Monday, January 21, 2008

More therapy - UGH!

I saw the spine doctor FINALLY on Friday morning after waiting six weeks to get in. I had an appointment back in December before Christmas that they canceled because they said the doctor was going to be in surgery. Yeah, right. It was December 21st and he wanted an early start on his vacation. There is a slight chance that I might be wrong, but I doubt it. Why? Because last Monday their office called and said they would have to reschedule me AGAIN because the doctor had to do surgery on Friday. I told them I couldn't believe they were doing it to me again after waiting so long and I told them that I hurt my neck while doing lower back therapy they sent me to. Well, they said to come in and see the nurse practitioner. I asked them what this nurse practitioner was going to do for me. They said he could send me for x-rays and get the ball rolling till the doctor could see me. I told them if this doctor is too busy with surgeries and surgical patients to bother, I will have my GP refer me to someone else and I will call my insurance company to find out if it is okay with them to have nurse practitioners evaluating and treating serious back trouble. Well, when I called Friday morning to verify my appointment time, I was told that I could come in and see the real doctor at 9:20 a.m. I wanted to ask "what happened to surgery?" but I didn't. When I got there I had to wait an hour, then saw the doctor, and he sent me downstairs for x-rays, then had to come back up and wait another half hour, then was called into the room to wait another 20 minutes. So, that surgery thing must just be an excuse. Dealing with doctors so often, I know they have scheduled O.R. days at the hospital and an emergency on the same day happens sometimes, but I really think that Fridays are too tempting for this guy to take off for a three-day weekend . . . and Friday appts get blown off and rescheduled.

The news is that my cervical spine is out of alignment and scrunched, and the ligaments all too short and atrophied, and so have to have gentle traction and therapy three times a week for six more weeks. I am sick of this crap but the doctor said there is no other better option for this. He could put me in a neck brace and send me home to rest, but it may never get better then because things will just get tighter and tighter. I will go because I am in so much pain when I ride in a car any distance that I could almost cry, and I don't cry easily. I think that the therapy place or the doctor should do this one for free since I warned them that my upper back was "touchy" when they were making me do crap in therapy that I was sure was going to aggravate it. Now the doctor tells me anything I instinctively know is going to bother something else, refuse to do it.
I will, but when I do refuse to do stuff, I know I am going to see them rolling their eyes and then they will discuss what an uncooperative bitch I am. But who cares, I am not going to hurt something else anymore while trying to get something else better.

I think I need a good dose of spring weather.

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