redmeds mom came to town for a few days to help out the invalids! The plan had been for her to chauffeur redmed around while I was in Maryland. Instead, she finds herself with both of us. Setting aside my pride in my self-sufficiency, I’m really glad she’s here.
We all went out to dinner last night, and someone asked “were you in an accident?” It was awesome.
Now I’m gonna channel simianpower‘s frustration with the medical establishment:
Went to the doc yesterday, and it was wholly unsatisfactory. Basically, I saw a PA (Physician’s Assistant) who had me take off my shirt, looked at my shoulders, and said “yeah, that’s a pretty big defect. You’ve got a separated shoulder, I’ll get you a sling and a prescription for Vicodin.” We kinda pushed, and got an appointment on Friday with an orthopedic surgeon.
I feel like I’m getting the brush off from the medical establishment. I’m fully aware that, unsatisfying as it is, the correct response is sometimes to do nothing rather than to intervene with knives and saws. However, I would like to talk to someone who:
a) Actually examines me, including range of motion, strength, and a baseline measurement of the separation in my shoulder so we can tell whether it’s getting better or worse over time. I’m also curious about how severe the tears in my ligaments are. Total separation? Partial?
b) Can give me a plan, rather than a sling and more narcotics. If surgery usually doesn’t help people in this condition, that’s fine. I’ll believe it. That said, how would you decide whether it was warranted? Is it my age? If I’m slinging and medicating, what signs should concern me? How do we tell if this current plan is working?
c) Is willing to talk about long term prognosis. I understand that nobody in medicine makes any promises. Nobody will ever promise “no pain” or “full functionality,” however, I would like someone to tell me whether I ended my judo career on Tuesday. If / when I might consider returning to the mat. I would like to know how I would tell (based on measurements and time) when I can start jogging / lifting / etc. Yes, I’m okay with statistics … but I would like to know. Also, how much of this “defect” can I expect to have in, say, two years? How about loss of strength? I know that nobody will promise anything, but I want someone to share the spread with me.
Also: Vicodin is very much like Oxycodone, except that it lasts a bit longer, makes me uncomfortably warm, and knocks me the heck out into a drooling, open mouthed, snoring slumber. For all my evening needs, Vicodin is the way to go. During the day I’m down to the over the counter pain meds. It really doesn’t hurt all that much. I even carried a full cup of coffee in my left hand today! Go me!
–UPDATE–
To continue ranting: I also know exactly what’s going to happen with this surgeon on Friday. He’ll say “wow, that’s a big defect, I need an MRI to see what’s going on with the soft tissue. Go ahead and schedule that, and then schedule a follow up with me.” Said MRI will start off two weeks hence, I will throw a minor fit, and it’ll be available tomorrow, but across town. Then I’ll need to schedule my follow up with the surgeon. That will start off at THREE weeks hence, I’ll throw a minor fit, and it’ll get moved up as well.
Next time I do this dance, I’m going to go to BUMC and sleep in redmeds call room, bothering each person in turn. This series of two to three day delays adds up to a plan of “wait two weeks and hope that it’s not healing all ker-fuckity. Unacceptable.
Leave a Reply