Doctors appointment redux

Yesterday morning I was determined to get my follow up with orthopedics so I called the doctor who was supposed to do the referral again. On Wednesday they told me they would handle it. Yesterday they told me the referral was never put in - because it was done after 5 on Friday. I asked when they would call me and they told me I could call them, which I did. I got a nice man who said he would call me back after speaking to a doctor - and he actually did. Finally, it ended up that after I went to see my back doctor I went directly over to see the orthopedics people.

So my appointment with my back doctor was interesting. First, he said 'how are you?' I said 'here's my list of back pain issues'. I think he didn't realize I had so many areas of pain so often. So he pressed on all sorts of different places to see what hurt - lots of them did. He said I have too much muscular and nerve pain going on that he can't treat some of the joint issues until they calm down. He gave me a pain reliever, Lyrica, and said to try it for three months and then come see him again. BUT:

- Not everyone can handle Lyrica. I should try it and if it makes me dizzy or other reactions to call them and get something else.
- It should start to work in a week if not sooner and if it doesn't to call them back for something else.
- In the meantime, no lifting over 20 lbs, blah, blah, blah.

This is very frustrating for me. Wait another three months to see if they can treat some of the areas which are the worst pain. Basically I get pain from my neck down to my hips... And there are lots of areas to treat. Grrr....

So after that cheery little visit, I went over to orthopedics. I was seen by a nice physician's assistant who said that he had met me before when I had my port out when he worked in interventional radiology - scary he remembered me. (Am I memorable in a good way or in a bad way?) I don't have a sprain. I have a chip out of the bottom of my fibula. Air cast for three weeks and then come back to see an orthopedic surgeon. No activity - which means no walks, no fun, grrrr!!! And to add to the little complications:

- the anti-inflammatories I take for my back can actually slow down the healing of a fracture. I can stop taking them but then my back would be worse so I was told to keep taking them and have a slower healing time.
- my osteopenia could have contributed to this little incidence. You can't really say from only an x-ray but my fibula looked a little less dense than the other bones...
- there is no guarantee this will heal in three weeks.

I think my doctors need new script writers or something. They have to have POSITIVE things to tell me. Next week I go see the radiation oncologist again. I hope she has good things to say but we will have a discussion about bone pain because of that little cancer thing that we always have to think about but really don't want to. Also, I left one of my favorite water bottles someplace at the hospital. Triple grr!

I do think my air cast needs some decoration or something. Its gray and blah. Accessorizing is important.

Anyway, today I am off to work at one job and then the other... They are having a company picnic at the second job so I will get there by lunch time so I can join them. Then tonight we are going out to dinner with some of Walter's relatives who are visiting from Chicago. A busy day. Now I am runnning late.