SIDE TRACKED OR MULTI-TASKER?

Ok, so I had a bazillion projects going on at once - multi-tasker? Last week was a devil of a week - hand holding and babysitting health care providers, ugh! What is wrong with that picture, anyhow? I mean really. These people get paid hoards of $'s and can't even make a return phone call? Patient care? Really? You definately have to be your own advocate. My husband hurt his knee over Christmas vacation and it went from bad to worse. He finally went to see our primary care physician. We waited almost an hour in the lobby (aka 'waiting room') which included the 15 mins we got there early (why, is beyond me). Why is it we make appointments? After being called in to see the Dr. we got about 7 mins with him - and 5 of those minutes were spent listening to his skiing accident story and how he "cured himself" - we left with a referral to a Physical Therapist for twice a week for three weeks.

I'm shaking my head. I knew it wasn't the right decision. PT? You're kidding. What if there was a torn ligament or something? PT might aggravate it. We had x-rays taken first - which was a waste of time to me - but who am I? NOT a Dr., obviously. The x-ray visit was a colossal waste of time - serious - one look at the x-ray and they said "Oh, it's not broken" - well, DUH! WE knew that!! He goes to PT and they basically do an evaluation. He was on the stationery bike for about 10 mins - very slow. He was limping along the house the next day or two, doing 'exercises' to his knee as directed. The next PT appointment came and he went. Within 45 mins I get a phone call saying "come get me" - the man couldn't move! His knee was totally 'locked up' and the PT said "ummm, there isn't anything I can do for you". I picked him up and I killed a few mins and made a Starbucks run for us. The Dr. office didn't open until 9:00 am so we sat in Starbucks parking lot sipping our java and having a bagel/scone. The Dr. office was close to the PT facility so we were trying to save my husband having to get in and out of the truck one time too many.

It's nearing 9 am and we drive up the street to the Dr. office. We pull into the parking lot and I call the receptionist. She then tells me that my husband's Dr. won't be in until 10:00. So back to the house we go. I call at 10:00 - he's not in. I call at 10:30 - he's still not in, however, the receptionist assures me he will take a look at my husband's chart as soon as he gets in. By this time my husband was suppose to be at work - so naturally he had called his employer when we got back to the house to explain what was going on. By 11:00 am I called again and finally sent a fax to the Dr. office requesting a note be faxed over to my husband's employer. We waited a 1/2 hour and checked with the employer. Nothing received. So another call to the Dr.'s office. His primary care gave us a referral to an Orthopedist (which should have happened in my mind after the first appointment with him) and when I called the Orthopedist, they couldn't see my husband until the following Monday (which happens to be today). NO WAY! He was in severe pain, couldn't weight bear and we needed some other option. His primary offered him no pain medication, muscle relaxer or anything. No crutches were offered, no wheelchair rental ordered, NADA!

At this point I'm furious. Time to take matters into my own hands. I got online to our health insurance provider's website and searched for orthopedists in our area. My FIRST phone call landed a clinic that was right up the street and they had an urgent care office where we could see a P.A. - consider that DONE! Within a 1/2 a day we were seen, had an MRI scheduled and later when to have the MRI done. HOWEVER, because of the pain he was in and the muscles spasms he was having, they couldn't get good images and said "come back after you've gotten some medication". Again, that should have happened the FIRST Dr. appointment! Lord have mercy, what a fiasco!

The next morning I called the Orthopedist's office and they prescribed medication for him and rescheduled the MRI for that evening. Given the rigmarole we'd been through, we were still ahead of the game considering his primary care Dr.'s referral couldn't see him until today. We were back at the Orthopedist's the next morning. The MRI came back showing nothing significant and no one could understand what was going on. His knee was better but he was still unable to free stand or weight bear on it.

The last few days he's been moving it more and more. We go back tomorrow to see the Orthopedist and see what further examination of the MRI has to offer.

Despite the healthcare hand holding I did manage to get the blackberry jam made, my closet cleaned out, old LP's recorded to CD, Six dozen cookies baked, a beauty of a pot roast cooked and beef barley vegetable soup made with the left overs. Not to mention the regular routine of laundry, dusting, vacuuming, caring for our animals and taking out the recycling and trash.

I woke up today with a runny nose and cough. Lord I can't wait until the sun begins to shine!