I'm old and rickety, and getting along as best I can, but it's feeling more up-hill all the time.
Back on St. Patrick's Day, I accidentally tore the bejabbers out of my right shoulder. I went to the ortho surgeon (who had fixed this same problem for me, maybe 20 years ago.) Instead of getting an MRI and fixing the problem right away, he sent me for physical therapy, which has proven to be a waste of time and money.
In the meantime, because I have to sleep on my left side, I'm getting a bone-deep bruise on the hip - precursor to a bedsore, maybe? It hurts. But the shoulder won't allow me to sleep on my right side.
FINALLY, ortho doc sent me for an MRI, and guess what? There is a tear about the length of California in my rotator cuff.
Why am I so angry? Because this bloody thing could have been repaired, and I could have been well on the way to recovery if some noodle-necked pencil pushers hadn't kept the doc from doing things in the proper sequence.
I'm facing surgery on June 13. Having gone through it before, I know that it will be a drawn-out and painful procedure, but at least I will eventually regain use of my arm.
For those who feel that "medical dramas" don't really belong here, sorry. You guys have become extended family to me, and I am grateful to have your collective shoulders to cry on.
I'm not as brave as Cheryl. I'm stressed-out about facing surgery that should have been done back in March. It's the same doctor who fixed my shoulder before; I've known him for years and trust him completely. (The insurance people are a different story altogether. They have done nothing but prolong and very likely aggravate an already nasty situation.)
catnip, the VERY same thing happened to my fiance. He's a mechanic. He was working under a car at work and tore his rotator cuff. He immediately told his boss what had happened and there were a couple of other mechanics who were there at the time. Reluctantly, the boss filled out the worker's comp paperwork and as they dragged their feet, got their own doc to check him out (who also recommended therapy first), FINALLY after weeks of this nonsense, he got the surgery in June 2017.
After the very long recovery, as you know, he was finally released nearly a year later to go back to work. Guess what. His boss didn't have any use for him. He decided now he will retire early before he really can afford to. So, I hear you! Take it easy with the rehab and do keep us updated!
It seems to be common now to just send everybody to PT. My experience is the co-pays are expensive and it does nothing. But maybe saves insurance companies money.
Good luck with your surgery. They have probably improved it since you had it 20 years ago but don’t count on getting any pain pills after, due to the opioid crisis.
I asked my physical therapist that very same question: Why not REPAIR what is wrong and THEN rehab it back into shape? This sequence worked just fine 20 years ago.
I wasn't being nasty or snippy, just perplexed. She said, "Insurance won't permit it. They won't even let the doc get an MRI without a couple months of PT first." She gave me two sheets of paper with drawings of eight different exercises on them, to take home and practice. Seven of them I could do, no problem. The other one was a no-go, no matter how hard I tried. It wasn't just the pain. The muscle needed for that particular motion was out of order. No amount of PT could reconnect it. (And I was more than a little resentful about having to pay $40 per session for something that I knew was not working.)
The therapist said that she could tell exactly which muscle was torn, because of the pattern of what I could and couldn't do. The MRI confirmed what she said.
I have canceled the PT sessions that had been scheduled once the surgery was scheduled. I told the PT lady that I will be more than happy to come back to her for post-op rehab, because she really knows her stuff. She is fine with this.
The primary form of pain-killing for this particular surgery is this plastic contrivance that is something like the ice-packs you keep in the freezer. It is shaped to go over the shoulder, with tubes for pumping slushy ice-water through. It is somewhat effective, but cold and extremely cumbersome.
Fortunately, I have my own stash of opiates. I have fractures in both my upper and lower back (rowdy childhood) that have gone arthritic, which require heavy-duty painkillers. I am very precise about taking them, jotting the time and amount of every pill in a medicine notebook. And I never, ever cheat. I have shown my notebook to my PCP, as well as having random urine checks for excessive opiate use. I've passed, every time. I'm not about to cheat and take a chance on losing the meds that help me stay functional. If ortho doc prescribes more opiates for the post-op period, fine. I will be just as precise with those. If he doesn't, I've got the bases covered anyway.
