If you can get some dye and developer just to see what kind of microcracks there may be before you weld over it.

 

Arthritis can be debilitating, It hurts, so you try to limit the range of motion. Which can be a big mistake. After RESTing the joint, start the gentle range of motion exercises. Getting some of your range of movement back can be very painful. Heat before gentle movement, ice afterwards to decrease the swelling and inflammation. For me, the ice starts out to be excruciatingly painful. If I power thru the pain of the ice, move the icepack around, then it does end up feeling a lot better.
Remember, moving increases the blood flow to that joint and helps by grinding up the arthritic crystals. So they're less of a hindrance to movement. So every morning I have to gently, windmill my arms to free up and increase the blood to my shoulders. It's a very uncomfortable 10 mins. I asked my VA Orthopedic surgeon about a shoulder replacement, (about a 3/16 in of the ball is groundoff). He asked me what I was doing that was so painful. I said, I'm just cutting wood with my 50 lb chainsaw and swinging a splitting maul. He laughed, and said the joint is a very lite duty piece of plastic rated at 20lb max. I wouldn't be able to pick the saw up anymore. So, I'm waitng for more joint to grind off.

 

Tomorrow I am making an appointment with an orthopedist. I have been using heat and ice. They gave me a prescription for Tramadol, but I avoid narcotic pain relievers.

 

Everyone I know that has had shoulder surgery, regrets doing it....... Same for back surgery. Which is why I skipped it when I gave up walking for a while. Physical Therapy got me back on my feet again. (that's been a while ago.....) If the exercises work, and help, keep doin' it.

 

I was told several times that Tramadol is more dangerous than something like Ultracet or Ultram, cause if someone inadvertently doubles the dose, it can cause loss of consciousness and death. I was told it was worse than most other narcotics. BUT I'm not a Doctor! Maybe I'm wrong.
Physical Therapy, maybe ask about non-wieght bearing, so you can walk in and afterwards walk out without too much pain. And keep working on your project, gently ! Just gentle walking around the house is a good start, gotta be careful of twisting the joint with weight on it. Might have to use a little stool with wheels to move around your shop. Maybe walking with a cane or crutches. Yeah, getting old ain't for sisies. The va gave me gait training PT, which helps with my balance. Walls are my friend.

 

I used tramadol for a while. It was useless and not worth the risk. Apparently it can damage your heart. I used to use Salanpas HOT patches. They were great, very hot, lots of capsaicin. Then just over ten years ago they started monkeying with them and all the ads started taking about pain relief instead of heat, and now they barely warm up and aren't worth the tripled price and the new glue that irritates your skin and the new packaging that makes the patch stick to itself as you try to peel it off the backing. Ho hum.

 

iv had two shoulder surgeries on my right one giving me full movement back, will be having at least one on my left so itll be freed up for movement, but currently im living through yall working on your trucks ( i have a hole the size of a nerf football in my chest from a bowel obstruction) love watching people work on their own stuff instead of taking it to a shop. i refuse pain meds myself already having traveled that road in a past life.

 

Not bad, for an aging old man with a bum knee...

 

Nice fix.
They must be making millions on the time & pounds of welding wire they saved not doing it right.

 

Tomorrow's forecast is 4-8" of snow between 7am and 11 am. Looks like I have a date with the snow shovel if I want to get anything done in the shop...