When I went to the doctor at the pain clinic today--the one who did the original epidural steroid injection--to explain the subsequent complications and continuing pain in my back, his response was:
"I'm sorry AcadeMama, you're just very unlucky."
I resisted the urge to swear and was in too much pain to kick him in the face. He wanted to know why I hadn't taken any pain medication today, and I explained that I'm tired of taking pills. His view was that I really didn't have much choice if I wanted any relief. He assured me that I could take the medicine he's prescribed for a month, and I wouldn't have any problems with dependency. However, he and my PCP have conflicting views on which pain medication will be least likely to result in dependency or resistance to effectiveness (Nucynta vs. Oxycodone). For now, he has put me back on bed rest. He said if I'm "lucky" (WTF is up with his seeming philosophy that this is all a matter of luck?!), I may get some relief by the end of the week. He said since what I'm feeling now seems like the same pain I was having before the injection (with the exception of a relief of pressure near my tailbone), that it may be the case that the injection was only partially effective. Or, that it could be that the pain will subside with time. 1-2 weeks!! I don't have that kind of time to be laying on my back, people! I've got shit to do, classes to prep, research to conduct, and a household to run.
Did I mention he didn't even say sorry for puncturing my spinal sack?
We trust doctors to get it right. We pay them to get it right. I understand that they're human, fallible. But when they do make a mistake, especially one that puts a patient in such an unbelievable shitstorm of pain and financial burden, is it too much to ask that they take some sort of accountability? Something beyond telling the patient that she is just "very unlucky"?
Showing posts with label pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pain. Show all posts
Monday, May 14, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Still Here...Barely
I'm sure there's light at the end of this tunnel, I just can't see it yet... ugh. "What tunnel?" you might ask. The Tunnel of Deadline Hell, which has me losing sleep, losing weight, and losing some much-needed quality time with my husband. Where to start...
Last week, I got The Braces. And I didn't just get the one set of braces. No...I was the lucky winner of some Grand Cosmic Lottery, so I got the prize of getting 2 different sets of braces put on twice in less than 24 hours!! The short version is that when they put the first set on last Thursday, they used a tube of sealant that was expired. Yes. Bad glue = brackets popping off = keeping them on by smearing wax all over them = me looking like/feeling like an even bigger dork with a mouth full of metal.
So, back to the orthodontist on Friday, at which point the full pain of the braces - which, by the way, they'd put on with a wire that was too heavy - had set in. In fact, my teeth hurt so bad I couldn't bite down on anything, and even the mashed potatoes were a chore to smush around in my mouth. Between 11:00 a.m. on Thursday and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, I'd eaten nothing but a few bites of mashed potatoes and some yogurt. Teeth in agony, I sat there Friday while they replaced all the brackets with new sealant and put new, lighter wires on the top and bottom. You know what the worst part is??? They don't give you any fucking drugs!! Are you kidding me? I don't have a "low" threshold for pain.... I have NO threshold for pain!! I need something better than Advil and Tylenol when it feels like someone is ripping all my teeth out with a pair of pliers for three days straight!
Yesterday was the first day that my teeth didn't hurt, so I finally got to eat something - other than soup - without pain. I still have major ick-reaction to eating though, because of all the crap that gets in the braces. Seriously, I could save all the leftovers in there for a second meal. It's disgusting! That alone is going to make The Braces the most effective weight loss strategy in the world. And, I swear, if you add up all the time I spend brushing my teeth now, it's gotta be at least an hour! Don't even get me started on the special "equipment" I have to use if I want to floss...I'm still not sure if it's worth it.
So, yes, I've been recovering from The Braces from Hell since last Thursday and happily watching my Home State college football team kick serious ass on the field. All the other things I'm doing, well....I'll just have to write another post. That will be my reward if I make adequate progress on the diss this morning. (That's really sad, I know, rewarding myself with time to blog, but such is my life right now).
Last week, I got The Braces. And I didn't just get the one set of braces. No...I was the lucky winner of some Grand Cosmic Lottery, so I got the prize of getting 2 different sets of braces put on twice in less than 24 hours!! The short version is that when they put the first set on last Thursday, they used a tube of sealant that was expired. Yes. Bad glue = brackets popping off = keeping them on by smearing wax all over them = me looking like/feeling like an even bigger dork with a mouth full of metal.
So, back to the orthodontist on Friday, at which point the full pain of the braces - which, by the way, they'd put on with a wire that was too heavy - had set in. In fact, my teeth hurt so bad I couldn't bite down on anything, and even the mashed potatoes were a chore to smush around in my mouth. Between 11:00 a.m. on Thursday and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, I'd eaten nothing but a few bites of mashed potatoes and some yogurt. Teeth in agony, I sat there Friday while they replaced all the brackets with new sealant and put new, lighter wires on the top and bottom. You know what the worst part is??? They don't give you any fucking drugs!! Are you kidding me? I don't have a "low" threshold for pain.... I have NO threshold for pain!! I need something better than Advil and Tylenol when it feels like someone is ripping all my teeth out with a pair of pliers for three days straight!
Yesterday was the first day that my teeth didn't hurt, so I finally got to eat something - other than soup - without pain. I still have major ick-reaction to eating though, because of all the crap that gets in the braces. Seriously, I could save all the leftovers in there for a second meal. It's disgusting! That alone is going to make The Braces the most effective weight loss strategy in the world. And, I swear, if you add up all the time I spend brushing my teeth now, it's gotta be at least an hour! Don't even get me started on the special "equipment" I have to use if I want to floss...I'm still not sure if it's worth it.
So, yes, I've been recovering from The Braces from Hell since last Thursday and happily watching my Home State college football team kick serious ass on the field. All the other things I'm doing, well....I'll just have to write another post. That will be my reward if I make adequate progress on the diss this morning. (That's really sad, I know, rewarding myself with time to blog, but such is my life right now).
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