Tennis Elbow aka Lateral Epicondylitis

This is what I have in my left elbow. This has been going on for just 1 month shy of a year. Not sure if you all know this but it is a very painful condition. So much so that I realized something was wrong whenever I would go to reach for something and pick it up with my left arm it was followed by excruciating pain and it could be something as light and small as a pen would cause the horrible pain.

This first started to cause me pain in March of 2010. I had no idea why my left elbow hurt, and burned. In May I was at my primary care Doctor for another issue and mentioned that my elbow hurt. He examined it and said I had Tennis Elbow, and that he could fix it real fast by injecting it with a steroid and some numbing medicine. Well all was fine and dandy for 3 month, well except for where the injection turned my elbow white, and ate away some of my muscle in my elbow.
So jump to September my elbow starts really hurting me again, and not at home, at work. I realize that the job I do was causing my elbow pain. So I told my boss and I went to Occupational Health and started the Workman's Comp process.
Sept 13, 2010 I start at the Doctor for Occ Health, I am told to wear a Tennis Elbow brace and start PT. I go 3 days a week for 2 months, no improvement.
Then Occupational Health Doctor sends me to a Surgeon. Surgeon says continue PT for another month, take and anti-inflammatory and rub some arthritis cream on my elbow 4 times a day. I go back 1 month later and still no improvement. So then the Surgeon sends me for MRI on the elbow.
When I get back the results it says I have "severe lateral epicondylitis" and blah blah blah

This is kind of what my elbow looks like, only mine is worse than this patients.
The Surgeon says that I have 2 choices that I can do.
1. a PRP injection- now this is not FDA approved and is considered experimental on the elbow.
It involves the following. They draw out my own blood, then spin it down until they can get to just the platelets. They suck up the platelets into a syringes and inject them into my elbow is 5 different spaces.
Now I know you all are thinking "big deal", well you would be right, and here is why I do not want this procedure done.
They do not numb up your elbow, or sedate you this is done without anything for pain. They don't just inject the platelets into your elbow, they put it in the tendon in question by scraping the tendon with the needle all the while injecting the platelets AND they do this 5 times in 5 different spots.
Now I don't know about you but this sounds pretty painful to me.
The Doctor never told me anything about the procedure AND he left his MA to tell me all about it and the pain part.
I said well how painful is this, and she said "some people scream, some curse, some yell, and some do nothing."
Well I am the one doing nothing because I am not going for the procedure. PLUS I have been told by a few people that it doesn't do a darn thing so NO.

and the
2nd opinion is Surgery

Where they go in and some how fix the tendon.
The down side is the it takes a long time for it to heal but it is more likely to fix the problem.

Well because this is Workman's Comp related I have to go threw a Case Manager. I called him and told him what the Doc said and told him I did not want the PRP, and I would like a 2nd opinion.

6 weeks later after waiting for the approval and actually getting an appointment I FINALLY go my 2nd opinion TODAY.
This Doctor tells me that I could do the PRP, the surgery, OR another experimental procedure where they use shock wave therapy to fix the tendon.
The same shock wave thing they use to break up large kidney stones, they would use on my elbow. I have no idea how in the heck they think  that will fix the tendon.

Soooo I call back my Case Manger and tell him what this Doctors says, and now my Case Manager wants to send me to a THIRD Doctor for another opinion.
My CM called it a Independent Medical advice. So I am supposed to hear from some one by the middle of next week to find out where I go next with this elbow thing. And if it is anything like last time I was waiting to get into see this last Doctor it was 2 weeks NOT a couple of days/
I have hear that Arizona is one of the worst States to have a work related injury and I completely believe it now.

So I don't know what this new Doctor is going to say, all I know is that I want my elbow fixed and I want it fixed right and fast.
This is a very painful deal, and I am tired of my elbow burning and hurting all the time.

So I guess all that is left to do is pray that God will help me threw this and that he will give the Doctors the knowledge and the skills to fix my elbow.

BTW typing in one of the things that cause Lateral Epicondylitis.