Doctors, Needles and Questions

This week has been all about the doctors – physical time, blood work, flu shot and a new (to me, not to the practice) P.A. at the pain clinic.

Jeff, the P.A., wondered why I didn’t have a TENS unit that I used regularly. Because no one suggested it before? In addition to potentially helping the back pain, he thinks it could also help the shoulder pain. The cortisone shot I got two weeks ago, wore off after 12 days (most last around 3 months). We talked about physical therapy and why it doesn't help my back. Jeff thinks either PT or the TENS would help – after a year. A year? Yup, a year! I’ve had the pain for seven years (since the break) so I should expect the therapy to take a long time to help. Now that’s frustrating to think about. Let’s use a TENS machine which uses an electrical current to stimulate the nerves every day for a year before it stops irritating the back and helps. They are ordering me a unit that will get at my next monthly appointment.

For now, nothing else changes. Pain the same (worse today because it is raining, but the same in general). Medicine the same. Diagnosis the same. Treatment the same. Same sh** … different day.

Next stop: Wake Radiology for a mammogram and a bone density test. Forget the updated guidelines, I still get a mammogram every year and a bone density test every two years.