Re: good and bad news

Dear Melissa,

I glad I could entertain you a bit or at least bring a smile to your face.
It's not an easy thing to do under the best of circumstances, every bit as
hard for the joker as the jokee, but what are the real alternatives? You can
choose between feeling rotten or feeling crummy all the time or lighten up a
little with those of us who have seen the absurd up close and in person, or
if we haven't seen it, we sure aren't surprised by some new heights of
absurdity and stupidity. I try to look at the whole thing as one big game of
"Stump the Goat."
Now lets take your facet block as an example. Forgive me if I get real
simple anatomically, it hard to tell where people are some times. If you
look at the vertabra bones in your spine from the back, they look like they
have a sort of butterfly wing shaped protusions on both sides. These are the
facets and the clearances are pretty tight. Nerves run through there among
among various other things which can cause pain if these little wings get
too close tight to each one another or something gets caught between. So
it's a good place to keep an eye on.
But it's a spot that gets blamed all the time wrongly for a problem that's
really coming from some place else. If they worked on that facet spot for a
few weeks, with no improvement, and the doctors is still blaming the facets,
it could very well be time for a new doctor. A physiologist in this case may
be hurting you rather than helping. You go see a normal orthopedist and it
goes no place, it's time to hate orthopedists and see what a neurologist or
neurosurgeon may have some think, if they do have thoughts that is
Same Bat time, Same Bat channel --og




"Cat Whisperer" <movetoheal@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:a1368bc3-ca1b-4a6f-bc4b-4567ceb6d215@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thanks for the laugh.. (adding 2 inches to your penis. I'm still
giggling) and the kind words.
I honestly don't want to get this facet block now.. The pain that
wakes me up in the middle of the night is from my discs.

I really don't want to go to yet another doctor who says I have nerve
impingement (at L5-S1 level), but seems to think that is secondary to
my facet joint pain.? wtf? I'm hoping that nurse will call me back
today so I can discuss all of this with her. Also to find out how the
hell she dealt with being Dr. H's boss. But now, at least I have hope
that there is a doctor out there who will listen and HEAR me.. and
maybe actually DO something to help me. If I wanted pills, I would
have been asking him to put me on something after the Oxycontin
fiasco.. (not to mention, I probably wouldn't have stopped the
Oxycontin at all) . I'm probably the only patient he has had that
tried to take herself off of the stuff. (I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING
THIS BY YOURSELF unless you want stuff coming out of both ends
unexpectedly at any time!) I am glad it helps you, though.. I just
don't think the dose he had me on was sufficient. (40 mg 2x/day)

I'm not very good with people who lie... This is all the more reason
why I am so glad that I learned to get ALL of my medical records/
reports/test results.. everything.. it's SO important to do this. If
anything, it'll help me show what an *** this doctor has been to
me, since his "reports" totally disagree with the radiology findings.
I'm not sure how anyone could argue with an Xray, MRI or bone scan..
also, he never followed up with getting me into PT.. or helping me
fill out a disability discharge form for my old student loan.. which
in his notes says "will follow up on". I can't wait to be free of
him! If nothing else, this has been a very important lesson to me:
be my own health advocate. And to trust myself.
And you.. and I'll try to stick around. I gotta get some thicker skin
(haha no pun intended). This happened in another newsgroup I belonged
to years ago.. couldn't handle how mean-spirited people there were..
Some of the replies I have gotten were reminiscent of that, so I had a
knee-jerk reaction. (although my knees can't do much of anything atm)

You, my friend, are a true gem. I am so glad that you are involved
with this group. I look forward to reading your posts, and thanks for
the encouragement.. you've been so kind to me. Thank you!!
Best, Melissa

On Jan 22, 4:20 am, "OldGoat" <oldgoatm...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dear Michelle,

