Back at Square 1: An accident update.
Today I went for my Osteopathic Manipulation consult... An intimidating experience if I do say so myself. First off... had trouble finding the place because there were like 20 buildings and the people I spoke to on the phone decided that telling me which building I should go to was pertinent information. Oh well... I found the place. Filled out paperwork... Waited with my massive MRI prints bogging me down... all... what is there now? Three of them? These things have proven worthless in the past, because no one ever sees anything on them... but they say bring, and it's impossible to argue with them.
It was a nice waiting room, as waiting rooms go. I should know, I've seen more than my fair share in the last two years. I was looking around again when the nurse called my name.
"Stephen?"
I hobbled over to where she was, carrying the prints. I followed her down hallway after hallway, looking at the various rooms as we passed them. I remember thinking, "I hope someone's going to lead me out of here, because I don't think I'll remember the way..."
She took me to a room, and asked me all the standard questions: Describe the pain... What level of pain are you at now. What is it at its best, its worst, etc. She got the the substance questions: Do you smoke? Do you take any recreational drugs? I pondered over this question a moment, not because I had to think about whether or not I had taken any, the answer was no... but rather at the phrase "recreational drugs". Hmmm...
She took my blood pressure, and left as the doctor came in. This man made me think of a combination of Steve Martin and Dr. House... He was older, balding with graying hair... in a pink button down shirt. He then went about asking me all the questions the nurse had just asked me. He asked me questions, I had to think about them... he was very short with me... made me feel stupid and uncomfortable when I answered in a way he didn't like. Then he told me to put on a gown and he left the room. I took off my jeans and hoodie, leaving my necklace, as always, and put on the gown. He came in. He gave little explanation as he went through his examination, which was odd, because before I knew it, he hand his hands on my waist, under the gown feeling my muscles and bones with his thumbs. "Lean forward, bend back..." raises hands higher and repeated himself. "Lay on the table" He prodded my stomach, hips, pubic area, inner thighs. The experience was not entirely pleasant... and although his touches weren't sexual in nature, I had to wonder why he needed to prod around that area when I was there for shoulder and arm trouble... He asked me to flip over. I did. He got a blanket, laid it over the back of my thighs and slid the waistband of my boxer briefs down a bit. He then went about prodding my tail bone. He had me bend in different ways so that he could feel the tension of various muscles and tendons based upon my position. He then had me flip onto my back again and he moved to my neck and shoulders. All the while muttering phrases like "good" "That's it" "Perfect", etc. He tested arm strength, reflexes, the whole deal. After a 40 minute examination, he walked to his notes, scribbled some things and then walked back to the table, asked me to sit up. He dipped his fingers behind my collar bones, the left side is always tender now, the right, not so much. Without a word from me, he said, "That's what I thought." He walked away and did something that no doctor has done in the course of the two years that I've been in treatment. He made a diagnosis.
It brought us back to Square 1. It was exactly the same thing my physical therapist had said almost two years earlier. It had since been ruled out by two different neurologists. I explained that both the other doctors had ruled that out... He responded by saying, "Oh, how cute." He then went on to explain in great detail why, it was, in fact what he had said it was. He explained how it had happened, which, to my understanding, is this: The accident caused my muscles to spasm. The spasming muscles pulled on my bones, causing my first rib to shift upward slightly and my 4th and 5th vertebrae to turn slightly to the right. This pinched the nerves, and that is what's causing my pain. He told me he wants to see me once a week for 8 weeks. One of three things will happen. The first of which, which he doesn't think will happen, is that the treatment will have no effect. The second: I will be completely cured, no pain at all or the third: I will get temporary relief and will have to return when the pain returns, which, he said, was unacceptable, and if that's the case, then he'll alter the treatment in an attempt to make it better.
He made me feel stupid... uncomfortable, he was curt, and blunt and indifferent... but he was able to do something that the other doctors couldn't do. He restored my hope. For the first time in a very long time, I honestly believe that I've got a chance of being without pain in the very near future. Before he left, he told me it was nice to meet me, and he smiled a very warm smile. This whole situation made me think of something Jocelyn and I had talked about many many months ago... It was after watching an episode of House, she had said, "I don't care how good a doctor he is... I don't think I'd go back to him after he talked to me that way...". After being in that situation... I can honestly say that I would, and I will. It made me realize that he can say whatever he wants to me, but if he can help me, that's all that matters. I start treatment in two weeks, and for the first time in a long time, I couldn't be happier about that ^_^.