For the record, I have tried medical weed in both smokable and edible forms, and was not impressed. I let my card expire.
It brought me great peace to realize there's no puppet master out there dealing out favors or punishments because of the trivial things I do. No more trying to figure out what I did to deserve a bit of bad luck. No more trying to figure out what type of penance I'd have to do to regain favor.
You are allowed to submit a resumé to the death panel, in hopes that either your accomplishments or your obligations will move them to spend some of those premium dollars they are trying to distribute to the shareholders. There are ghostwriters who hire out to prepare them for you. If their efforts do not succeed in getting you the treatment you need, they refund some of your money.
Dave the Atheist Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Insurance company death panels.
Yeah, I always wondered why people fell for the "death panel" scare tactic when talking about universal healthcare. We have had them all along with the insurance companies. The difference is that we have no influence over the insurance company death panels. We are at the mercy of whatever health plan our employer picks for us.
Well catnip, I've been having my own medical drama these past going on three months, but there is an end in sight (I hopeth.)
In March I fell ill with a respiratory infection. The doctor's office misdiagnosed me I've been going back and forth with. Last Thursday made my fourth trip; now on my third round of antibiotic.
We don't see a physician anymore; but a PA (physician's assistant.) I can't remember when the last time I saw my actual primary care physician, it's been years ago. The PA's are not old school. My dentist was having me tell them how to conduct a proper physical evaluation of my condition because they didn't know what to do or how to do it. (Seriously.)
I can feel myself getting better but it's been a long slow mend despite their bungling my treatment.
Best wishes to you, and I get the not being brave part. But you will get through this one day at a time.
Luckily, I've never had to have surgeries for anything except having twins, though I've broken my feet 3 times. My daughter buys into all the things the doctors tell her and I'll tell her before she goes, "This is what they'll say." I'm always right. A lot of wasted money.
My "ex" has had 3 back surgeries and 3 hernia surgeries all from his work as the grounds supervisor at the biggest hospital here in Logan. He couldn't even walk when they finally let him have the first surgery. He had to have the second hernia surgery because of the hernia mesh lawsuits going on right now. He hasn't even looked into it. I'm going to push him to. For his back, he had physical therapy every time and he had injections in his back. Never worked. I'm the one who nursed him through 5 of the surgeries.
I have a neighbor who almost died last summer from infection from her dental implants. Every doctor she went to didn't believe her, so the infection just kept getting worse.
I do see an M.D. She is absolutely wonderful. Which reminds me, I need to get labs this week.
P.S. Yes, I used to think that way--about messing with me just because he can. The Murphy's law that fits my life is "If you think things couldn't possibly get any worse, you will be proven wrong."
I've said before--all I want is LEVEL. No highs, no lows--just level.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/2019 07:49PM by cl2.
When I was first given the diagnosis for breast cancer, my primary care office called to give me the news. They may as well have been playing Taps on the other end of the line, that's how somber they were. My treatment was elsewhere, thank God. I only dealt with doctors for that. What a difference that made. Plus, their staff really take their time and explain things.
Primary care doctors where I live run their practice more like a fast food drive through. It's very disconcerting.
I'm sorry, Catnip. It must be frustrating for the PTs as well, to know that their efforts are in vain.
I had a misbehaving molar that blew up for the third time last summer. I was so over it at that point. The darned thing should have been pulled after the second time it blew up. Dealing with tooth pain was not how I expected to be spending my summer vacation. Sometimes you have to just sigh and push on through the troubles.
Hope they take better care of you now. I've had a couple of extractions and they're not easy but I found them less troublesome than expected and I'm not as tough as many other patients. Good luck.
BC/BS (The BS is quite appropriate) Paid me $20 dollars to watch a video about alternative treatments to certain surgeries.. I am sitting there thinking these insurance companies will do anything to not spend a dime. I am sure their are some statistics somewhere... put together by the insurance companies of course... that show that 75% of people who "think" they need surgery and a MRI really just need some alternative less expensive form of treatment. So that is why they put you through literal hell and pain before they will budge an inch.