Anticipation is the worst thing to happen to those of us who are control freaks. Turning your life and well-being into the hands of people you don't know is frightening. And still, what are the other choices?
On February 11th, I managed to tear the medial meniscus in my left knee. That wasn't discovered for weeks as doctors are reluctant to order expensive tests until other therapies have been tried. (Have talked about this before.) Once the jig was up and the reality known, there was nothing to do but schedule surgery....which took weeks and weeks to do. I just had that surgery on April 26th--two days ago. Do you blame me for being frustrated??
Because my cardiologist wanted to clear me for arthroscopic surgery when he was asked if I could be taken off my aspirin regimen for a few days, he required that I come in to see him...then required a chemical stress test to see if my heart could handle being under general anesthesia. (Are you seeing dollar signs??)
The surgery went well. I was discharged just before noon. Spent the remainder of the day resting...and the next day, too. Then today, I had my follow-up appointment with the surgeon and my first physical therapy appointment. I survived! In fact, I am somewhat shocked at how good my knee feels, even when the pain meds have worn off. I even ventured to the grocery store by myself this afternoon. A-mazing!
My sister was supposed to come this weekend for a visit, but because the weather is slated to be so nasty with heavy rains, etc., she canceled, and I am happy not to worry about her and family on the road in the predicted monsoon! I love you, Shari!
I would not/could not have survived all of this without my sister and my friends Judy and Phil Heffelman. (Judy and Phil are more like family than friends. Their son and my daughter were once married. We share grandchildren. That's family to me!!) I am so blessed. I am also delighted that this experience is almost over. If I am faithful with my PT exercises, I should be able to get back to where I once was. I hope so. It wasn't great, but it's better than it is now. Let's do it!
Friday, April 28, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
The Medical Racket
I am a single retired woman of limited means. I do my best to live within those means, but life has other plans!
If you have followed me, you know that I tore a meniscus in my left knee on February 11th. I did the ER, a follow-up with an orthopedist, two knee shots a week apart thinking that the knee was simply arthritic when I knew better, and a physical therapy session. All of those had co-pays of $40-$45 each trip. Then the orthopedist ordered an MRI. Finally, a diagnosis! So then there was the appointment with the surgeon for arthroscopic surgery....and a note to my cardiologist to ask permission for me to be off aspirin for a week prior to surgery. Of course, the cardiologist only saw "knee surgery" and assumed I was getting a knee replacement rather than the two-poke arthroscopy...so he required that I come in a couple of months prior to my usual annual visit. Can you see the dollar signs adding up?
I had that appointment today. For the second time in a week, I had an EKG, blood work, BP check, etc. All was well...but...at issue is the fact that one of my feet--the one on the injured leg--keeps swelling. Being a "testing" kind of doc, my cardiologist has ordered a stress test to rule out congestive heart failure. I'm thankful for that, but I just keep wondering where all the money is going to come from to take care of what isn't covered my Medicare/United. He wants the stress test to take place before the surgery next Wednesday. Ugh! This isn't a treadmill test because I am physically unable to do that. It involves injecting meds that will make my heart race, and I'm not comfortable with that because it is out of my control. Hopefully, all will be well. I'll soon know!
What I am finding out is that everything is intertwined. We've done it to ourselves. In our litigious society, everything that goes wrong has to be someone's fault, right? I admit that I was perturbed at the first orthopedist that I saw before he ordered the MRI because I knew the problem was more than just arthritis. Would I sue him? No. He told me, and I believe him, that insurance is reluctant to pay for expensive tests before other therapies are tried first. We did the other therapies. They didn't work. The only person and/or company that was hurt was ME. I continued to hobble around while the experts determined my fate. That's still happening. It's been over two months now.
When you get old, things get weird. In the cardiologist's waiting room today were people using rollaters (as I was) and canes. One even came in a wheelchair. How dedicated can a doctor be when the people he is seeing are old and the quality of their lives is challenged? All I want out of existence right now is to be happy and secure. Both are subjective. Today, the doc asked me if I was still living alone and able to take care of myself and my home unassisted. The answer is no. Yes, I am still living alone, but no, I can no longer do it all by myself...and it kills me. In my brain, I'm still young. My body says otherwise.
In spite of all, I keep moving. That's the only answer. Never give up. Keep trying. If you can't do it all, ask for help. My father, in his old age, as I was leaving his home to go back to my own always said, "Go slow." Daddy, I am! Believe me...I am!
If you have followed me, you know that I tore a meniscus in my left knee on February 11th. I did the ER, a follow-up with an orthopedist, two knee shots a week apart thinking that the knee was simply arthritic when I knew better, and a physical therapy session. All of those had co-pays of $40-$45 each trip. Then the orthopedist ordered an MRI. Finally, a diagnosis! So then there was the appointment with the surgeon for arthroscopic surgery....and a note to my cardiologist to ask permission for me to be off aspirin for a week prior to surgery. Of course, the cardiologist only saw "knee surgery" and assumed I was getting a knee replacement rather than the two-poke arthroscopy...so he required that I come in a couple of months prior to my usual annual visit. Can you see the dollar signs adding up?
I had that appointment today. For the second time in a week, I had an EKG, blood work, BP check, etc. All was well...but...at issue is the fact that one of my feet--the one on the injured leg--keeps swelling. Being a "testing" kind of doc, my cardiologist has ordered a stress test to rule out congestive heart failure. I'm thankful for that, but I just keep wondering where all the money is going to come from to take care of what isn't covered my Medicare/United. He wants the stress test to take place before the surgery next Wednesday. Ugh! This isn't a treadmill test because I am physically unable to do that. It involves injecting meds that will make my heart race, and I'm not comfortable with that because it is out of my control. Hopefully, all will be well. I'll soon know!
