Doctors, Rednecks, Assumptions, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
I'm not overly delighted with the medical establishment these days. It's not that I have major health concerns; actually it would probably be easier if I did. Doctors, like lawyers and salesmen, like the big score. You know, something they have to call the CDC about or something so obscure they can write a paper on it. My little so-called issues barely rate five minutes and a minimal amount of focus. They stereotype me whichever way fits their needs and send me on my way. Funny, as I think about it, my original statement 'these days' isn't correct. It's on going, as in for most of my life. I don't know if it's me, the doctors I've gone to, or just the way things are, but I think I've finally hit my limit. I want the right answers, not a bag full of assumptions, stereotypes, and prescription drugs.
I have two problems right now - my shoulder is fucked up and I have amenorrhea. We'll discuss each one in turn.
I 'hurt' my shoulder almost two months ago. I slept on it wrong and it's been sore ever since. Of course, a week or so later I played tennis and made it worse (honestly, I never should have played). Over the next month, it got better then it'd suck again, then it'd get better, then suck again. Finally, it got so bad that I made an appointment with a shoulder specialist. Because I couldn't get in for a week, I went to see my general practice physician just to see if I could get some relief from the pain. The PA (I didn't see my actual doctor) took a cursory look and determined that my shoulder was an 'overuse' injury. Really? I've had those and this wasn't that. I couldn't move the damn thing and had to sleep with my arm dangling off the side of my bed. Plus I'd done nothing to overuse it. Overuse? Riiight.
She prescribed an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxer and told me to make an appointment for physical therapy. Ok, let me just say that the meds she prescribed did NOTHING for the pain. Duh. My shoulder was locked in place and any movement (and I do mean any) caused pretty severe pain. I called the next day and asked if they could prescribe some pain medication. After several hours of debate (Really? What's to debate?), they finally called in a 'script for me. To the wrong pharmacy. And for something in the codeine family, which I'm 'allergic' to. When I finally woke up from my drug induced fog, I called my doctor's office again and asked if they could prescribe a different pain medication. After a day and a half of debate this time (I think they thought I was some kind of pain killer addict), they told me to stop taking my all the prescribed meds and called in all new prescriptions.
A week later, I went to see the shoulder specialist. One cursory look from his PA and I was diagnosed with 'frozen shoulder' (adhesive capsulitis). They gave me two cortisone shots, a 'script for PT, and some stretches to do. Oh, and told me that frozen shoulder commonly affects women in their forties and has no known cause. I asked twice about the cause and was shut down both times. The cortisone shots worked a miracle for a few days, then the pain came back. I diligently did my stretches and started physical therapy. My first physical therapist immediately told me that my shoulder froze because of an underlying issue - tendinitis of the biceps tendon - and began treating me for tendinitis. The so-called tendinitis got worse. I;ve had tendinitis a zillion times in my life and this ain't that. The next physical therapist I saw immediately told me that my shoulder froze because I 'probably' have a small tear in my biceps tendon. Now we're getting somewhere. I've never had one of those before, but I'm pretty sure the pain I've encountered is more indicative of a tear rather than simple inflammation.
Here we are three weeks later and I'm only just now getting the correct diagnosis? Truly, I could have TOLD them it was a tear in my biceps tendon. It had to be. I'd also like to tell them that the underlying cause is TMJ, the piss-poor alignment in my jaw that I've been plagued with since it was first dislocated in my late teens when I got my wisdom teeth removed. Of course, that's a little too much hocus-pocus for a medical establishment that would prefer to stereotype me as the typical forty-two year old woman who's unfit and for whom 'sleeping wrong' can cause an overuse injury. The problem is that they don't listen. They check my age, take a look, and make an assumption. All they heard was that I slept wrong, not that I played tennis a week later and may have done some real damage. The hilarious thing is that they assumed an 'overuse' injury without every delving into how I overused it. I'm an athlete in training, not a forty-two year old mother of three who played too much badminton at the family reunion. If they had asked, they would have seen that I am far from over-trained.
So now I'm rehabbing a TEAR in my biceps tendon. Woo-hoo. I'm glad I didn't have to pay for an MRI, but aren't they perfect for the diagnosis of soft tissue injuries? Oh yeah, we assumed tendinitis so no need to search any farther for a diagnosis. And that's why I hesitate to get my amenorrhea checked out. I know I'm going to be faced with assumption after assumption and stereotype after stereotype. Of course, this time they'll assume I'm athlete rather than a mother of three (the easy road once again), but the results will be the same - a misdiagnosis and lots of frustration on my part.
