Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Cautiously optimistic, but I think things are improving. Today has been really, really good. I'm still experiencing pain in my knee and shin, but that pain has lessened with each passing day this week. Today I was able to put more pressure on my knee without it giving out on me. That alone is such a relief. Last week when I was told my activity is only limited by the amount of pain I can tolerate, I envisioned the rest of my life revolving around constant pain and weakness in my right leg. After not being given any advice for how to manage the pain or how to work to alleviate the pain, I did a lot of reading over the next few days to see what might actually help. I firmly believe a good night's sleep is key, so I found a highly rated OTC sleep aid and started using it. While I still wake up during the night and experience significant pain in my hip during the night, I shift my sleeping position to alleviate the pain and fall back to sleep quickly. That alone has worked wonders....

I finally got the results from the MRI. While it wasn't what I wanted to hear, at least I know what I'm dealing with and can now make decisions regarding activity, rest, medication. This whole ordeal has really opened my eyes to our healthcare system. My past experiences have been few and far between, mostly just having kids and going through the usual kid illnesses. I've not had to use the healthcare services other than regular physicals, regular eye checks, and regular dental check-ups. My thoughts have always been work to take care of myself by being active and watching what I eat. I stopped drinking alcohol several years ago, but I was not much of a drinker to begin with. I never really liked the taste of alcohol, so what was the point of drinking? I've never smoked. I've never taken drugs. I thought I was doing everything I needed to do to remain healthy. Then one morning in March I woke up to a nagging, sharp pain in my right thigh. I didn't think too much...

Yesterday I called the neurologist to ask about the MRI. When an actual person answered the phone, I was a bit stunned as every time I called before I had to leave a message then wait for a call back, which more often than not didn't happen. So to have a live human being answer the phone kind of threw me. I recovered quickly and asked when I might hear what the MRI showed. The woman put me on hold. About a minute later she returned and informed me she needed to call the hospital where I had the MRI completed to have the results sent to the neurologist. I'm calling BS. When I left the hospital, I was told the results would be sent to my doctor within 48 hours. My guess is the results were sent. My doctor hadn't looked at them. My call sparked a CYA response. An appointment to discuss the results was set up for next week, which is suspect to me since the first time I called to set up the initial appointment I had to wait two weeks to get in. Now, I have to wait to start PT be...

Last week I had an MRI to check my lower spine to see exactly what is going on. I haven't heard anything yet, which I figured was going to be the case as the office that I am working with doesn't seem to care all that much about letting its patients know what was found from the tests that have been completed. I was told in the ER that this particular office is bad about responding to its patients. That was most definitely an understatement. When I called to make the initial appointment, no one returned my call. After a couple of days, I called again and pretty much said I'm not impressed with their professionalism. That got a call-back within a couple of hours. The same thing happened when trying to get the MRI scheduled. I called three times, asking about when I would have the MRI. It was only on the third attempt, when I again said the professionalism of this office leaves a lot to be desired, that I received a call-back within a couple of hours. So now, a week after the ...

Still no word on when the MRI will be scheduled, which is disappointing. I was told I would have news within 48 hours of my appointment with the neurology doctor, but here I am, nearly two weeks later with no news at all. I called the office last Tuesday and left a message, asking if an appointment had been set. No call back. I called the office again last Wednesday, asking again if an appointment had been set. No call back. I called again yesterday, letting the office know I was thoroughly disgusted at the lack of communication on their end, and lo and behold, two hours later I get a call saying they are still talking to the insurance company about getting the okay for the MRI. The woman I was speaking to said I should have a call by Wednesday, tomorrow, with information about the MRI appointment. I'm not holding my breath. Meanwhile, I am still experiencing excruciating pain in my hip, thigh, groin, and knee. I sleep about two hours at a time during the night, with an hour or two...

No word today about the MRI, but I figured it'd be another day or so before I'll get a call. I truly hope that call comes sooner rather than later. This pain is close to sending me over the edge. While the new nerve blocking pain meds do work, they only do so much. I still have a lot of pain in my knee and shin, and anything that touches the skin in this area sends me into orbit. This evening I have a new pain in my lower shin area, close to my ankle. It's just throbbing.  I was able to walk around the block twice today, so there's that. The first time, when I got back and sank into my chair it was like I had worked out hard. I was done. The second time, my hip started talking to me big time and it was all I could do to finish the walk. A month ago I was walking 3-5 miles a day. Now I'm reduced to a block. I am so bummed. I'm really trying to stay positive, but I don't know how when I can't do much of anything and the pain is just always there. Each morn...