title of blog

Honey, I'm Home's Morning Mantra ~~ Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says, "Oh NO, She's up!"

Monday, April 28, 2014

I Don’t Know What He’s Thinking ~~~

No matter what I do when I follow every rule to the letter, I still end up in an empty corner shaking my head in wonder.  Maybe it’s the “invisible” thing.

I went to the knee surgeon last Thursday, limping and with my cane, and first his assistant, Shea, comes in and he’s all aglow with, “Ohhhh, so good to see you!” Then he asks how I am and my answer was, “I honestly am not sure.  I am still in pain and still limping, and my knee is much warmer to the touch than my other knee, AND the pain is all the way up my leg just shy of the groin area”.  He says, “Have you ever had any problems with blood clots?”  I answered no, and that was the end of that discussion.  Then he says for me to walk for him without the cane.  I hobbled and dragged my achin’ leg and he said, “Ohhh, I see you have quite a limp there”.  I said yes, and the pain is still there, in my knee as you can see the swelling, down to my ankle, the back of my calf, the back on my knee and up through the thigh like I told you a minute ago. To even try to press on those areas almost takes me through the roof.”  He tells me to sit down and then starts pressing hard around my knee and calf. I was not quiet and he says, “That hurts?” What is the matter with these doctors?  Then he got up and said, “Great to see you, and Dr G will be coming in.  You might want to think about having a cortisone shot….”, and I said, “WAIT, you’ve already given me a number of them the last few months and nothing helped.  You can’t keep doing that.”  He thinks a minute (they never read your chart) and then says maybe physical therapy will help and to talk to Dr G. 

Dr G comes in, “Great to see you!”  I am so sick of that phrase by now, just fix me, but I nod and say nice to see you, too, BUT, I am still in pain, still swollen, still limping, and the pain is not only in my knee but……blah blah blah.  I pin him down to the question of, “Could this still be the Levaquin that is causing it?”  He returns to square one like he’s never heard that I had that problem, yet the MRI showed it plain as day.  All he says is, “Hmmm, maybe we should think about a cortisone shot and then if that doesn’t work, maybe physical therapy”.  Don’t you know I wanted to shoot through the ceiling.  I said the same thing again to him about already having an allotment of cortisone and he glances at my chart --- just a glance --- and says let’s try physical therapy.  I asked again about the pain throughout my leg and his answer now just dropped everything to physical therapy, and he said, “Tell the physical therapist where it hurts”.  THEN, he hesitates and says, “Did we xray your hip? Maybe it’s your hip!”  I said, “Hell NO, it is NOT my hip! It is my leg as I keep telling you and telling you.” Guess what he said. “Well, the next time you come in, if the pain hasn’t stopped, we’ll get an xray of your hip.” The insanity never stops. It is not my hip and I will not do the xray. I really wanted to say to him, “Is that buck you’re trying to pass heavy?”  But….you don’t get on the bad side of your surgeon.  Then he stood up and said, “Great to see you;  I’ll see you again in 3 weeks”,  and he left.  Me?  I was now sitting in an empty exam room.

I got myself up, hobbled out and across the hall to the physical therapist business. The girl there was really nice and when she heard I’d been some weeks out of surgery but only now being referred, she was a bit on the surprised side to say the least.  She set up the “soonest” appointment she could which is this coming Thursday.  It’s given me just enough time to debate if I want to even do it.  I can’t take even more pain and I’m positive that Levaquin is playing the part of the pain in the rest of leg, up and down.  I think the knee pain is only the healing taking longer and that would be due to my age.  My surgeon is a sports doc and he deals with all these super young jocks who heal in 48 hours from everything.  He forgets he’s looking at me…..I’m invisible, remember…..and only once has alluded to the fact that “as we get older, we take longer to heal”.  There are moments I think he’s trying to kill me.

