Monday, February 03, 2014

Is that all there is?

According to the orthopedic surgeon, the MRI scan shows a small tear in my meniscus right beneath the place where I had surgery on the one before. He is not going to operate on it because it is so small. Because I think this does not explain the amount of pain I have in my knee, I am mystified and I am now dubious about the orthopedic surgeon. He is going to write a letter with his findings to my GP and I will see my GP and ask her opinion about whether I should pursue this. The orthopedic surgeon also thinks I should be on a less strong anti-inflammatory medication and that I should not be taking 3 to 6 paracetamol tablets a day. He is going to let my GP know this also.
 
Needless to say, after I saw him, I felt a lot of frustration and for someone like me that is bad news.  I was very upset about it his attitude, which made me feel like I was a hypochondriac, and ended up having to take a long nap so that I could reset my mental system and start all over again. I slept deeply for a few hours and had a cup of coffee when I woke up and felt a lot better. I have been able to gather my thoughts over another cup of coffee and make sense of everything.
 
Of course, I have fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis and that can explain the pain in my knee also. I know that with fibromyalgia there are pressure points in your joints that can be very painful. Possibly that is part of the problem.
 
I can't afford to have this become a long and complicated problem. I will not be able to deal with it well emotionally, so I would rather have a physical problem that can not be resolved, than have emotional chaos. I will not be able to deal with the pressure of having the problem in my knee possibly not be resolved in a long, drawn out process. My mental health comes first.
 
All of this makes me not have so much faith in the medical profession. I think specialists are not infallible and that their knowledge is selective and may not apply to your particular problem. It seems everybody is stuck in a box and is thinking inside of one.
 
   

3 comments:

Rob-bear said...

Well, a frustrating visit to your surgeon, to say the least. I can certainly understand your disappointment; not a lot of help there. But at least he is conferring with your GP, so there is some hope in that.

Of course, a good nap and a couple of cups of coffee can work wonders in such a situation.

And yes, I recognize that you have a variety of things that are causing problems, and could be causing problems. To put it in Bearspeak: GRRRRRR!

Maybe after another sleep or two, you will feel better about the situation. I hope so.

More snow here overnight (last night), and a grey day at about -20C. About the same colour as the inside of y head. Not an encouraging sort of day. I will survive!

Blessings and Bear hugs!

Cate Rose said...

Sorry it's being so frustrating...what a drag. You're absolutely right, what you say in your last paragraph. Most doctors don't know what the hell they're talking about, it's really all a guess on their part, they don't take your individual symptoms into account, etc. I have a feeling that your situation will never be completely resolved to your satisfaction. You may just have to learn to live with a certain amount of pain. Often things are better and easier for us to handle in the long run if we find our own way to deal with the situation -- once we realize it's never going to be perfect, if it ever was to begin with. Hope you have a good, nourishing sleep tonight. xoxo

Wisewebwoman said...

Very frustrating. I do hope it will all be resolved and soonest.

I hate when docs think it's all in the head. So. What. It is REAL.

XO
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