I had an MRI done in July as I recently posted. I've had to wait all these months for an appointment with an orthopedic doctor. It was for today at 1:00. The office called at 11:00 to tell me that the doctor was called out on emergency surgery and my appointment would have to be cancelled! My husband even took half the day off work and was going to go along with me to the appointment. If they'd have called earlier, I could have let him know that it was cancelled but he was already on his way home when I called to tell him the news. So today was a no pay day for him and we can't really afford that.

When the girl called to give me the news, it was all I could do to keep from bawling over the phone. I thought why do things like this always seem to happen to me?! My back has been getting worse just in the last half year and I told her that and she "squeezed me in" on Jan. 30. She said that was the absolute earliest she could get me in even after I told her how much pain I'm in and it wakes me up at night. My back has gotten worse and worse over the past few years and I feel now like I probably had this problem all along with the herniated discs and 5 mm fragment, etc. (I explained it all in my "Can anyone interpret this" post) and my regular doctor (before my husband lost his job, leaving us without insurance and now have to go to a free clinic) took x-rays of my back (no MRI) and didn't find anything so it wasn't pursued. I honestly thought that it must all be in my head since he said nothing was wrong. But it has kept getting worse. My regular doctor had gone on medical leave and another doctor had taken his place and I saw him. He didn't order an MRI either. That was when we had insurance and no MRI was ordered. So now the free clinic had me get one and these problems have been found. I can't help but feel upset that this wasn't done sooner. I've been in pain for several years, which some of that might have been avoided had an MRI been done sooner.

Some days (actually most) I don't know how much more of this I can take. The MRI was only of the lower back because that was my main problem at the time but over the past half year my shoulder blades have come to also hurt like crazy. I don't know if my lower back problem is causing my back to hurt up further or if I now have a separate problem up there. I was the MRI would have been of my entire back before and maybe something would have been found on the MRI in July if they had done that. I had told the free clinic doctor that my lower back was the main problem but that my shoulder blades also hurt, but I guess he thought probably to save money (?) he'd only have the hospital do a lumbar MRI on me.

So I don't know what to do. I'm afraid if I mention my shoulder blade pain to the doctor that either 1. He'll order another MRI and that will delay anyone taking action on my other problem, grouping them both together (like if I'd need surgery, although we don't have the money) and putting my original problem off that much longer, or 2. He won't order an MRI of my shoulder blades and I'll keep having to put up with that pain.

I called the free clinic after my appointment was cancelled with the orthopedic doctor at the hospital today. I told them that I don't think I can put up with this pain for another 1 1/2 months. Even though the Neurontin the free clinic doctor had put me on a few months ago hasn't helped, I never bothered to call their office because I thought that all they'd probably do was increase the dosage of that same medication. The last time I was there I got the impression that he didn't know what else to put me on and so I felt like this medicine was the last hope besides narcotics. He really doesn't want to put me on narcotics. I had wanted to avoid them too and now I just don't know. Since they're addictive, I don't want to have yet another problem. He has already tried me on Prednisone, Tylenol with Codeine, and Ultram ER, none of which worked. I'm on 600 mg of Neurontin 3 times a day and it really makes me groggy. If I'm taking a medication that makes me feel out of it all the time, I at least want it to help with the pain. I just afraid that he's going to up the dosage of this same medication to see if that will work, but I don't want that. I don't want to come off like a drug-seeking addict. Geez, what do I have to do to get some relief?

He said I'm too young to have surgery. I'm 51, which I don't consider young and I told him that. He said oh but they try to wait until a person is older. That just doesn't make sense to me why you'd want to wait if you're in pain and surgery would be the answer. I've always heard horror stories about back surgeries and at the time I spoke to the doctor I had wanted to also avoid surgery but since some people on here replied to me, I'm thinking that I should have the surgery if it can be financed somehow because we just don't have the money. Someone has suggestions for that, like to seek out a training hospital. I don't know if I want an intern operating on my back. How qualified are they?
I feel lousy and some days I feel like just not going on but I’d be too chicken to do that. I hope life gets better one of these days and I just don’t know how much more pain I can take. I feel like the more I’m put off the more my pain will be increasing with each passing day. I feel so much worse now then I did last Christmas. :( Thanks for listening.

I know your frustration on most all your points you mentioned. The pain takes over and it just makes these issues all the more complicated to us.

You asked some questions about your upper back. You "may" have some upper back issues going on, but it may also be stemming from your issues from the lumbar spine. There is referred pain as well as cause and effect pain that could be happening there. Such as your lumbar is not operating properly, so your body is protecting itself and overcompensating in ways to help you deal with the pain you are in. Such as you probably walk differently, you sit or lay down differently, etc. Since the spine is a unit, all the discs above and below your issues are working double time now and so are your surrounding muscles and tissue.

