanted to say hello and welcome!

When you say your doctor told you not to tie them in, does that include bracing? I have a friend with EDS that finds shoulder braces helpful sometimes, but you may have already tried these and they can be a bit difficult to get on yourself if your other joints are also hypermobile. 

One other thing you might find it useful to look into is diaphragmatic breathing to help you through the pain just until you find phone signal or someone to help. There's also a link to some deep breathing techniques on our Chronic Pain tips post that could be worth a try.

As I said, hopefully more members will be able to offer advice soon, and I hope you find a way forward

cowgirl

I haven’t tried a shoulder brace because my surgeon told me they don’t work but no harm in trying.  I know that keeping the muscles strong helps.  A friend suggested a satellite phone which would get reception where there is no mobile reception.  I’ll practice your breathing suggestion.  Many thanks.