You aren't going any place, so get comfy. Your physiatrist is
unquestionably
an asshole, but before you go condemning all doctors as assholes (which is
not far from an accurate statement)
you should know they all lie. My first
doctor lied to me (and this will really blow your mind- he is now
currently
my pain doc. But he knows I am on to him) my 2nd doctor lied as did the
3rd
though he was more open to surgery than the others and I needed to be
paying
some bills and getting back to a real life whatever the cost. They all lie
it's the nature of the job. And face it, they have to tell some pretty
nice
people some pretty lousy things sometimes.
But this is how it works with backs, and forgive me if I repeat myself, I
don't know if I covered this with you or not. The human animal was never
meant to go about on two legs. We went from crawling on 4 to walking
upright
on 2. Not a good evolutionary leap, we should have at least kept our tails
for bit to balance us and make us steady. By skipping this step, we have
allowed every human being on the planet, every single last one of us to
all
kinds of problems with our backs. There is not a soul on the planet that
if
you ran them through an MRI would not have some spinal defect, some of
them
with unbelievable damage, yet they walk through life like there isn't a
thing wrong. Perfect physical specimens outside but walking medical
disaster
areas if you snap a pix of their innards.
So what all this got to do with your no good, lying ***, of a pain
fakir
who told you a bold faced lie when the reports all say you're a walking
mess? As I said they always lie, suggesting meds and PT for as long as
they
can put the patient from asking the hard question: why am I not getting
better? But they lie their little medical asses off, because every once in
a
while, the patient with the report that says they're a physical basketcase
does respond to PT and pills. You had the surgery. They even blew doing
that, the worthless bastards. What would you give right now if the PT and
pills did the trick?
So they lie. And they don't just tell little lies about who screwed who's
wife, they tell the BIG lies, the life and death kind of lies. The kind of
lies that if you really knew the truth, you might just go home and start
cleaning that Glock you keep on the top shelf or that shotgun you have
hidden in the closet. Or that 12 years old bottle of rat poison with
Nyquil
and 7-up chasers. I do not recommend the latter, it's a taste that stays
with you forever, and they don't call it toxic waste for nothing.
But in a doctor/ patient relationship, way before it gets to that creative
stage, the doctor should come out and level with the patient. Admit the
lies
and the reason behind them, and stop this insistent bull*** game that
everything is fine. The reports and studies all state things are pretty
damn
far from fine. And if there is nothing left for the patient than to cover
and mask the symptoms of the truly mangled spine, then that's what they
do,
no DEA mumbo-jumbo or federal fairytales. The time for lies is over, it's
time to face the truth like an adult and every couplemonths ask if there's
something new or promising on the horizon. Cause some day they're going to
have complete spinal replacements and it's going to be no bigger a deal
than
having your tonsils removed. And that's one list, even if it's still in
the
experimental stages, I want to be the first name on that mother. Maybe
they
could add a couple inches to my penis while I'm knocked out. Anything in
the
name of science.
But if you're going through all this bull*** to get away from this
***,
I would make it very clear at the first appointment, you have a computer
and
access to all the medical information that's fit to print and some that's
not fit to print. If they lie to you, you will catch them. And your whole
reason for switching docs is to get away from bull*** and lies. You
expect
none from them and in return they have the right to expect the same from
you. No stories about the Oxycontin Conga line that just danced right down
the drain. No alien visitors in the middle of the night. You deal a
straight
game and expect the same, when it's up to the house to deal. You will
advocate for yourself for better pain treatment for people in your
situation, and you will advocate for the doctors that treat them. None of
this pillmill nonsense, you're seeing a doctor to get well, not to have
some
"tasty waves and some cool buds". But that's another issue...
You aint going no place, there's too much to tell us what going on.