I spent the majority of my twenties in a constant state of amenorrhea. I was anorexic and purged with exercise. Because of that, my body fat percentage lingered somewhere around nine percent, far too low to sustain normal womanly bodily functions. I had all the classic signs of perimenopause, including hot flashes and difficulty regulating my body temperature. Fast forward twenty years and here we are again. I've got all the signs and symptoms again, minus the anorexia and purging with exercise, of course. Yes, I started running again. Yes, I'm thin. This is where the conversation with my doctor will begin and end - Patient is over-training to such an extent that she has become amenorrheaic.
Really? Ask the right questions - how much am I training? I do cardio 4-6 times a week and run a total of 15 miles a week maybe (most runners in training run upwards of 30 to 40 miles a week. I used to run over 100). Am I dieting? No, in fact my body fat percentage has increased because my shoulder injury has kept me from lifting for nearly two months. Above all, due to my history with anorexia, I make sure I eat enough and I'm mindful about over-training. It's taken me years to overcome and I don't want to go back down that road.
So what's causing the amenorrhea? No clue here. I'm on the young side for menopause, but there are a lot of other conditions that can cause a hormonal imbalance and thus amenorrhea. I'm just worried that the medical establishment will ignore all of those and take the easy road - I have a history so I must be over-training. Shit. I quit running in 1995 to help solidify my recovery and wouldn't allow myself anywhere near that world for fifteen years. Now, fully cognizant of my past, I'm being overly cautious. I'm training for 5ks for Christ's sake, not marathons.
I'm sure I'll break down and go to the doctor if I don't get my period in July. Oh, and no... I'm not pregnant. There's the other assumption I'll have to deal with. I haven't had sex with a guy in over five years (or with a woman so far in 2011) so we're looking at a pretty extensive gestation. Ugh... In the meantime, I'm going to keep rehabbing my biceps tendon TEAR and fight my way through the nightly hot flashes. Truly, if it's not shoulder pain keeping me awake it's a hot flash. I refuse to say that any of my issues are caused by 'getting older'. That said, I will argue with the medical establishment until they stop with the assumptions and stereotypes. It's not a new fight for me; God knows I've spent my adult life refuting all kinds of crap. Apparently, it's time to shine my light on a couple doctors. Doctors, rednecks... Same difference. Both are pretty steadfast in their beliefs. Eh, I guess we'll see.
.
I have two problems right now - my shoulder is fucked up and I have amenorrhea. We'll discuss each one in turn.
I 'hurt' my shoulder almost two months ago. I slept on it wrong and it's been sore ever since. Of course, a week or so later I played tennis and made it worse (honestly, I never should have played). Over the next month, it got better then it'd suck again, then it'd get better, then suck again. Finally, it got so bad that I made an appointment with a shoulder specialist. Because I couldn't get in for a week, I went to see my general practice physician just to see if I could get some relief from the pain. The PA (I didn't see my actual doctor) took a cursory look and determined that my shoulder was an 'overuse' injury. Really? I've had those and this wasn't that. I couldn't move the damn thing and had to sleep with my arm dangling off the side of my bed. Plus I'd done nothing to overuse it. Overuse? Riiight.
She prescribed an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxer and told me to make an appointment for physical therapy. Ok, let me just say that the meds she prescribed did NOTHING for the pain. Duh. My shoulder was locked in place and any movement (and I do mean any) caused pretty severe pain. I called the next day and asked if they could prescribe some pain medication. After several hours of debate (Really? What's to debate?), they finally called in a 'script for me. To the wrong pharmacy. And for something in the codeine family, which I'm 'allergic' to. When I finally woke up from my drug induced fog, I called my doctor's office again and asked if they could prescribe a different pain medication. After a day and a half of debate this time (I think they thought I was some kind of pain killer addict), they told me to stop taking my all the prescribed meds and called in all new prescriptions.
