QuestionI have a "high-needs" baby, to put it nicely. He wants his mama all the time -- when I set him down, he cries until he throws up, which sets off more crying, which makes him want his mama more, etc. Constant contact keeps him calm and keeps his GERD from bothering him as badly, so for almost 6 months now I have been carrying him for several hours a day in my left arm. This includes letting him sleep in the crook of my left elbow when he will not sleep elsewhere. We are working on getting him to accept being worn in a carrier and to sleep next to but not touching me, and are finally having some success.
Over time, my left elbow has been getting progressively more sore at the joint (more toward the outside than the inside). It is not swollen and nothing appears to be different externally from my right elbow. It gives a loud crack when I straighten my arm and occasionally won't straighten at all unless I use my right hand to push the elbow into place. I know it is related to overuse because when we have a bad day with the baby it hurts much worse than it usually does. Ibuprofen, acetaminophen, naproxen, ice, and heat have done nothing for the pain. Resting it gets it back to a dull ache rather than feeling like it's been hit with a baseball bat. I was wondering what could be wrong with my elbow, how I can alleviate the pain when I can't rest it, and if there are any exercises I could do to get it back in shape.
Thank you for your time and help!
AnswerIt sounds like tennis elbow.... or epitrochlear tendonitis.... Get a tennis elbow splint, ice it down at the end of the day, take the Alleve- (naprosyn)
Sometimes oral steroids help like prednisone, sometimes we inject these with a steroid shot.
Time to transition your high needs baby.... let him sit for an hour at a time, even crying..... kids are very smart even at young young ages..... they will figure it out that they don't always get what they want right away. After a week, he won't cry much (for that issue)
Merry Christmas.
