My Summer of Discontent
Monday, August 30, 2010 - 11:05 A.M.
This has turned out to be my summer of discontent. In fact, as I have told my family, and most of the people who help me, this has turned out to be the worst summer I have had in the last five or six years.
I'm still battling excruciating pain from the fractured bones in my right foot, which occurred about three weeks ago when a metal door slammed shut hitting me in the process. They started out treating it by putting ice packs on my foot three times a day for 20 minutes each time. After about 10 days, this was changed from ice to moist heat.
While this was taking place, during the daytime my foot and ankle was placed in something called a "grip tube" and that remained on my foot throughout the day until I went to bed at night. Some of the swelling in the foot has decreased as has most of the black and blue discoloration. The one thing that still remains, and does not seem to be going anywhere, is the pain. Even the pain medication that I use for my back does not seem to help this very much.
To make matters worse, my right knee has now become swollen. I do not know if this has been caused by the injury to my foot or not. Some of my caregivers believe it is being caused by poor posture when I go to bed at night, because when they come to get me up in the morning, my body is in numerous twists and turns. They are trying to figure out what can be done to solve this problem, and I have suggested that they contact my physical therapist for her input.
As if that were not enough, I have also begun having extreme pain in the right side of my neck, as well as in both shoulders. I think that my nurse will be contacting my primary care physician, and my physical therapist, about the situation.
Primarily because of all of my physical problems during this summer, I have remained at home almost all the time unless I had an appointment with my doctor. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided that it was not worth taking a risk by having Access-A-Ride drive me somewhere and then have my foot smashed against some of their equipment as has been done in the past. Things are bad enough without taking a chance on making them worse.
While all of this has been going on I have still been waiting (for nearly three months) on my home health care agency to replace one shirt, which was ruined by one of their employees, as well as my iPod touch, which was stolen by another of their employees. (Although my iPod touch was graciously replaced by one of my friends here on Daily Strength, I still want my home health care agency to make good on their promises to replace the stolen one.)
During the past three months, I have heard one excuse after another as to why I have not yet received these items, even though the iPod was supposedly ordered from Amazon.com. I am extremely pissed off with the agency, and I am trying to figure out how I can force them to do the right thing. (All suggestions are welcome.)
Because of everything that has been occurring, I have not been able to see either Dr. Martin, my psychologist, or Dale, my mental health counselor since before my foot was injured. I am, however, seeing Dr. Martin tomorrow afternoon, Dale on September 10, and my primary care physician on September 13.
The only places I have gone this summer are ones dealing with medical care. I have not gone anywhere strictly for fun. I am going to try and do something about that before winter strikes. My sister has invited me to go to a mall with her sometime this week. I have mixed feelings about this, but I am leaning toward accepting her invitation. I am starting to go stir crazy, and I do not want that to happen.
This has turned out to be my summer of discontent. In fact, as I have told my family, and most of the people who help me, this has turned out to be the worst summer I have had in the last five or six years.
I'm still battling excruciating pain from the fractured bones in my right foot, which occurred about three weeks ago when a metal door slammed shut hitting me in the process. They started out treating it by putting ice packs on my foot three times a day for 20 minutes each time. After about 10 days, this was changed from ice to moist heat.
While this was taking place, during the daytime my foot and ankle was placed in something called a "grip tube" and that remained on my foot throughout the day until I went to bed at night. Some of the swelling in the foot has decreased as has most of the black and blue discoloration. The one thing that still remains, and does not seem to be going anywhere, is the pain. Even the pain medication that I use for my back does not seem to help this very much.
To make matters worse, my right knee has now become swollen. I do not know if this has been caused by the injury to my foot or not. Some of my caregivers believe it is being caused by poor posture when I go to bed at night, because when they come to get me up in the morning, my body is in numerous twists and turns. They are trying to figure out what can be done to solve this problem, and I have suggested that they contact my physical therapist for her input.
As if that were not enough, I have also begun having extreme pain in the right side of my neck, as well as in both shoulders. I think that my nurse will be contacting my primary care physician, and my physical therapist, about the situation.
Primarily because of all of my physical problems during this summer, I have remained at home almost all the time unless I had an appointment with my doctor. After giving it a lot of thought, I decided that it was not worth taking a risk by having Access-A-Ride drive me somewhere and then have my foot smashed against some of their equipment as has been done in the past. Things are bad enough without taking a chance on making them worse.
While all of this has been going on I have still been waiting (for nearly three months) on my home health care agency to replace one shirt, which was ruined by one of their employees, as well as my iPod touch, which was stolen by another of their employees. (Although my iPod touch was graciously replaced by one of my friends here on Daily Strength, I still want my home health care agency to make good on their promises to replace the stolen one.)
During the past three months, I have heard one excuse after another as to why I have not yet received these items, even though the iPod was supposedly ordered from Amazon.com. I am extremely pissed off with the agency, and I am trying to figure out how I can force them to do the right thing. (All suggestions are welcome.)
Because of everything that has been occurring, I have not been able to see either Dr. Martin, my psychologist, or Dale, my mental health counselor since before my foot was injured. I am, however, seeing Dr. Martin tomorrow afternoon, Dale on September 10, and my primary care physician on September 13.
The only places I have gone this summer are ones dealing with medical care. I have not gone anywhere strictly for fun. I am going to try and do something about that before winter strikes. My sister has invited me to go to a mall with her sometime this week. I have mixed feelings about this, but I am leaning toward accepting her invitation. I am starting to go stir crazy, and I do not want that to happen.
Replies
Hi Jim Glad to see a Journal from you.So sorry all this stuff as been happening to you. Please accept your sister\'s offer to take you out, I don\'t get out much myself. It\'s no fun and can be depressing. So try to get out and see sone peoplr and life around you. Good Luck and get well soon. Hang in Hugs-Stephanie
I was about to bark up your tree. I saw the episode of THE CLOSER where the coffin tumbled down the steps and thought of you laughing your a%s off.
I hope you have had the chance to get to do something fun between when you wrote your journal and when I got here.
Hugs and Mojo
Weebs
You must be a pain management expert. You could put that on your business cards.
I just learned that emotional pain and physical pain are stored in the same part of the brain. So much for intelligent design!
Lawyers are there to deal with issues like this. Do you already have one? I think you should have a lawyer on speed dial.
Can you ask your sister to go somewhere else? Perhaps a park or somewhere with less people and less stress? Malls are energy suckers, not energy restoring.
I think it would do you some good, on some level, to get out of the house and do something with your sister. I tend to be a recluse myself, and if I could, I would never leave my yard, but it drains me and is not good for me emotionally, I am happier when I am forced to get out now and then.
I don\'t blame you for being pissed at the home health agency, if they said they would replace something, then that is what is suppose to happen, perhaps you could tell them you need this on paper, and need a date, like this will happen by so and so day and year.
oh yeah, I sure hope your foot stops hurting so badly, I am sorry you are in so much pain, it must be really stressful for you, stressful is not a strong enough word.