A week later, I went to see the shoulder specialist. One cursory look from his PA and I was diagnosed with 'frozen shoulder' (adhesive capsulitis). They gave me two cortisone shots, a 'script for PT, and some stretches to do. Oh, and told me that frozen shoulder commonly affects women in their forties and has no known cause. I asked twice about the cause and was shut down both times. The cortisone shots worked a miracle for a few days, then the pain came back. I diligently did my stretches and started physical therapy. My first physical therapist immediately told me that my shoulder froze because of an underlying issue - tendinitis of the biceps tendon - and began treating me for tendinitis. The so-called tendinitis got worse. I;ve had tendinitis a zillion times in my life and this ain't that. The next physical therapist I saw immediately told me that my shoulder froze because I 'probably' have a small tear in my biceps tendon. Now we're getting somewhere. I've never had one of those before, but I'm pretty sure the pain I've encountered is more indicative of a tear rather than simple inflammation.
Here we are three weeks later and I'm only just now getting the correct diagnosis? Truly, I could have TOLD them it was a tear in my biceps tendon. It had to be. I'd also like to tell them that the underlying cause is TMJ, the piss-poor alignment in my jaw that I've been plagued with since it was first dislocated in my late teens when I got my wisdom teeth removed. Of course, that's a little too much hocus-pocus for a medical establishment that would prefer to stereotype me as the typical forty-two year old woman who's unfit and for whom 'sleeping wrong' can cause an overuse injury. The problem is that they don't listen. They check my age, take a look, and make an assumption. All they heard was that I slept wrong, not that I played tennis a week later and may have done some real damage. The hilarious thing is that they assumed an 'overuse' injury without every delving into how I overused it. I'm an athlete in training, not a forty-two year old mother of three who played too much badminton at the family reunion. If they had asked, they would have seen that I am far from over-trained.
So now I'm rehabbing a TEAR in my biceps tendon. Woo-hoo. I'm glad I didn't have to pay for an MRI, but aren't they perfect for the diagnosis of soft tissue injuries? Oh yeah, we assumed tendinitis so no need to search any farther for a diagnosis. And that's why I hesitate to get my amenorrhea checked out. I know I'm going to be faced with assumption after assumption and stereotype after stereotype. Of course, this time they'll assume I'm athlete rather than a mother of three (the easy road once again), but the results will be the same - a misdiagnosis and lots of frustration on my part.
I spent the majority of my twenties in a constant state of amenorrhea. I was anorexic and purged with exercise. Because of that, my body fat percentage lingered somewhere around nine percent, far too low to sustain normal womanly bodily functions. I had all the classic signs of perimenopause, including hot flashes and difficulty regulating my body temperature. Fast forward twenty years and here we are again. I've got all the signs and symptoms again, minus the anorexia and purging with exercise, of course. Yes, I started running again. Yes, I'm thin. This is where the conversation with my doctor will begin and end - Patient is over-training to such an extent that she has become amenorrheaic.
Really? Ask the right questions - how much am I training? I do cardio 4-6 times a week and run a total of 15 miles a week maybe (most runners in training run upwards of 30 to 40 miles a week. I used to run over 100). Am I dieting? No, in fact my body fat percentage has increased because my shoulder injury has kept me from lifting for nearly two months. Above all, due to my history with anorexia, I make sure I eat enough and I'm mindful about over-training. It's taken me years to overcome and I don't want to go back down that road.
So what's causing the amenorrhea? No clue here. I'm on the young side for menopause, but there are a lot of other conditions that can cause a hormonal imbalance and thus amenorrhea. I'm just worried that the medical establishment will ignore all of those and take the easy road - I have a history so I must be over-training. Shit. I quit running in 1995 to help solidify my recovery and wouldn't allow myself anywhere near that world for fifteen years. Now, fully cognizant of my past, I'm being overly cautious. I'm training for 5ks for Christ's sake, not marathons.
I'm sure I'll break down and go to the doctor if I don't get my period in July. Oh, and no... I'm not pregnant. There's the other assumption I'll have to deal with. I haven't had sex with a guy in over five years (or with a woman so far in 2011) so we're looking at a pretty extensive gestation. Ugh... In the meantime, I'm going to keep rehabbing my biceps tendon TEAR and fight my way through the nightly hot flashes. Truly, if it's not shoulder pain keeping me awake it's a hot flash. I refuse to say that any of my issues are caused by 'getting older'. That said, I will argue with the medical establishment until they stop with the assumptions and stereotypes. It's not a new fight for me; God knows I've spent my adult life refuting all kinds of crap. Apparently, it's time to shine my light on a couple doctors. Doctors, rednecks... Same difference. Both are pretty steadfast in their beliefs. Eh, I guess we'll see.
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