Where the money goes...
So I'm finally getting some answers regarding my pathetically fragile body. Key word is SOME.
First appointment I had, brought up the unexplained and unchanging knee pain, as well as the throbbing inner shoulder issue that keeps me from wanting to hold that arm properly on bad days. (It's like an inflamed knot of something or other on the inside edge of my scapula.) My knee was being evil, and by this I mean it wasn't hurting nearly as much as it usually did, so when they put me through a range of motion test to see what set the pain off, it barely reacted. The doctor felt my shoulder, and said it did indeed feel like a knot in the muscle. I was prescribed some muscle relaxants to see if my shoulder would work itself out on its own (she did say it was odd to have been hurting me for nearly a year) and sent a referral to a knee specialist. Also, she wrote a referral for the podiatrist I had looked up.
The other day (might I add that my shoulder is still on and off?) I made the trip out to the specialty clinic out in Saint Paul, which meant "Epic Bus Ride into Territories (semi) Unknown." St. Paul is a mess, I'll have you know, and not easy to navigate unless you've lived there for a while. I had my bus routes written down, and the stops I needed as well as walking directions, but... ahahaha, I was still getting lost and putting myself on detours. LENGTHY detours. I've run out of decent shoes, but it soon became clear I was wearing the wrong ones for walking, as soon my shins were aching. In the end, I made it to where I was supposed to be, on time, and I had my knee x-rayed. (Meanwhile, I'm thinking, "Oh. This will be next to useless.") Which, sure enough, nothing even remotely troubling was seen on the x-ray. Again, my knee was being evil, despite the fact it'd been hurting all week. The range of motion tests didn't set it off even once, so again I was frustrated. I had two potential diagnoses: a muscular issue that disrupted the tracking of my patella, which I'd need to go to physical therapy to sort out, or, worse, a meniscus tear. (It'd be a minor one, though.) So in the end, no real answers, but a therapist to see, this one thankfully much closer to home.
I got halfway lost again walking home because I couldn't find the proper bus stop. I'm an idiot, and I have a smartphone. Sad, when you think about it. Then again, I'd been disoriented and stressed all day.
Had the appointment with a podiatrist this morning. Again, took me too long to realize what floor they were on, but otherwise went fine. I do need to worry about how much my insurance will cover of it... though I have luck in the form of a health savings account, which I'm sure will suffer much before the year is over. You'd think I'd reach my deductible soon, but hell if I know how health insurance works. (Again, sad! Why am I so dumb???)
So, the examination was pretty quick, as it was pretty clear to the doctor what I had: I over-pronate... so much so that my foot barely leaves the pronated position when walking. Since I have an unusually high degree of motion in my foot, and stand on my feet 7-8 or so hours each day, the ligaments in my feet had basically given out, leaving me with a collapsing arch. YAY. I should have known this would happen at some point in my life, since my feet have ALWAYS hurt when standing for more than half an hour, and I have two family members with archless feet. Now I understand why that hurts so much.
So the solution to this is orthotics... which are expensive. BUT NECESSARY. Otherwise I'll have an aching pancake for a foot. I'm not sure how much of the expense my insurance will cover, but I told them if nothing else, I have adequate funds in the health savings account. Makes me wonder how many uninsured people go in for foot problems... probably a lot!
So I have one solution, and two mysteries. I'm afraid to see the bills start rolling in... *panic!* Beginning to think about powering through all the art I owe and open up commissions again. Need to get faster and more focused regarding art, anyway... too scatterbrained to be efficient. :P
First appointment I had, brought up the unexplained and unchanging knee pain, as well as the throbbing inner shoulder issue that keeps me from wanting to hold that arm properly on bad days. (It's like an inflamed knot of something or other on the inside edge of my scapula.) My knee was being evil, and by this I mean it wasn't hurting nearly as much as it usually did, so when they put me through a range of motion test to see what set the pain off, it barely reacted. The doctor felt my shoulder, and said it did indeed feel like a knot in the muscle. I was prescribed some muscle relaxants to see if my shoulder would work itself out on its own (she did say it was odd to have been hurting me for nearly a year) and sent a referral to a knee specialist. Also, she wrote a referral for the podiatrist I had looked up.
The other day (might I add that my shoulder is still on and off?) I made the trip out to the specialty clinic out in Saint Paul, which meant "Epic Bus Ride into Territories (semi) Unknown." St. Paul is a mess, I'll have you know, and not easy to navigate unless you've lived there for a while. I had my bus routes written down, and the stops I needed as well as walking directions, but... ahahaha, I was still getting lost and putting myself on detours. LENGTHY detours. I've run out of decent shoes, but it soon became clear I was wearing the wrong ones for walking, as soon my shins were aching. In the end, I made it to where I was supposed to be, on time, and I had my knee x-rayed. (Meanwhile, I'm thinking, "Oh. This will be next to useless.") Which, sure enough, nothing even remotely troubling was seen on the x-ray. Again, my knee was being evil, despite the fact it'd been hurting all week. The range of motion tests didn't set it off even once, so again I was frustrated. I had two potential diagnoses: a muscular issue that disrupted the tracking of my patella, which I'd need to go to physical therapy to sort out, or, worse, a meniscus tear. (It'd be a minor one, though.) So in the end, no real answers, but a therapist to see, this one thankfully much closer to home.
I got halfway lost again walking home because I couldn't find the proper bus stop. I'm an idiot, and I have a smartphone. Sad, when you think about it. Then again, I'd been disoriented and stressed all day.
Had the appointment with a podiatrist this morning. Again, took me too long to realize what floor they were on, but otherwise went fine. I do need to worry about how much my insurance will cover of it... though I have luck in the form of a health savings account, which I'm sure will suffer much before the year is over. You'd think I'd reach my deductible soon, but hell if I know how health insurance works. (Again, sad! Why am I so dumb???)
So, the examination was pretty quick, as it was pretty clear to the doctor what I had: I over-pronate... so much so that my foot barely leaves the pronated position when walking. Since I have an unusually high degree of motion in my foot, and stand on my feet 7-8 or so hours each day, the ligaments in my feet had basically given out, leaving me with a collapsing arch. YAY. I should have known this would happen at some point in my life, since my feet have ALWAYS hurt when standing for more than half an hour, and I have two family members with archless feet. Now I understand why that hurts so much.
So the solution to this is orthotics... which are expensive. BUT NECESSARY. Otherwise I'll have an aching pancake for a foot. I'm not sure how much of the expense my insurance will cover, but I told them if nothing else, I have adequate funds in the health savings account. Makes me wonder how many uninsured people go in for foot problems... probably a lot!
So I have one solution, and two mysteries. I'm afraid to see the bills start rolling in... *panic!* Beginning to think about powering through all the art I owe and open up commissions again. Need to get faster and more focused regarding art, anyway... too scatterbrained to be efficient. :P