I need a break until the doctors decide to move forward on this slow moving train to Clarksville. The 24/7 hour pain is the issue and with it, no sleep. The neck pain and the mini migraines are a wang dang doodle of a hurdle. Shouldn’t have jumped that day.
In my next life, I plan on being smart, rich, and good looking.
Or at least a friendly ferret.
Stay safe out there and get vaccinated.
Phil
Aug. 14, 2021…
My doctors, and ancillary personnel, all remind me of W.C. Fields’ Egbert Sousé in The Bank Dick.
No one communicates with each other. Each points the finger at the other. Everyone is either incompetent or just doesn’t give a shit.
And it looks like I will need surgery before the neck surgery.
In 2014, my pain doc put a neural electronic stimulator in my back that was supposed to help with pain. It worked for two months and then it just failed. The other patients that got talked into this procedure (same time as me) all had the same after effect. I think we were guinea pigs.
I need additional tests but now the stainless steel stimulator probably needs to be removed as it is dead but may have a spark still left in it. That could cause me to burst into flames in an MRI tube. On the upside, my claustrophobia of being in that torpedo tube will be trumped by the fear of becoming a fire log.
There are two 12″ wire leads that go from the neural device up both sides of my spine. They are now protected by scar tissue but will need to be removed too.
Just for added fun, the last time I saw my pain doc (2017), I yelled at him for putting that piece of shit device in me and it turned out to be useless exercise. Because he is contracted with the device manufacturer, he will need to be the guy to remove the device and wires. I fear I’m going to be operated on by Hannibal Lecter’s younger brother. (“You don’t need that much anesthesia, Phil.”)
In my research of this company, I read that it doled out nearly $100 million in fines to the federal government for bribery. And that doesn’t include the millions of fines and payouts from lawsuits.
I also discovered that my doc received a higher than normal amount of kickbacks for the average pain doctor. Anyone know a good lawyer?
I will know more this week.
I do think this is going to be a drawn out process so I’m smoking like a chimney.
Meanwhile…Ouch.
Phil
Update 8-24-2021:
Another hiccup caused by meeting with my orthopod today.
There is a problem with my thyroid. I need a biopsy.
Nothing can go further with fixing my cervical spine until the thyroid problem is resolved.
Meanwhile, the doc is rushing me to see a pain management doctor. They called and can whisk me into their office in only 5 weeks.
I am now Looney Tunes from pain in my neck and the migraines.
No sleep now for over 60 days. Who needs hallucinogens when sleep deprivation works just fine.
I guess if I had health insurance other than Medicare, things might be different.
One thing I am very concerned about…the huge spike of Covid cases hitting hospitals across the U.S.
Wisconsin has been hit hard with the unvaccinated being hospitalized. I watched on the news that 615,000 were sent to hospital in just the last week.
The idea of spending any time in a petri dish for one or more procedures gives me the willies. I may have to wait this out until the chaos slows down considerably.
I applied for a heavy lifting job with Amazon…I want to see if I can make my entire spine shoot out my ass on the first day.
Be well, everyone…