Where the hell is Dr. Welby?

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At the beginning of March I was lucky enough to secure a doctor's appointment with a neurosurgeon to discuss my back, leg and groin pain. I battled through, circling the date on the calendar, and going to therapy twice a week, dealing with traction, sleeping fitfully, but working through it.

The doctor would see me and fix me, right?

It was a bit of a letdown.

I showed up 15 minutes early for my noon appointment. A pretty girl asked me to fill out forms. She seemed concerned with how I'd been feeling.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"With my hands," I said, raising my eyes to Grandpa.

I didn't see her again until 1:35 when I asked her if it was going to be much longer.

"They're running behind."

That really isn't an answer, but I sat quietly. After all, this was the day I'd been waiting for!

At two o'clock, two hours after my scheduled appointment, I was stirred from my resting spot and brought to another room.

"We'll be right with you."

Twenty more minutes passed.

The doc came in. I had read an article that said they only listen to your first two minutes so I led with my best shit.

"The pain in my groin has me contemplating removal of something I need desperately."

No reaction.

"I'm wondering about the back amputation, do you do that here?"

Nothing.

"My right leg has been asleep all day and I'm afraid it won't sleep at all tonight."

Stone-faced.

She stuck me with a pin.

"Does this feel different?"

"Does that feel different?"

"How's therapy going?"

I explained that I was at my wit's end.

"Do something for me!"

She disappeared.

I headed back to my solitaire game.

"We ordered a test to see if your back pain is related to the numbness and the groin pain. Continue with therapy and try and rest more than you're resting now. We'll have you back in when we see the test results to see if a surgical procedure is the best option."

Wonderful.

I headed back to rest at my job. Four more hours of rest at work that day. Ten hours of work rest the next day. Looking at a 12er today.

The lawn needs to be mowed.

The garage needs to be cleaned.

Dog shit in the backyard!

Only six more weeks to the next appointment.

I better get there early!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hey, Cliff! Love your blog--you make me LOL frequently. Wanted to ask if you're taking any statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs(?) They may be the culprit for your back, and leg pain. It's a very common side effect. Check this out: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/29/health/fda-warns-of-cholesterol-drugs-side-effects.html?_r=3&hp
and this: http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2011/12/01/more-cholesterol-follies/
04 April, 2012
Maureen said…
Cliff,
I have tried to post a couple of times but it never seems to take. Anyway, love you blog, you have made me laugh out loud and cry with your stories. I grew up on Long Island and have lived here in Virginia for 30 years. My daughter who is now 20 has had back problems including surgery for a herniated disc. After a car accident (73 year old lady decided to run the red light and t-bone her car) did more damange, we moved her care to the Hospital for Special Surgery in NY. Great facility. Great doctors, they work as a team. They hate to cut, and are willing to work to figure out what is wrong. I would strongly recommend a second opinion for you. They take most insurance - they accept my BC/BS Virginia policy. Would be happy to answer any questions for you including the dr. we saw. You should be able to get my contact info from my google account. Best of luck. The back issues stink and docs not working to fix them only makes it worse.
Maureen Esposito
12 April, 2012
Cliff Fazzolari said…
Thanks for the advice and the kind words. I've never taken cholesterol drugs...and Maureen, the aggravating part is that they give you such a little bit at a time and tell you to try and rest when your not in position to do so. I think therapy would work, but I have no way to do front bridges every hour as I make my way through my day...so there's a lot of gritting my teeth and forging ahead until the weekend. And don't even get me started on waiting for approvals!!!
03 June, 2012
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