Title Goes Here

I’m not sure what happened. I was going to the doctor every Wednesday, collecting a note to give to work and delivering it as promised.

I was doing everything the doctor told me to do to heal my shoulder. I was moving it daily. Every time the thought crossed my mind I’d move it. Sometimes a little. Some times a lot. But I’ve been moving it. I didn’t want it to freeze.

I should have sensed things were going wrong last week when he mentioned physical therapy. See he was mentioning it for the first time but he started telling me I had missed my first appointment because my car had broken down but that I really needed to go. So I chocked it up to another patient with a problem and his confusion (man sees plenty of patients in a week, I don’t expect him to remember details) and went ahead and scheduled my first appointment.

And I went to that appointment. The first appointment I had made within 15 minutes of him telling me to make it the first time he mentioned it on my 3rd appointment with him in 3 weeks. I was even 30 minutes early for that appointment. But then, I’m early to everything.

So today, the day after my first physical therapy appointment, I went back to the doctor to report my success in physical therapy thus far. I have exercises to do at home. I’m to do them twice a day. I’m doing them more like 5 times a day. I’m committed to healing. I’m sick of hurting. Oh by the way, I thought I hurt before but it’s nothing like the post physical therapy exercise hurt. I mean ow.

I also went to collect another note. I was hoping this one could be a four week note since I have 4 weeks of physical therapy scheduled.

I was informed that I wasn’t getting another note because 3 weeks was long enough to heal and I wasn’t in compliance with him because I’m only in physical therapy 1 day a week.

Back up.

I work 6 days a week these days. Ok sometimes only 5. But the physical therapy place is busy and you have to book your appointments at least a week in advance (hence me booking 4 weeks worth on my first appointment) and I don’t have my work schedule a week in advance. I can’t go before my 10am shift because last time I tried to drive that early I totaled a car falling asleep behind the wheel. I can’t go after work because they are closed by then. I checked into all of this. My only feasible option during the holiday season was Wednesday afternoons or evening. I can work my schedule out better after the holiday season but work comes before health. I have a family to support. And it’s the holidays. He’s never had to work retail, I’m sure, so he wouldn’t understand. But we don’t all have the luxury of setting our own schedule. My therapist said once a week would be fine and at the end of 4 weeks we’d reevaluate and see what is needed.

But I’m not in compliance. With a DOCTOR who couldn’t figure out what is wrong with me. A doctor who never once thought to even ask me where it hurt the most. My physical therapist asked and when I showed him and he had me move this way, bend that way stretch this way, determined it was a rotator cuff issue. My DOCTOR was surprised with that news.

He also didn’t believe me when I told him I was taking my Ibuprofen 2 times a day. His words, not mine.

So I left that office, without a note, in a huff.

As of 5:30 tomorrow I was going to be thrown on lane no ifs ands or buts. And this long off lane there was nothing I could do about it without a note.

So I went to the urgent care. My last family doctor runs it. He’d still be my family doctor (I need one now btw) if he hadn’t closed down his private practice. I carefully sumed up the problem and asked him what he could do. The thing is he can’t write the note I was wanting how I wanted it. That leads to paperwork he won’t do. He is an urgent care doctor now, not a private practice. So he wrote me a note for “light duties” but warned he wouldn’t follow up with any of the paper work they would send. I can respect that. He is doing something he isn’t suppose to do. I’m grateful for what he did do.

He also told me I could get the required note from my physical therapist. Which I plan to do. And would have done if I had known of the 3 week limit.

So I have a note that may or may not last me the next 7 days. And I have physical therapy once a week for the next 4 weeks and increased pain in the meantime.

So I think that is what happened.

Oh another thing weird: When I first went to the doctor I blamed my flu shot, he blamed work. Today I called it an injury and blamed work, he said it wasn’t an injury, just a shot. I’m not returning to that doctor ever again. I’d rather suffer the acid reflux until I find a new one.

One thought on “Title Goes Here

  1. Sorry about the crappy Dr. experience…i don't blame you for never going back!

    My Dr. is a sweetheart and now that i actually have to go to him, for 'scrip refills, i am too ashamed, so i got a reprieve until the end of Jan.

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