random thoughts - Day 2,038 (Wednesday) - doctored

There was an excited call from Mom this morning. I answered the phone and she said "look out the window!" I looked out the front bay window, which is my primary view from the living room and saw nothing in the street. When she said "there are six deer!" it clicked she was in her living room which faces the trees behind our houses. The deer were walking and leaping over fallen trees behind my house and weaving through the wooded area with their white tails at attention. 

These are the first deer I've seen here. Last week there was a coyote crossing the street. All I need are  an owl, a fox, and a shed snake skin in the front yard and it will feel like my house in Tennessee. 

At the pine and pain center.

The spine and pain center office visit was this afternoon. I spent most of the morning sitting on the couch icing the neck and shoulder and it felt better today than in the past three weeks. Stuff hurt, just not as much and with another new flavor. Today's addition to the repertoire is prolonged tingling in my forearm and hand, especially in the ring finger. I have never been so highly attuned to every inch of my arm and shoulder as I have lately. 

The doctor thinks it's a pinched nerve and wants me to have an x-ray and/or MRI, but whatever problem caused the phones and systems to be out (since Sunday, I was told) continues and it couldn't be set up today because of it. He put in an order for physical therapy, which also couldn't be scheduled. He said the problem sometimes resolves itself in two to twelve weeks, and I said if it drags out to twelve weeks, I will throw myself from the roof before then. There is an appointment for a follow-up in six weeks.

Luckily, the steroidal prescription the shoulder doctor ordered last week had been waiting for me at the pharmacy. Today's doctor was prepared to prescribe the same thing. When the ortho ordered the script it was presented as "hey let's try this just in case" instead of a "this should help" situation. I'll take meds with good reason, but there have been enough reactions to meds that I'm not comfortable when it's "what the heck, let's give it a whirl." There was never a text from the pharmacy it was ready for pickup and I blew it off. The memories of the rash from my scalp to the soles of my feet (sulfa) and the chest pains (naproxen) are still a bit too vivid. 

While picking up last week's prescription today, the pharmacy tech told another customer that the prescription orders from the hospital and its affiliated groups were coming in erratically due to the communications issue. 

Fingers are crossed for luck that the improvement felt today isn't a false alarm. There are six tablets waiting for me in the morning, then five for Friday and decreasing each day for six days. Of course, if I had checked on the prescription a week ago, the regimen would be done by now and I might be feeling better. Live and learn.