It was a nice waiting room, as waiting rooms go. I should know, I've seen more than my fair share in the last two years. I was looking around again when the nurse called my name.
"Stephen?"
I hobbled over to where she was, carrying the prints. I followed her down hallway after hallway, looking at the various rooms as we passed them. I remember thinking, "I hope someone's going to lead me out of here, because I don't think I'll remember the way..."
She took me to a room, and asked me all the standard questions: Describe the pain... What level of pain are you at now. What is it at its best, its worst, etc. She got the the substance questions: Do you smoke? Do you take any recreational drugs? I pondered over this question a moment, not because I had to think about whether or not I had taken any, the answer was no... but rather at the phrase "recreational drugs". Hmmm...
She took my blood pressure, and left as the doctor came in. This man made me think of a combination of Steve Martin and Dr. House... He was older, balding with graying hair... in a pink button down shirt. He then went about asking me all the questions the nurse had just asked me. He asked me questions, I had to think about them... he was very short with me... made me feel stupid and uncomfortable when I answered in a way he didn't like. Then he told me to put on a gown and he left the room. I took off my jeans and hoodie, leaving my necklace, as always, and put on the gown. He came in. He gave little explanation as he went through his examination, which was odd, because before I knew it, he hand his hands on my waist, under the gown feeling my muscles and bones with his thumbs. "Lean forward, bend back..." raises hands higher and repeated himself. "Lay on the table" He prodded my stomach, hips, pubic area, inner thighs. The experience was not entirely pleasant... and although his touches weren't sexual in nature, I had to wonder why he needed to prod around that area when I was there for shoulder and arm trouble... He asked me to flip over. I did. He got a blanket, laid it over the back of my thighs and slid the waistband of my boxer briefs down a bit. He then went about prodding my tail bone. He had me bend in different ways so that he could feel the tension of various muscles and tendons based upon my position. He then had me flip onto my back again and he moved to my neck and shoulders. All the while muttering phrases like "good" "That's it" "Perfect", etc. He tested arm strength, reflexes, the whole deal. After a 40 minute examination, he walked to his notes, scribbled some things and then walked back to the table, asked me to sit up. He dipped his fingers behind my collar bones, the left side is always tender now, the right, not so much. Without a word from me, he said, "That's what I thought." He walked away and did something that no doctor has done in the course of the two years that I've been in treatment. He made a diagnosis.
It brought us back to Square 1. It was exactly the same thing my physical therapist had said almost two years earlier. It had since been ruled out by two different neurologists. I explained that both the other doctors had ruled that out... He responded by saying, "Oh, how cute." He then went on to explain in great detail why, it was, in fact what he had said it was. He explained how it had happened, which, to my understanding, is this: The accident caused my muscles to spasm. The spasming muscles pulled on my bones, causing my first rib to shift upward slightly and my 4th and 5th vertebrae to turn slightly to the right. This pinched the nerves, and that is what's causing my pain. He told me he wants to see me once a week for 8 weeks. One of three things will happen. The first of which, which he doesn't think will happen, is that the treatment will have no effect. The second: I will be completely cured, no pain at all or the third: I will get temporary relief and will have to return when the pain returns, which, he said, was unacceptable, and if that's the case, then he'll alter the treatment in an attempt to make it better.
He made me feel stupid... uncomfortable, he was curt, and blunt and indifferent... but he was able to do something that the other doctors couldn't do. He restored my hope. For the first time in a very long time, I honestly believe that I've got a chance of being without pain in the very near future. Before he left, he told me it was nice to meet me, and he smiled a very warm smile. This whole situation made me think of something Jocelyn and I had talked about many many months ago... It was after watching an episode of House, she had said, "I don't care how good a doctor he is... I don't think I'd go back to him after he talked to me that way...". After being in that situation... I can honestly say that I would, and I will. It made me realize that he can say whatever he wants to me, but if he can help me, that's all that matters. I start treatment in two weeks, and for the first time in a long time, I couldn't be happier about that ^_^.