#10

I've been so busy planning, shopping and making everything for my sister-in-laws baby shower on the 25th that I haven't had time to post a recent update on my "illness". Since I'm awake, at a God forsaken FOUR AM, I'll give it a whirl.

I went back to G.I. #2 once I got a copy of the study from the pain management doc, which took almost a month. Don't ask me where the foul up was, but after FIVE requests and being told each time it was done, I FINALLY had to yell at someone and then get transferred to "medical records" to get it. As if I wasn't upset enough for that craziness, once I saw the G.I. he did NOTHING...AGAIN!!! He tried to be funny by saying, "Well, what are we gonna do with you," and "Why are you causing so much trouble?" but I wasn't in the mood. If I don't qualify for disability, which I can almost guarantee I won't, I will lose my medical benefits on August 31.

This doctor told me, on April 9, that he couldn't do anything for me, because he thought I pulled a muscle in the lumbar region of my back and needed to see and pain management doctor, even though I was still exhibiting classic gallbladder symptoms with pain in the FRONT, right under my rib on the right side, and in my back under my right scapula (shoulder blade), which is not near your lumbar back region, relatively speaking. Well, I did what he said, and that doctor said I needed to have an ERCP, the same test I've been asking to have since the end of February & that the nurse practitioner in G.I. #1's office said I needed. But noooooooooo, what does this guy (#2) say now? He wants me to have every test run... AGAIN, and then he wants me to see a 3rd G.I. "Are you kidding me?" was all I could think. I am in pain almost 24 hours a day, and some days I can't even get out of bed, or even sit up, because it's so excruciating. I take narcotics just to take the edge off, and now I'm developing the side effect of itching uncontrollably 2-4 times a week. And let me tell you, that ain't no fun... no way, no how!!! My mother has an itching problem from an allergy to NSAID's that has taken over 10 years to diagnose, and I don't know how she's done it. I would have gone insane by now.

I left G.I. #2's office more pissed off and frustrated than anything else, but I had my six week follow-up with Dr Miracle Worker, aka the pain doc on Tuesday. He's going to do another block on July 30, which will be surgery #10 since May 2, 2007. Again, it's only a short term solution, but right now, I have no other choice. I did, however, see my sister-in-law that's a nurse in Houston tonight, and she said she knows a great G.I. at her hospital, so I may just drive the 4 hours to have things taken care of there, since it doesn't seem like doctors in this city seem to take care of their patients in any sort of responsible way. The day of my surgery, it will be 6 months since I had the original surgery that caused all of this, and in 2009, NO ONE should have to suffer like this. Just think, I have full medical coverage, and at the time, my Cobra plan was still in effect as well as my new insurance with my job, so I even had secondary coverage. By mid April I had already met my out of pocket expenses on both of them, and I don't have to pay anything else. I'm only 36 years old. Am I the poster child for Universal Health Care, or what?