rant

[Maryo49]

So, I have an mri scheduled, and a bunch of blood work, and two nerve tests. And, it just makes me
mad. I really think this is all tendon related, somehow. But, I just don't think there has been an
orthopoedist who wants to dig in and figure it out. I think it's all a racket... the last foot
doctor guy "interviewed" me, so to speak, to see if he wanted me for a patient. He decided no, and
turned me over to a neurologist. I think that they just have so many patients, that they just go
where the money is. And my problem is not "where the money is" because there is not a specific
surgery involved. Office visits do not "pay", and if the problem is not in the cookbook of problems,
then, they don't want to spend time head-scratching. So, where does a person go? Well, the
neurologist said he doesn't know where to start. But, the problem is there, right before his eyes. A
foot that flops like a fish, with stimulation. He sees it, yet, I believe he thinks, so what? It's
not in the"cookbook." Well, MAYBE SOMEONE CAN LEARN SOMETHING! I I truly believe it's all connected
to the achilles and plantar fascia. But, does anyone want to figure it out? nooooooooo. Do I want to
go through an mri and a painful nerve needle test, if I don't have to? nooooooo. I suppose, in the
long run, it will be good to rule all this stuff out. That ends my rant. Mary

[Mike Conway]

>From: maryo49@aol.com (MaryO49)

>But, I just don't think there has been an orthopoedist who wants to dig in and figure it out. I
>think it's all a racket...

I understand your frustrations, but at least they're not telling you "hey, don't run and you'll get
better..."

>He sees it, yet, I believe he thinks, so what? It's not in the"cookbook." Well, MAYBE SOMEONE CAN
>LEARN SOMETHING!

Funny thing, relating to other aspects of life...we have mechanics in our dealership that are not
yet up to "master technician" level and they'll come up against a job that they don't know how to do
yet, or have not performed prior, and their typical first response is "assign it to another tech"...

Learn something? For most, they're not looking at the big picture, thinking that this new
knowledge they might aquire could indeed come in handy down the road, perhaps even tomorrow...but
they're focused on now, on how much they can squeeze out of this moment without thinking about
personal growth.

No doubt some of your medicos are thinking that what you might be afflicted with could be rare
enough that they might not see it again in their professional career, so why bother? Maybe someone
else they hand it off to could stumble upon a fix, if not "the" fix....

Hang in there, be persistent yet patient (perhaps that's why they call us "patients" when in the
care of a doctor, because we need lots of patience waiting in the waiting room, waiting for
diagnosis, waiting for prognoses, results, etc....) and most of all keep asking questions. Don't be
afraid to test the doctor's knowledge...and patience!

Good luck, Mary.

Mike C

[Maryo49]

Mike wrote, very nicely:

>No doubt some of your medicos are thinking that what you might be afflicted with could be rare
>enough that they might not see it again in their professional career, so why bother? Maybe someone
>else they hand it off to could stumble upon a fix, if not "the" fix....
>
>Hang in there, be persistent yet patient (perhaps that's why they call us "patients" when in the
>care of a doctor, because we need lots of patience waiting in the waiting room, waiting for
>diagnosis, waiting for prognoses, results, etc....) and most of all keep asking questions. Don't be
>afraid to test the doctor's knowledge...and patience!
>
>Good luck, Mary.
>
>Mike C
~~~~~~~~
Mike, Thank you so much. This pain and inactivity and not knowing, and having doctors just look at
me and say "I have never seen this before, so, there's the door" is taking its toll, for sure.
Thankfully my work cohorts are very supportive. 2004 is "the year" for me to get underneath it. So,
what if I find out that all of this is just a neuroma surgery gone very, very bad, and there is
nothing I can do about it? I think I know, in the back of my mind, that that's what it is. It's
amazing how a person's life can change so dramatically, for the most unexpected and unnecessary
reasons. Well, all I can do is go through the steps, and continue to push for answers. Thanks again,
Mike. Mary