Thursday, June 28, 2007

Hello again blog and e-buddies! What a crappy week! This foot.... still.

I stubbed my toe in February... limped around on it for a few days and thought it was better. Guess not. Then when I got back on my treadmill..I must have further injured the foot. I have been hobbling around ever since. ...seeing a couple of different doctors plus my regular... (because my regular doctor is not always there nor does she have openings for months sometimes).....having xrays that showed nothing..then being sent to physio which made it much worse and then it finally totally ballooned, so I quit that and went back yet again to the doctor who ordered an MRI..but it is not until Aug 2... then finally ... saw a Sports Medicine doctor at the physio clinic... who said "tell me again why you haven't had a bone scan yet?" He said we could get one within a week...which we did. Today I finally got the results and there are multiple stress fractures throughout my foot. Great. We pummeled the bejeepers out of my foot for a month at physio...I should have quit after the first week..but persevered. Stupid me.

Anyway.... now I have an air cast. It is awkward to drag around..but the first step I took with my foot encased in it...was pretty wonderful after plenty of "painful" since the last week of February! Oh, I am so ticked. How come somebody could not have been a bit more clever before now (me included!). I dont know how many times I said..it feels like it is broken. It feels like it spreads every time I put weight on it...it hurts when I step on the damn thing. Sheeeesh!!
Plus... the past week...has been a whole horrible week of wondering if those dark patches that I saw on the screen were bone cancer. Well, the screen was right there wasn't it??......did they expect me not to rubberneck and watch the whole thing? then...come right home and do a bit of research on bone scans? Well...a little knowledge is usually not a good thing. Want an easy way to lose 5 pounds in a week?.... panic. That is it...just panic. Your appetite totally disappears... well, mine did anyway. And I did nothing but sleep. No bears...no dolls...no cooking...no cleaning... just pity or anger...alternating.

I have to say.... we just have to take the bull by the horns it seems when it comes to our own health . If you want a scan..demand it. If you feel like something is broken... say so umpteen times til somebody listens. Don't wait two or three weeks between doctor visits... don't be brave and continue with treatment if it hurts.....call or go every single week to the doctor's office 'til they do something. And if physio is their suggestion... when it makes the condition much worse... quit before you really wreck something. Man... it was finally a stab at some other opinion that led me to this guy. I saw him a few years ago and he helped me with a really bad shoulder. He is kind of a cocky guy, but... knows his stuff. And, the stupid thing is I almost cancelled the appointment for the scan too...as it seemed to be getting somewhat better after I quit the physio... and didn't think I needed to overburden the health care system. When I called his office...he said .."Oh no you don't....... I need to have that scan... get over there!" Hahahah... thanks doc...we may be on to something here.

2 comments:

Shel said...

Vee, this is so timely. I've got two "weird" results on tests lately -- nothing major but still requiring followup -- and my doctor won't do phone appointments and has nothing available to see me until JULY 23rd! I've been waiting already since early June. AARGH! Time to get a new doctor, or just play squeaky wheel, methinks. Thanks for the sound advice. And please, get better soon!

BumbleVee said...

It is getting terrible Shel...we can't even change here. There is a shortage of doctors and absolutely no doctors taking new patients. We are lucky we already have a doctor of our own..at least they keep us within the clinic if we need to be seen. I don't mind the rookies for regular stuff..but, this time I did want to hear from experience.

Keep calling their office Shel. Times do open up.
Greg was laughing by early Wednesday cuz I was calling the office every hour of every day after they gave me a Friday appt. (they had the results within one day) ... with yet a different doctor at my clinic. I told the receptionist I wanted my own doctor to talk to me about the results of the scan. She said..sorry "sweetie", but this is just the way it is. Sweetie? Ha! I don't think so says me. I told her I would call her every hour to see if any time showed up due to no shows or cancellations. After I called 8 times she told me to call back on Thursday morning and she was sure she would have a time for me. Amazingly,Thursday a.m. she called ME at 7:00 to say she found me a spot. Only one day sooner,,...but...my own doctor which was what I wanted. Greg is now telling people.. be the "whiny wheel".. sometimes you do get the grease.. laughingly but happy for me that it worked this time. We need a few good laughs right now and we sure had several this week just trying to keep ourselves upbeat and occupied.


Good luck Shel with your tests ....
sending you a big hug XX