What I am finding out is that everything is intertwined. We've done it to ourselves. In our litigious society, everything that goes wrong has to be someone's fault, right? I admit that I was perturbed at the first orthopedist that I saw before he ordered the MRI because I knew the problem was more than just arthritis. Would I sue him? No. He told me, and I believe him, that insurance is reluctant to pay for expensive tests before other therapies are tried first. We did the other therapies. They didn't work. The only person and/or company that was hurt was ME. I continued to hobble around while the experts determined my fate. That's still happening. It's been over two months now.
When you get old, things get weird. In the cardiologist's waiting room today were people using rollaters (as I was) and canes. One even came in a wheelchair. How dedicated can a doctor be when the people he is seeing are old and the quality of their lives is challenged? All I want out of existence right now is to be happy and secure. Both are subjective. Today, the doc asked me if I was still living alone and able to take care of myself and my home unassisted. The answer is no. Yes, I am still living alone, but no, I can no longer do it all by myself...and it kills me. In my brain, I'm still young. My body says otherwise.
In spite of all, I keep moving. That's the only answer. Never give up. Keep trying. If you can't do it all, ask for help. My father, in his old age, as I was leaving his home to go back to my own always said, "Go slow." Daddy, I am! Believe me...I am!
Monday, April 17, 2017
Update on the Bird Situation
These many weeks after my prior post about the resident robin that is messing up my car, he's still at it! The vehicle has been washed three times, but the wash is undone within an hour. The last wash was at the hands of my neighbor, Fred, who took pity on me and volunteered, unbidden, to wash the bird poop off. Thank you, Freddie!
The Fred car wash just happened this morning. It did result in one nice thing (other than a clean car). A year or two ago, I bought one of those "as seen on TV" things at the local grocery store. I never used it. It was a tiny little garden hose, all crinkled up, that promised to uncrinkle when water goes through it. When Fred was looking for my hose to wash off my car, I offered him that. He put it on the spigot, and voila! The hose uncrinkled and worked charmingly! One thing the advertising did NOT say was whether the hose would shrink back up when the water was turned off. Guess what? It did! It is now in the front of the house, very inconspicuous, but handy. Patting myself on the back over that one!
I've had all kinds of suggestions from well-meaning people about how to discourage the bird. I've tried one or two, but none have worked. The others just aren't feasible for me. Don't get me wrong: I love my robins. Love seeing and hearing them when they return to the neighborhood after the winter; love listening to them sing the sun up in the mornings; get cracked up by watching them feed their demanding young'uns who are every bit as big as the adults. This is the very first year that I have ever had this problem with a bird like this. Unfortunately, I know that robins return to the same yards after migration for years. When the robins head south for the winter, I may not be done with this. It could happen again next season!
The Fred car wash just happened this morning. It did result in one nice thing (other than a clean car). A year or two ago, I bought one of those "as seen on TV" things at the local grocery store. I never used it. It was a tiny little garden hose, all crinkled up, that promised to uncrinkle when water goes through it. When Fred was looking for my hose to wash off my car, I offered him that. He put it on the spigot, and voila! The hose uncrinkled and worked charmingly! One thing the advertising did NOT say was whether the hose would shrink back up when the water was turned off. Guess what? It did! It is now in the front of the house, very inconspicuous, but handy. Patting myself on the back over that one!
I've had all kinds of suggestions from well-meaning people about how to discourage the bird. I've tried one or two, but none have worked. The others just aren't feasible for me. Don't get me wrong: I love my robins. Love seeing and hearing them when they return to the neighborhood after the winter; love listening to them sing the sun up in the mornings; get cracked up by watching them feed their demanding young'uns who are every bit as big as the adults. This is the very first year that I have ever had this problem with a bird like this. Unfortunately, I know that robins return to the same yards after migration for years. When the robins head south for the winter, I may not be done with this. It could happen again next season!
Friday, April 7, 2017
Update on the Long, Sad Knee Saga
So...I met with the orthopedic surgeon yesterday. He shared my knee x-rays with me and said they were "remarkably good-looking" for a person my age. Score one! He did NOT share any of the MRI shots with me because there were so many of them, but he said they showed a meniscus tear. He compared it to having a rock in your shoe. You can do whatever you want to make it feel better, but it won't ever be "right" until the rock is removed.
The meniscus is cartilage. It doesn't have much of a blood supply, so it usually doesn't get better by itself. The surgeon suggested that he would do the "two-poke" arthroscopic surgery to trim away what is torn and let it heal. Surgery is outpatient; general anesthesia; 20-25 minutes; no physical restrictions after....piece-o-cake!
Surgery is arranged for April 26th. I have a babysitter to help. I have a small house all on one level, with a commode to make life easier.
I can do this! God provides!
The meniscus is cartilage. It doesn't have much of a blood supply, so it usually doesn't get better by itself. The surgeon suggested that he would do the "two-poke" arthroscopic surgery to trim away what is torn and let it heal. Surgery is outpatient; general anesthesia; 20-25 minutes; no physical restrictions after....piece-o-cake!
Surgery is arranged for April 26th. I have a babysitter to help. I have a small house all on one level, with a commode to make life easier.
I can do this! God provides!
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