Today is a sad day. My arm hurts like hell, has been all day, from the palm of my hand to my elbow...and occasionally in my shoulder. I'm gonna try to get into a dr's office tomorrow to have it checked out, but I already know what they're gonna say, (in voice of Soup Nazi) "No cake for you!" One of the managers thinks I'm gonna need surgery. I don't think it's gotten that far yet. It hurts to write. It hurts to type. It just plain hurts.

I work in a supermarket bakery - I've topped out at 66 cakes in one day. Over the last week though, I haven't been doing that many cakes, I've been focusing on the rest of the department as I want to be promoted to bake shop manager. Yesterday I think I did 30 cakes or so in maybe 4 hours. Today I barely made it through 15 in 2 1/2 hours. I ended up doing most of those lefty...using my right arm to guide the bag, not squeeze.

This sucks! I love cake...it's my passion (like everyone else here lol) and I'm feeling pretty lost. I guess it's a blessing that I'm not at all busy at home or else I'd be pretty screwed. I want to cry. I've only been doing cakes for 5 years now, it just doesn't seem fair!

Thanks for letting me vent.

I hope you feel better and the drs give you something. Have you thought about maybe accupressure or puncture? Try a chiropractor!

I haven't. I would go to my reg doctor but the person who handles the workman's comp is out until Friday and tomorrow is my day off and I don't want to wait. I'm just looking forward to x-rays. Yeah right. Necessary evil though.

The other problem is that I'm trying to get pregnant so I know there's a lot of drugs that I won't be able to take. Right now, I'm taking Tylenol. (Big whoop lol)

Thanks!

My son had torn roter cuffs in both arms, acid reflux, and bone spurs on his heels. A guy at his church told him about Mangosteen juice. The mangosteen fruit only grows in China. So he drank it for 6 weeks and no more pain. I had arthritis in my back, acid reflux and also bone spurs in my heels. He talked me into trying it...I really thought it wouldn't work but it did. I also don't have to take my Prevacid any more. The stuff is just amazing. It is completely natural and a friend of mine, who is a nurse, told me it is a super anti-inflamatory which is why it helps with the pain. You can look it up on the internet. There are several different companies that sell it. It is not cheap however. Hope you feel better.

I use to work in a grocery store bakery and the doctors told me the same thing.

I mentioned to my chiropracter one time when I was in there and she started adjusting my wrist. To make a long story short I was in a car accident and started seeing a massage therapist to help. Well told her about my pain and found out from me hunching over all the time and squeezing etc.. (you know how it is) that I was pinching a nerve up by my shoulder. Once she started working on this and I continually went ot he chiro it helped alot.

Just another thing to think about.

I'm a massage therapist, and massage does help!! Also, for now, soak in Epsom Salts - about 1 cup to a tub of water, and soak for about 20 minutes, chin deep. You could soak your arm, but probably a lot of it is coming from your neck. That's what I do when mine hurts between doing massagaes and cakes!

Also, Arnica Cream that you can get at GNC or other health food stores will really help.

I had bursitis in my right shoulder so badly I couldn't pick up a fork ! I had acupuncture at first, by my chiropractor, but it didn't help. He sent me for physical therapy (moist heat, massage and ultrasound) and it was better after just one treatment and gone completely after 4. I also have recurring tendonitis in my right elbow. I had it injected with cortisone and it hasn't hurt for 5 years. Yoga will help you to be more flexible and relaxed and is really important when you do a job such as yours. Good luck .

So I went to a dr today - had x-rays and was poked and prodded and had a lot of muscles squeezed. Dr said I have 4 points of inflammation (hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder) and I guess it basically all boils down to a tennis elbow or something like that. Gave me a wrist brace and limitations for work - no lifting over 15 lbs, no lifting/reaching over my head and no cake. I go for PT with ultrasound and probably massage starting Monday. He also mentioned perhaps cortisone shots.

Thanks for all the suggestions! DH has been great at massaging my arm!

Sorry to hear you have that problem. I noticed you said you were ttc, along with helping your arm pain, accupuncture and chiropractics can help with aligning things to help you achieve a pg. I'm ttc right now as well, #2 for 1.5 years, and #1 took 6.5 years. Good luck with both!

Tara

Sorry to hear about that. You must have stiff icing at work. Do you?

Hope you feel better soon.

I'm glad I found this thread. I have been doing more and more cakes lately, It's still not even full time and I already am getting really sore wrists, and sometimes a strange numb tingly feeling in my right shoulder/shoulderblade. After my second daughter was born i had major back problems, neck and hip problems. I always planned on going to a massage therapist or chiropractor and never got around to it. But I think now with cake decorating getting more important I will have to start taking regular trips! And thanks Meharding for sharing ur tips about the mangosteen juice, I'm not big on drugs, and doctors. I would much rather go with something natural!

Hope U start feeling a little better Candy!

Tara - thank you and good luck to you too! We've only been ttc for a couple months now.

Linda - We have stiff icing, whipped icing and whipped cream. It's funny because the day before I all this pain started all the cakes I did were whipped icing or whipped cream. Didn't touch the stiff stuff once.

I looked into the mangosteen juice and that stuff is EXPENSIVE! Not in my budget right now...

Jannanners - tingling and numbness are NOT good. The dr applied pressure in my shoulder and then 2 of my fingers went numb. Not a good thing lol!

Thanks everyone.