Thursday, February 28, 2008

Not an actual person

I have come to the conclusion that I am not an actual person. You may be saying "What do you mean, not an actual person?" Well, let me take this chance to explain it to you.

While I was going through all the injections and whatnot for my back last year, the option of a spinal cord stimulation pack surgery was suggested by one of the docs in the pain care center I was going to. Essentially, they figure out which nerves are firing inappropriately and insert an electrical blocker to those nerves. When I brought it up to the main doc, he told me that it was more for people with "actual injuries" such as those sustained by a break.

A few weeks ago, I went to see a doc on campus about getting a referral for a medical massage. One of the girls who works at the rec center told me about them and that they were good for people with fibromyalgia. My regular school doc (who also happens to be the medical director here...am I spoiled or what?!) isn't currently seeing any students because they have a new computer system and he's trying to work out the bugs. So...I had to see a new doc. I hate that, because they never listen. At any rate, he agreed to give me the referral but cautioned me "not to use the 2/month that insurance will pay for unless I absolutely need it because if I do then the therapists aren't available for use by people with 'actual pain'."

I have been trying since Friday to get back in to see this same doc (hell, if I have to see one I may as well see the same one - he'll learn eventually) about getting on an anti-depressant. I don't feel like I can keep dealing with all of this and school and work without a little help. I'm feeling pretty fragile and scary. For some reason the stupid people at the stupid medical center think it will take 45 minutes for a stupid appointment to get stupid anti-depressants even though they've prescribed the stupid things for me before. Yes, things are stupid. So that makes it hard to make the appointment, as they usually schedule appointments in 15 minute blocks. Add to this the fact that they do scheduling weird (call Friday afternoon for an appt Monday morning, Monday morning for Monday afternoon, Monday after 1pm for Tuesday morning...you get the idea) and it's even worse. I have class until 1:30 and by the time I call, they're full. I complained about that to the girl who answered the phone yesterday and she said "well, it is flu season so there are a lot of people who actually need to see the doc and we're short handed".

Lady, I ACTUALLY need to see the doc or I am ACTUALLY going to cause someone some ACTUAL pain! I did manage to get her to make me an appt for this afternoon. Now I just have to hope that the stupid doctor listens to me. If he won't I may have to get my counselor involved and I really don't want to do that. I also don't really want to be in my head anymore. I don't like it there - it's scary and unstable.

Speaking of pain, I wish whoever keeps beating me with a stick in my sleep would take a long walk off a very tall cliff into a deep lake and they can't swim. The fibro is kicking my ass again, only in a different way. Yeah, my hips and back still hurt like a mf'er, but I think i'm getting used to that. The constant ache of my muscles, the inability to stretch without feeling like my ribs have been beaten, not being able to scratch an itch without feeling like I used a razor blade to do it, and feeling like I've been stabbed if I happen to walk into something - that's really getting bad. It even hurts to scratch my head, which it didn't used to do. Goosebumps are a bitch. I feel like a punching bag. I know it's probably the cold and the stress that are doing it, but I'm done. Something somewhere has to give but I don't know what.

4 comments:

Jess said...

Tell them all to shove it. Good grief!!

Anonymous said...

I too had terrible experiences with the student health center while I was in college. I guess it's that way at every school. I'm sorry they're being such morons.

Dr. Grumbles said...

You think therefore you are. Screw those dinkwads.

MY JOURNEY TO A HAPPY HEALTHIER ME.... said...

I am sorry you are having such a rough time- I had idiots too at the student health center when I was at ISU- I ended up coming home to get treatment because I was so frustrated about getting the run around. I guess it also helped that my mom is a nurse and could pull strings getting me seen when I got home.
It isn't right when people- especially docs tell you not to use the referral because you basically aren't having pain- they are forgetting the cardinal rule about pain- 'Pain is what the patient says it is' no ifs ands or buts! I do kind of know where you are coming from though- I am currently on unpaid medical leave because all of my migraine meds are making me have screwy side effects so I am unsafe to work- my pain doc is trying to get everything under control with my pain, deal with my depression that is worsening because of the stress and then fix the anxiety- if I take any more pills I think I will choke- my sweet hubby doesn't seem to understand any of it- he just thinks that everything should be fixed now that I am seeing a pain doc- and that I had botox- I should be perfect and normal now- I wish. Sorry this turned into a long vent type thing- you are kind of the only person that understands the ridiculous crap of it all.
I hope you start to feel better and get someone to listen to you- it really shouldn't be this difficult to get someone to listen- we aren't stupid!