Dr. Suess

"And will you succeed? Yes indeed! Yes indeed! Ninety Eight and Three Quarters guarenteed!"


Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Needles into my shoulder

Yesterday, I got a needle into my shoulder.
This, is not that unusual ... it happens more than I would like it to.
My acromioclavicular joint is not in good shape. I've had surgery once to fix it. It helped ... a little. It made the injections work, whereas before the surgeries, the injections were useless.
(for those still trying to read acromioclavicular .... I googled AC joint ..and copied it ... no way could I remember how to spell that, and I have no idea how to pronounce it. However, when I say AC joint, people think ACL joint and assume I'm talking about my knee ...)

So, yesterday, I got my injection ... this last summer, my orthopedist gave me the injection and a heavy sigh and said ... this isn't going to work for much longer. He let me know that another operation was in my future.

ARGH!

I was supposed to go back in October and discuss it ...however ... he had to cancel ..and Don got ill again ... and then ...well ...then life happened. As my shoulder got more and more painful ...and the pain started, again, to interfere with life ... sleeping, driving, sitting watching TV, petting the cat, brushing my hair (and it's my left hand, I'm right handed!) I realized ... I HAD to have a shot!!

So, last friday I made a desperate call to my ortho's office. Shockingly, they got me into the physician's assistant. She gave me the shot ... it hurt like the dickens ...I could FEEL that she had the needle right in the middle of the inflammation ...

however ... Dr. H's shots hurt worse ... I think she let the cold stuff she sprayed on me set longer ...or shorter ...or something. The needle going in didn't hurt as bad.

But ... I'm sitting here ... and my arm ... is killing me. The tendonitis from my shoulder is usually relieved by the shot ... and this .. isn't even touching it! EEKS.

So, I'm sitting here pondering ... will it go away in the next few days (oh please God!!) ... or ... did I just go too long between shots?
or is there just too much damage?
or is this a new problem?
or is this LUPUS? (duh)

or .. what is going on ...

There is no more pain control measures to take ... prednisone, celebrex and darvocet ... well, I *could* call and ask for higher narcotics ...but then, what to do when surgeries come along (and they always do) and I've maxed out my narcotics use?

So I sit here and I move my shoulder in odd positions ...and I wonder ... what next.

If it's not better by Monday, I call the ortho ... and say "help"

I do know ... I can't have surgery until Don starts driving.
I can't have surgery until my teeth are fixed.

I have no dental insurance ..and there is no help in dental care for adults in Oklahoma. (IF you have no insurance whatsoever, you can get some help ..however, if you have medicare ...that is considered insurance ...the fact that medicare covers NO dental work whatsover ...meaning, you have no dental insurance ... means nothing. If you have medicare, you cannot get the help offered to the un insured.
The really odd thing ..if you get an impacted tooth, medicare won't even cover the antibiotics ... how's that for how do ya do?)

Don has not improved since about ... September ... he's stagnated in his progress ... right now, I do not think he will be driving again. I'm trying to wrap my brain around the fact that this .. is probably our new level of normal. *I* am the sole driver for our household. *I* am the primary caregiver for my husband ... and *I* am the one responsible for making sure that all our shopping gets done, all our bills get paid and we all get from point A to point B ...he is really, in spite of all that I've hoped and prayed for ...not progressing ..and while I'm incredibly grateful for where he is ... I need to adjust to where he is not going.

So ...I need surgery but can't have it while I'm the only driver.
I need surgery ..but can't have it with my teeth like this.
I'm going to be the only driver for the foreseeable future
and ... there is no help for my dental needs ...

and in the meantime ... I twist my shoulder ... wondering what to do.

6 comments:

  1. you cant let your son drive?They can get their license at 16 here.......

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  2. Samuel getting his license is an ongoing saga ...

    difficulties with car being 'driveable' for taking the test (3rd brake light, removed by the rental company that first owned the car ..however, because it came with the car from the manufacturer, they wouldn't test him in our car without the light ... nit picking if you ask me)

    Then we tried mom's car ...let's not go there, I might be bald.

    Then ..well ..suffice it to say ..he's going again today ..to attempt to take the test ... I'm not holding my breath that they even let him to the car.

    However ... honestly ... I don't think he'll pass ... he's got some BAD habits that he insists are not bad habits and he refuses to correct. I think it will take failing the driving test for him to realize he's got to drive the way we're telling him to.

    BUT ... he will still be in school and cannot take out everytime we have a doctor appointment ... considering I have 9 doctors, Don has 4 ... plus my therapy appts ...

    Plus, he works 20 hours a week ... so ...

    It will help in him being able to get him to where he needs to go, and me being able to rest.

    But he will not be able to get us to where WE need to go (like PT to recover from surgery)

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  3. I will readily admit that it has been 2 decades since I lived in Oklahoma, but when I was there we could get dental care at the University of Oklahoma Dental school. It was done by dentists in training, but it was overseen and very good care. Is something like that not an option either?

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  4. They pulled my wisdom teeth out (and did a great job!) and that was paid for by medicare (medicare actually pays for tooth extractions, if done by an oral surgeon (MD) ...)

    however ...they are in OKC, I'm in Tulsa, and because of my health limitations, not to mention my shoulder, I can't drive that far. Nor, could we afford the stay in OKC while the work was being done ....

    AND ... they don't help people WITH insurance ... and ... again, even though medicare doesn't cover dental procedures ... it's considered insured.
    (they are one of the programs I was talking about that won't help me because they consider me insured)

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  5. That whole dental insurance thing is awful. We didn't have any either until my wife got a government job last year. Freelance writers don't get dental coverage, obviously, and neither do the self-employed.
    Meanwhile, thoughts and prayers for you in your other problems.

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  6. Wow! Sounds like you're in a tough spot right now. Will keep you in my prayers that everything will work out for you for the good.

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