Prolotherapy

Had my first Prolotherapy session today with Dr. Michael Hoffman.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect as my knowledge of prolotherapy is quite recent and very rudimentary.  The Reader's Digest version is they inject a combination of sugar and anaesthetic into the affected ligament.  The novocaine works to break down the scar tissue that is causing the impingement, while the sugar attracts the natural antibodies to the area to help to repair the damaged tissue. 
There's an 85% success rate and the fix is permanent - no periodic boosters are necessary.  Sounds a bit  like a miracle snake oil cure maybe, but at this point, I'm willing to try anything.
So, they put me into an examining room, the walls of which were covered with the chiropractic diplomas of a different doctor, and the counters of which displayed all of the instruments of torture that chiropractors use.  Eeek!  Am I in the wrong room?  Have they gotten me mixed up with someone that wants to have thier neck cracked?   Is there a back door?  Just as I'm about to head back to the front desk to politely point out the error and rebook my appointment, Dr. Hoffman arrives and he's such a nice man, he puts me at ease immediately.  After a brief introduction, an overview on the process and the merits of prolotherapy (delivered by him) and a short quiz regarding his qualifications (administered by moi), we got down to business. 
There were 5 or 6 injections into my shoulder which wasn't nearly as awful as it sounds.  The needles were as thin as acupuncture needles so I barely even noticed them.  Really!  It took maybe 5 minutes.   He said there may be some bruising (there is a little) and inflammation (a bit maybe, but I don't look like I'm wearing 80's shoulder pads or anything) and that my shoulder may be stiff and painful for a day or two. (Oh, like that's new!)  Anyway, the anaesthetic worked like a charm.  I had about a 2 hour mini vacation from pain and it was absolutely wonderful! 

I went grocery shopping and I could lift a 2L carton of milk with my right hand, I could reach up to the high shelves and I could carry the bags into the house more than one at a time!  Woohoo!  I probably could've played a round of golf it felt so good.

I figured I might as well take advantage of the numbness and chop up some broccoli and carrots and onions and grate some cheese for broccoli/cheddar soup.  So, here's dinner:  Num num num!

The freezing is starting to wear off now, so the holiday from pain is over until next week, but I have a good feeling about the prolotherapy thing.  I'm hopeful that this could be the answer.

It's bloody expensive, so it had better work!