Physical therapy may be of great assistance with this. At first it can flare you up, but as we often continue the body begins to respond and starts to be healthier and thus helps reduce pain and inflammation. (Everyone is different and gets different results and at different times of any forms of treatment).

You are by no means TOO YOUNG for surgical intervention if it's offered. Come on! That guy is talking, not out of his mouth. Sorry but that is such a totally untrue statement for him to make. Plus, you need the advice on consult of a spine surgeon to tell you the true skinny on things.

I think it's horrible that they canceled your appointment, and then pushed you off that far. I think that scheduler has done you an injustice and I would be calling to have that rechecked. I can't believe his emergency case would throw off his schedule of clients for over a month! That makes NO sense at all and very unfair. (And yes, I have a little bit of experience working in a doctor's office. I have a friend who is a GP and have helped him out, and it was during my fusion recovery too! So it helped him and me! I felt useful!). Also, ask them to put you on the "will call" list for any cancellations that might pop-up. That might help some too.

WHEN you see the spine doc, mention any and ALL pains you have. Journal it actually so you can be a precise as you can. Give the doc a copy of it if you can. Then you have it and he has it as part of your file. But it's very important for the doctor to know as much about you as possible, so he/she can find the best way to help you. Withholding any information would be counterproductive. You must work as a TEAM with your doctor(s) toward your health and wellbeing.

My opinion on meds: (And I don't like meds anymore than the next person) If you are in pain, your body goes into a reserve mode and healing is thus hampered and slowed. The whole point of seeing the doctors is to get rid of the pain, yes? So IF it takes medications right now to help you deal, take them. If you can't function and your lifestyle is greatly hampered, it's worth trying medications (even upping dosages as needed by doctor's approval) to see if it helps. I try to take the least amount of medication to control my pain. It may not rid of it, but it's an acceptable level that I can try and tolerate or can. If not, then I need to return to my doctor and find out what else I can do to possibly control it. As with anything, there is only so much they can do.

But in your case, there are lots of alternatives to assist you right now. Between now and when you get into see the specialist, you should strongly consider going back to the regular doc you saw or a new one and talk about what's working and not and try something else to help you to at least get you through to seeing the specialist.

hang in there. there are truly brighter days ahead of you.

Wow, I'm sorry for all you're going through. Justoneofus is absolutely right. I can say ditto to her whole post!

Can you try to get in with a different ortho group? If this doctor is THAT busy, he's probably really good, or maybe he just has a poorly organized staff. I'd try another group and see if you can get in sooner. If they can't get you in sooner, maybe make an appt anyway, in case this doctor cancels on you again. If you don't need the other appt, you can always cancel it.

And 51 is certainly not too young for surgery! There are a lot of us here who are younger than that who have had surgery. If I had had to wait until I was over 51, I'd be in a wheelchair!

I wish you the best,
Emily

I'm so sorrry you're having to deal with all that, we all know how that feels. I have had to wait long times for appointments as well. When I had severe sciatica w/ numbness this spring, called my surgoeons office for an appt, and found out he was out of the country for 2 months teaching spine surgeries elsewhere. So they said I could see one of the other surgeons, and then a week before that appointment was cancelled. As you know how it is, I was quite miffed. So the appt setter finally said I could see my surgeon's PA instead, which I did in a heartbeat. I got to see her pretty quickly and she sent me for an MRI, which the office got approved thru my insurance within and hour and 1/2! So it was quite obvious I was having serious pain & issues. So by that time my surgeon was due back in 2 weeks so I was given an appt the day he came back somehow. Finally saw my surgeon 2 wks later on a Mon or Tues, and went right back that same Friday for a nerve block, which they also got approved in record time. So once I did see my surgeon, everything was done with speed. It's the process before seeing the doc that is the biggest hurdle. My gyno's office appt setters drive me nuts as well with having to wait forever for appts and procedures. This is why in my area, I tend to go to the walk-in urgent care centers. No appointment needed, just walk in, sit and wait to be called...but you're always seeing someone different. I have gone there several times b/c I was in too much pain & told them my specialists appt's were too far away to wait, etc...a couple times they gave me some pain meds to hold me over.

And the strange thing is...say once I finally see my doc, then I suddenly get follow up appt's quickly...sometimes the next week or 2 weeks, or whatever. But when you call the appointment line, its like they dont think anyone really needs to be seen urgently.

But anyway, many of us know how this feels, I know it doesnt help you, but we are here for support. So if you dont' want to well up anywhere else, you can just let it go here!

I'm so sorry to hear of your pain. I also can't believe they can't get you in before the end of January. I agree that maybe if you call back and speak to someone different....... I started keeping a pain diary just because I can't remember from one day to the next what the pain was and what I took, med wise. So I rate the pain, document my activity (or lack of), what meds I took and if the meds helped the pain at all. Just a thought....maybe it would help when you go to see the doc. Good luck.

Deb