And so today, I am icing my knee and leg like crazy, taking Aleve and doubling the dose, watching the rain which I’m sure makes bones and muscles hurt more, hearing the weather report of severe storms beginning tomorrow and through Wednesday night with even the likelihood of tornados, and weighing my feelings about Thursday.  I’ve decided that by early Wednesday morning I will either keep the appointment or cancel it for now.  Yes, my surgeon is passing the buck, and for some reason I feel antlers growing out of my head. As I pass by the  mirror, I see that I am that buck and I’m sort of sick of being passed around.  I didn’t even realize that bucks could be invisible like we seniors are.  Maybe when I see him next I can give him a little bit of hoof in his shin as I smile ever so brightly and say, “Great to see you!”

For now, resting, icing, trying to get in a better frame of mind, and will blog walk when I can sit without throbbing. Pfft.  I didn’t sign up for all this mess.

                                       passing-the-buck

The day after my appointment, Mary had gallbladder surgery, so I was at the hospital with her all day and then picked her up the following day and took her home.  She’s doing well, thank goodness, but now we look like Dumb and Dumber walking down a hall.  She holds her side and I limp.  What a pair.

11 comments:

  1. I was so afraid you would be invisible. Why do doctors seem to be deaf? Why can't they read also (med history file). Maybe you should get another opinion? I dunno, I am so mad they didn't help you. To go to therapy now after being laid up will not be a piece of cake. Glad your friend is better. Oh gosh I feel so bad for you I wanna kick somethin!! HUGS

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  2. Well, looks like my comment went off to another world!
    I agree with Nancy, a second opinion, Jenny. This just
    isn't right and so unfair to you. Keeping you in my prayers,
    and if you get my comment twice, it's okay since you'll
    know I care!

    xoxo

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  3. OOOOOOH! Please see another doctor and don't dismiss the blood clot possibility. To put it directly, my daughter almost lost her life when she had an elephant sized leg after "minor" back surgery. Stand up for yourself - you know that your body is telling you clearly. Something is rotten in Denmark.

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  4. Jenny, Honey, I do not know what that medicine is you are talking about...but if you just had that surgery fairly recently...demand a Doppler. To see if you have a blood clot...it will cause fever and swell and cause horrid pain. Please, ask your GP for one . I had a foot surgery, minor, but developed a blood clot and now io am on blood thinners the rest of my life. This is dangerous, please. I know when you were in the office you would have loved to tear your hair and the drs.' hair out by the roots. It's not right to be brushed off so fast by the drs. You need attention now. I pray for you. xoxo,Susie

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  5. That's okay you two- you're both invisible anyway, right?
    OMG- WHAT a mess! It sounds to me like you might have some blood vessel issues. Call and TELL them you want a Doppler done. It does NOT hurt- I promise. It is an ultrasound for blood vessels. You could have a blood clot OR narrowed veins or bulging veins...get it checked - you should NOT be having this much pain at this point.

    I am so sorry you have to go through this. We need you back here full force! You are missed! xo Diana

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  6. Jennie, that surgeon is an ass!! Notice I didn't put hole after ass although I wanted to. I encountered a doctor like that before my cancer was diagnosed and he caused me wasted time and pain and suffering! Will your insurance allow you to see someone else?

    I agree with Susie and Diana and do keep a close record of everything as it might come in handy when you feel the need to consider malpractice.

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  7. Take pictures of your leg now. (After you get a second opinion.) At the heels of reading others' comments I think we are all on the same page - GO....

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  8. I'm so sorry about all this my friend. That madness would be enough to drive anyone up the wall. Sometimes it feels that the goal is to drive people out of the office more than treat them doesn't it? I personally have only limited experience with these things so I'll continue to pray.

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  9. Thinking of you Jen. Stopped to leave ah HUG!

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  10. Missed this one too Jenny, and I guess by the lack of feedback from you that you're still in a bit of discomfort to put it mildly, no doubt you'll be back on form now that you have had a second opinion, as I see from your newer post, good, for you. Bye for now,

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