Best of luck for a real doctor--og

"Cat Whisperer" <movetoh...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:9cef1527-8001-4de2-9b9b-de6818c1253b@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx



Hello. I just wanted to share the results of my appointment w/ my
(female) primary care doctor. I saw her yesterday and told her my
experiences with the pain doctor, and she is referring me to a place
out of town. She can't (or won't) get involved with talking to my
pain doctor, as they are in the same medical group/affiliated w/ the
same hospital, she "doesn't do pain management" and evidently this
pain doctor is the only physiatrist in the area. She sends people to
him all the time. She said it sounds more like a personality conflict
between he and I and that if I don't mind traveling, there is a place
out of town that she will be referring me to. YAY. I am so
relieved.... and the person they're referring me to is a woman. I
have better communication w/ female docs.

I might not be posting here as much, but I would like to have email
contact with some of you.. I came here for support, not to be degraded
and judged. I am simply amazed at the amount of hate and judgment
from some people on here, so now I don't feel as free to post as I
once did. I have always thought of this group as helpful,
compassionate and SUPPORTive, but it's clear that some just choose to
be hateful and condescending instead. I don't know how to "killfile"
people using Google, and that's how I choose to read this group. I'm
trying to move forward and keep living through some incredibly
stressful times right now, and I don't need the negativity. At all.

The bad news is that I asked to get my "complete medical records" from
this (pain) doctor, went in to get them...and all I got were his
dictated notes from each visit for the past 2 years. No MRI, No Bone
Scan, no lab tests, no handwritten notes.. (I called back today and
they're sending me everything by mail). Oh, and the Xray report that
clearly states "Significant degenerative disc disease" and 3 bulging
discs in my spine. And then I read them....

I am just in shock right now. I cannot believe that I have wasted 2
plus years of my life with a doctor who doesn't believe or acknowledge
where my pain is, has no idea how much pain I'm in, where it
originates from, and blames it on other things. (He actually lied to
me when I asked him once if where he was touching was L5-S1. He said
"no", and I looked on his chart and of course it was exactly where I
had indicated). He flat-out lied. It seems like he has continually
ignored and downplayed the results of my Xrays, MRI and Bone Scan.
They all clearly state what is wrong.. his notes indicate that he
doesn't agree with these findings. what the living *** is wrong with
this guy? I can't believe some of the things he's noted. It feels
like I've been talking to a wall this whole time. Here's hoping that
the next place will be able to comprehend and believe *me* and all of
the tests that I've had done. This guy's report is so unbelievably
inaccurate that I don't want this new place to even look at them
without seeing me first. I wish I had recorded every visit. Who is
going to believe me over this ***? If /when I do decide to report
him.. I have no proof but my word, and clearly that's not good enough
for people.

Now I'm supposed to get a facet block, when in actuality, (coming from
me, who lives in my body and knows my pain and the different types of
it that I live with constantly) and from the looks of the bone scan,
my bad (arthritic and 3 bulging) discs that are the major cause of my
pain. But, because of this *** doctor's report, it reads like
neither one of these doctors understand where my pain is! Have I not
been specific enough for these people?? So now of course I'm nervous
to get this facet block. I want them to do something for my discs,
since that's where the majority of my pain is. The facet pain is
secondary. WTF do I do now? My primary care doc said to keep the
appt. and then I'd be able to tell the new place if it helped or not.
The nurse in charge of the place where I got the ESI used to be this
*** doctor's boss.. (same hospital affiliation, different
buildings) so I do have a call into her to try to clear up some of
this confusion. The appt. is Tuesday. The doc who did the ESI had
told me that there are some laser-type things they can do for my
discs, but the second visit, he said there weren't any other options
for me at all. ?? Both of these doctors seem to be in agreement now
that there's some 'confusion' on where my pain originates from. Many
xrays on spine and knees, a lumbar spine MRI and a lumbar spine bone
scan. All showing the same damaged discs and the arthritis in the
facets and the discs. The guy who's doing the facet block says in his
report that " She has a significantly degenerated L5-S1 disc and
although nerve impingement was seen at this particular level she has a
back problem that goes across the back and is secondary to discogenic
back pain." His diagnoses were 1. degenerative disc disease. 2. lumbar
degenerative facet arthropathy.

Good God. I have a pinched nerve now??

...

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