Wednesday, October 11, 2006

When it rains, it pours

Today I FINALLY got in to see the neck doctor about these shoulder/arm troubles I'd been having - this appointment took a month to get, of course.

The diagnosis for these same symptoms 2 years ago had been a pinched nerve in my neck, so I just assumed that's what it was still. Of course, 2 years ago nobody took xrays or anything, so it was a diagnosis based on shoulder pain/tingling/numbness that occasionally pinged and twanged its way down to my thumb. So this doctor, with less than acceptable bedside manner (take note sister-mine, bedside manner is important - you don't want grouchy patients!!!), decides before looking at me, the xrays or the MRI that it's carpel tunnel syndrome. He then sets out to prove it. Carpel tunnel? Yes, he says, then whacks my wrist a bunch of times with his hammer thingy to show me that it hurts and tingles when he does that. Annoyingly it does, and it doesn't do the same on my other hand. Curses! Then he pokes and prods around my shoulder, corrects me that it's not actually my "shoulder" persay - as that's just the top of my arm, but where this pain is actually, is my upper right back. He decides that pain, and the connected headaches and tingling are due to muscular scarring. He asked me, are your headaches related to your "shoulder" pain? I don't really know, I say, I have headaches, I have pain in the back of my shoulder, how can I tell if they're related?

Suffice it to say it was an annoying visit to the doc, and I am now undergoing the task of typing on my blog with a granny-style wrist splint on to treat the illeged carpel tunnel. He threatened surgery, but you have GOT to be kidding!!??!??!!?!!

So on the way down to the docs this morning my engine light came on. SUPER.

Oh, and this weekend my office suffered an infestation of FIRE ANTS, so naturally I have itchy bitey welts all over myself. Thankfully I'm friends with many of the maintenance staff, and Tim came in right away to spray the office and get rid of them.

Did I mention that this week I'm getting evaluated on my teaching skills?

Fire ant bite photos for km - I waited too long before taking them, so now they're little and sorta scarry... well there you go.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jamie's teething. We're even.

OK, maybe not. That all sucks. Poor you.

gnat said...

Actually I think you win - mind is just a bad week... how long does teething last?
;)

Unknown said...

*hug*

And get a referral to a new doctor. Flat out ask for a second opinion. While you had to wait for a while, his diagnosis makes next to no sense. You are having back pain and headaches (it doesn't take a neurologist to think that they are likely related). The same thing happned to my Aunt. She was having debilitating migraines. Guess what? They weren't caused by carpal tunnel.

Lame.

Lame and unprofessional.

That's what I have to say about all that.

And sorry about the fire ants. They don't sound like they are very good at making friends at all...