December 17, 2021
Dear Everyone:
Happy Birthday,
“Jeannie”! One year closer
to Medicare. Actually,
eleven months closer since Medicare coverage begins at the beginning of
the month a person turns 65.
That means she can expect to start receiving notices from her current
healthcare insurance provider in six months that coverage will change on
December 1, 2022. These
people don’t wait around.
Speaking of health,
it’s been six months since I first experienced pain which seemed to
begin in my left knee. I
brought it to the attention of my Primary Care Physician (PCP).
She poked and prodded and ordered an x-ray; then she referred me
to an orthopedic surgeon who just happened to work in the same office.
The orthopedic
surgeon looked at the x-ray and pronounced that I had arthritis (big
surprise there.) But nothing
else.
One week later I
turned up in the Emergency Department with screaming pain in my entire
lower leg. They took an
x-ray and pronounced nothing wrong.
They also did an ultrasound just to make sure it wasn’t a blood
clot, which it wasn’t.
Then they shipped me
off to a Post-Acute Rehabilitation Center.
When I continued to have inexplicable pain, the Rehab Center also
took an x-ray. Again, nothing
there.
After a couple of
weeks in the Rehab Center, the pain began to lessen until I could
finally hobble around with a walker.
Then the Rehab Center discharged (released) me.
I’ve been hobbling about ever since.
In the meantime,
about a month or so ago, Meg experienced pretty much the same thing,
only in her upper leg.
Several doctors later, she found out that she had a hernia.
The doctor performed surgery and Meg reported that all the pain
vanished overnight. She also
began encouraging me to go back to my doctor and look for a
hernia.
By this time, it had
been about six months will still no solution in sight.
I went back to my
Primary and we went over the whole thing, beginning with the first
symptoms to look for a possible cause.
She admitted that she had no immediate diagnosis, but we agreed
to begin eliminating the most obvious probabilities.
Thus, she sent me back to the orthopedic surgeon.
The orthopedic
surgeon had an opening the following Monday, listened to the whole thing
again and readily admitted that she was “stumped”.
But she ordered a fresh set of x-rays.
The imaging center was just around the corner and down the hall.
As soon as the images were taken, I went back to the orthopedic
surgeon’s office. The
receptionist said she would see if the orthopedic surgeon could review
the images and accompanying report that day; otherwise we would schedule
a new appointment.
Almost immediately I
was ushered into the same exam room as we’d been in a few hours earlier.
The orthopedic surgeon came in right away and cheerfully
announced, “I have bad news!”
She didn’t even wait for the radiologist’s report.
She whipped out her
cell phone and proceeded to show me the x-ray image from last June.
The she swiped to the new image.
And there it was: A
clean horizontal break in the tibia a few inches below the knee.
“You have a broken leg!”
Finally!
We have a clear cause for all the pain, etc.
The orthopedic surgeon was very apologetic for not catching it
the first time around. But
let’s not forget the ED and Rehab Center also missed it.
In any case, she gave me a referral to a specialist whom I will
see next Monday.
At last, it seems
there may be a possible end to all this.
Programming Note:
Next Friday is Christmas Eve, the following Friday is New Year’s
Eve. What this means is that
this will be the last Letter for this year.
Everyone have a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New
Year.
Love, as always,
Pete
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