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Uncharacteristically, this week I’ve managed to program three events in a row, all in Clifton Park.
Consequently, I shall be somewhat short of time or to be more accurate, energy!
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It feels a little pathetic to claim that riding back and forth in a car could be tiring. As you know, I do quite a bit of it.
It isn’t so much the journey as the appointments.
But it’s my feeling that these appointments are not as exhausting as they used to be and there is a reason for that.
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Pain management treatments replaced oxycodone when I was forced off it after some 15 years. I was not addicted to it in the sense that it was a mental crutch, but my body was habituated and the withdrawal was very unpleasant.
Considering the hysteria over oxycodone and the stigma attached to being on it, I was happy enough to give it up, except that I was left to find alternatives without much in the way of guidance or support.
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Acupuncture had helped me in the past, but my medical insurance no longer covers it and the benefit I derived more recently did not justify the cost.
My first experience with pain management was discouraging to say the least and this was largely due to the attitude of the practitioners I encountered.
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The doctor was very late for my first appointment, offering no excuse or apology. Furthermore, he seemed confused as to who I was, which did not inspire a great deal of confidence.
Such things can happen. Everyone has bad days and I do make allowances, as I believe in offering the benefit of the doubt.
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So I agreed to a nerve root injection, to be performed by a different doctor. I quickly formed an opinion of him.
In my mind he became “cowboy”. He appeared quite pleased with himself. But it was the treatment that mattered, not the doctor’s character.
Having injections is not something that troubles me, so I lay flat as instructed, perfectly relaxed.
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What happened next was that the doctor stuck a needle in the vicinity of my neck and apparently hit a nerve, which caused my body to jerk spontaneously, something I had absolutely no control over.
“What was that?” asked the man sounding annoyed.
“You tell me!” I thought darkly.
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Let’s say I was unimpressed. As I recall, the injection had no real effect, but it was the mental let down I felt that was the more disappointing.
Having no faith in a practice, there was no point in going back, so I went online and found the practice in Clifton Park.
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It was night and day. My new doctor had read my records and he listened to my story sympathetically.
How can you know that a physician is actually sympathetic? All I can say is that I have met a great many and I know from the way they speak. And it shows in their eyes, in the way they look at you.
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My new doctor explained some of the treatments he thought would help and introduced me to his assistant who would work with me. They have helped me ever since.
The nurses and other staff are unfailingly kind and over the past four years we have figured out what works best for me, but I have never had a treatment that did not help to some degree.
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This is why I am no longer exhausted when I go for treatment. There is never any false expectation or fear of being disrespected. It makes enormous difference.
Tomorrow’s appointment actually isn’t medical. It will be interesting to see how that goes.
And whether it will exhaust me!
Thank you, Carolyn, for the wonderful pictures of the autumn trees! And good luck for tomorrow!
Joanna
Hope the treatment works wonders and you continue to experience kind and effective staff.
The clouds in the first photo are wonderful. There was a really good US TV drama about the Oxy scandal. (I may have mentioned it before, if so forgive me) Worth watching.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopesick_(miniseries)
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks Pete. I’ll check that out. Was there as much hysteria in England?
No, I don’t recall it ever being available here. And if it was, there was nothing reported about addiction.
You’re 100% right – I can see in a person’s eyes if they are caring … you know, that saying of “the eye is the mirror to one’s soul” couldn’t be further from the truth! And besides good doctors you’ve found, you also have a beautiful landscape that you can drive through on your way there and back home — that should help too! I look forward to reading about your non-medical appointment …