Posts
When
I last wrote, I reported that the three CAT-scans I had on Monday had determined that I
have a badly crushed L1 vertebra (L1 is the red vertebra in the illustration), and “something” on my left kidney. That something could
be a hematoma from the fall, a tumor, or a cyst. To determine which, my
internist ordered an MRI, which is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday. Today, I’m to have a prerequisite blood test to verify that my kidneys have recovered from the injection of the contrast medium on Monday, the test being necessary because more contrast medium is to be injected tomorrow.
The
internist’s office called yesterday morning (Tuesday) to let me know they had faxed a referral to a surgical neurologist. I immediately called
the neurologist’s office to make an appointment, only to have someone named
Toni tell me in her chipper voice that the referral hadn’t arrived. After a
second referral was faxed, I called Toni again, but had to leave a message on her voicemail. She didn’t call back, despite being told that my situation was urgent. I called her again
this morning. She said she still hadn’t received a
referral. so I gave her the name of the person who had faxed the TWO referrals, the
exact times the referrals were faxed, and the name of the person in her office who
had taken the referrals from the fax machine and delivered them to her; at
which point Toni said, in her, by now, maddeningly chipper voice, “Oh, here they are,” and made my appointment.
I think that what was going on for Toni was that she wanted me to be a good boy and
quietly wait my turn in line, no matter how long it took, but, as I told her: “I’m
in terrible pain; I’m getting almost no sleep; I can’t even do light housework;
the only way I can take the edge off is to combine Fentanyl and
oxycodone, drugs that are dangerous when combined; all this plus I look pregnant
because I’ve gone from having two bowel movements a day before the accident to having
none since the accident, suggesting the
likelihood of abdominal nerve damage. I really
need to be seen.” This was way more
information than Toni wanted to hear, and some of the chipperness left her
voice.
If you want to know what’s it like to feel powerless, be in desperate
need of medical care but not actually bleeding to death. Of
course, there are good office staff, and I try to have fun with them. I was
talking to one just this morning. When she called me to say, “I have the answers to
all of your questions,” I responded, “Okay, what is the meaning of life?” Earlier
this week, another had asked, “Do you have other issues?” and I said, “Oh, but do I
ever have other issues, but I don’t think you can help me with them.” Maybe she was kidding me back when she said, “Well, I’ll certainly
do my best.”
