May 2016 Surgeries

Yes Valatim, it's starting to improve. I'm still in PT twice a week, but finally seeing improvement. It's such an odd thing. Two steps forward and one step back... But PROGRESS!

I'm so glad to hear people's PT is starting to pay off. It really IS two steps forward, one step back, slow progress.

Raven - this isn't an insurance thing, this is a personal thing with the PT and I don't understand any of it. He was all this is working, good progress, let's schedule a bunch more and we did, and three days later he told me I was hopeless and he won't work with me anymore on this. It makes no sense and all I did was cry and get, really, for the first time, seriously, seriously depressed. I've got to talk to my doctors about this because I am still at a loss to understand. I'd been asking him for weeks for information for my doctors and he wouldn't give me anything, and we started butting heads on an issue, and then we had to change all my exercises and I got worse (step back) but as they've taken effect was getting back to things and then he suddenly goes from "going good" to "hopeless" and quits.

I think he has his own agenda and was trying to lighten his case load as he has student(s) to supervise now, and I just didn't make the cut, or maybe he didn't like the way my insurance was paying him, or he had an arbitrary time table of 3 months he was working on and never told me I was on a deadline which I find unrealistic. He even told me he was doing me a favor because he felt the copays were too expensive for me. Who says that? (They aren't.) It was just excuses, it seemed. So now I'm on my own.

Papillon - PT = physical therapy

greykat - are there no other physical therapists you can see?

greykat - I am sending out a plea to the universe to allow smooth transition to a new PT, who will be approved by insurance and then be awesome and kind and do great things for you!

Yeah, what SpecialK said, for sure, GreyKat! Great that the neurologist's are making new recommendations.

But, good Lord, that last PT is ridiculous. I wonder if there's some kind of disciplinary process you can start if he's a member of the American Physical Therapy Association or anything like that. I mean, for gosh's sake, they must have some kind of ethics review board or some such thing. Refusing treatment because you're having a snit about the patient is not reasonable.

Thank you everyone. The wheels are turning but I'm not going to relax until I've got the approvals and scheduling with the new place done and PT resumed.

In other news, my PS seems impatient to operate and I don't get it. At this point, what's the rush?

I have had a bunch - do you have questions?

val - doing well, preparing for out of town company - my two SILs are coming from NC to run in a race with DH and spend the weekend - they come every year at this time. Needing to also address some routine health stuff - colonoscopy scheduled for couple of weeks from now, and need a consult with the vascular surgeon for some leg veins, etc. Also, thinking about a potential return to work now that I am done with recon surgeries. How are you?

val - can you have a Synvisc injection to alleviate the bone to bone to at least tide you over until you're closer to a knee replacement? I got a cortisone injection into my knee due to swelling and pain from a combo of arthritis and an Arimidex response from bumping my knee on a trailer hitch. It was more pain and swelling than was expected for the incident. I feel you on the lack of mobility - when that happened to the right knee, I had so much inflammation my skin was red 3 inches above and below the knee, left ankle had a trigger. Some days I just didn't leave the house - couldn't walk. I had a PET last May, but still want the colonoscopy. PET has a size threshold, so better to be sure. Not sure about work - will not be returning to what I did before. I don't want to work in a hospital in a high pressure situation, I've been the patient too many times now. I need something more serene, but not sure what that is. Eeesh on your poor DH, and you, for the icu visit, had to be scary! Glad he is ok

val - my MO wanted me to have a colonoscopy when I finished Herceptin in 2012. He actually ordered one, but it had been just less than 5 years since my previous one. I had been diagnosed with several skin cancers, a golf ball sized nerve sheath tumor in my right calf, and breast cancer in the time period since the last one. I also had previous ovarian cysts, breast cysts, uterine fibroids and an accidentally found pre-malignant ovarian mass, all prior to my first colonoscopy. My insurance company said I did not fit the risk profile. I thought that was pretty interesting since colonoscopies are meant to find polyps before they become cancer, and I clearly like to "manufacture" growths - both benign and cancerous. I have also had a Nissen fundoplication surgery in 1995 that used part of my stomach to make a new gastro-esophageal junction. This has left me with a number of GI issues, so I feel like I need to have the colonoscopy, just to check things out. It is nobody's idea of a good time, but I will get through it! You have had some unexpected challenges to deal with over the recent past, so I don't blame you for not wanting to do one immediately!

val - my mammo never showed my palpable 2.6cm mass either, I really wish there were better imaging tools available. The mammo missed it, and five minutes later an ultrasound showed it. Thank goodness the policy in military hospitals is to US anything palpable regardless of whether it is seen on the mammo. They do it immediately too, not the first time I had that done - virtually each mammo was followed by US due to density and many palpable cysts. MRI missed my positive nodes. TVUS missed that 3cm ovarian mass discovered during the TAH/BSO. So while I am glad I had the PET and happy that it didn't reveal anything glaringly apparent in my GI tract, I want that camera to tell me all about my colon, lol!

val - exactly why I am glad I have no uterus or ovaries anymore, and why I elected a BMX. It turned out I had baddies (ALH and ADH) all through the "prophy" breast, so it was a timebomb. And, yes, terrifying is the word!

Val - sorry you are worried - that is natural in light of all that has happened in the recent past. I had this same thing and it was caused by numerous uterine fibroids also. I guess one good aspect is that you know it is not a problem brought on by anti-hormonal meds that you might otherwise have to stop or change. Keep us posted on what is going on, and what the plan is

Hey, all! Just popping in to say a quick hello. Have been beyond swamped with work - a good problem to have!

Val, sorry about your husband's scare and now your u/s. Of course, I know you'll keep us posted but please know I'm thinking about you today. For what it's worth, I have had bone-on-bone in my knees for many years due to several knee injuries (ballet). The ortho guys won't even consider a knee replacement because I'm too "young". Bite me. I have pain pretty much all the time but it's definitely less when I lose weight.

Papillon1, I had extensive FG at the end of last year to repair damage caused by an infection. If you have questions, let us know - between me and SpecialK I'm sure we can answer anything you need to know.

Hi, to everyone else! Gotta run!