I saw my doctor on Thursday and thought I'd update the whole list at once. I
want to thank everyone who has asked how I am doing, I can't tell you just
how much it has meant to me and my family.
AS far as my hip goes; surgically, it has healed. But there are so many other
problems. It is unstable. My abductor muscle is totally gone, disappeared or
died. The hip has been sub-luxing 3 or 4 times a day; but I dislocated my it
(all the way out) on 2/29/00 and I was in the brace too. Anyway, I was able
to get it back in without having to go to the hospital for surgery, but it
still hurts like H**L!  I had to wedge my leg between the bars on the stair
case and then pull my upper body until it went back in. It took me nearly 30
minutes. This is such a nightmare.
The pain pills are giving me MINIMAL relief for only about 2 hours and pain
is waking me up at night again. My doctor agreed that the severe pain was
probably from soft tissue damage. What got me really upset is that I've come
full circle on the pain medication thing again. No one wants to take
responsibility for managing my pain.
My doctor said he is a surgeon and his part, for now, is over with. Further
surgery will not help the dislocating problem or the pain. (I agree on that
part but not the rest of what he said.) He told me that he will not manage my
pain with anything more than the Vicodin ES and I need to go back to my
primary provider for pain management.  When I saw my primary provider in
January, she told me that managing the hip pain was for the surgeon to take
care of.
Last time I went through this, I got referred around the whole system and
finally ended up at neurology; where I started in the first place and she
prescribed oral morphine to get me through until the surgery in October.  I
REFUSE to jump through those hoops again to get relief. I'm not asking for
anything super heavy but taking 2 Vicodin ES every 4 hours isn't the answer
either. I am most likely resistant to the medication anyway. Plus all that
Tylenol is bad for the rest of my body. Not sleeping is just as bad if not
worse then the damage from the drugs. Then there's a whole triplicate
prescription problem that makes for a real hassle. To get a triplicate
refilled, you have to go see the doctor first. Which makes for problems if
you only have enough medication to last for a few days and can't get an
appointment.
I am going to make someone within the system answer to this. I physically and
emotionally cannot do it myself. I will take it to membership services if I
have too. I know they jump all over the HCP's who aren't keeping the
customers happy, so I know I am going to have to get membership services
moving as an advocate for me. It's emotionally draining. Kind of makes me
feel like a drug addict. People have told me I'd be better off trying to buy
it off the street or going down to Mexico to get it.

My surgeon started the paperwork for making me totally (and with the
restrictions--completely) disabled. The paperwork I got says: Permanent and
stationary as of 3/2/00
Restrictions:
No walking for more than 15 minutes a day (that's with crutches/walker) 15
minutes per day. No driving. No sitting for longer then 1 hour at a time for
no more than a total of 6 hours per day. No bending, squatting, kneeling,
pushing/pulling, twisting, climbing or lifting.
Then there's a long list of what future medical care might be needed.
Forced retirement at age 43 and I can't even enjoy a rocking chair. LOL

I knew this was coming but I guess I wasn't as ready as I though I'd be. I am
really worried about the money end of it. I think this means that my
disability checks will stop coming. And I have no idea how soon.  That's all
I need MORE money worries. We can't make it financially if there isn't any
money coming in on my end. I know there is supposed to be some sort of final
settlement but that could take months. I have no idea what we will do in the
meantime.
I can't stress out over it. I'm putting it in someone else's hands because it
is beyond my ability to correct.
Thanks again for all your support and kind words. You guys are wonderful.

Marie Davis, RN, IBCLC
http://sites.netscape.net/mariedavisrnibclc/index.htm
      also at
 http://hometown.aol.com/davisrnclc/myhomepage/index.htm

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