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GP Visit Number Eight
Written by Chloe on Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The first words from my GP (physician) were to compliment me about my upbeat Springtime appearance; a mid-calf pink skirt with matching ankle socks and a tantalizing amount of bare flesh peeking from the leg brace. Judging by the number of big smiles and "hellos" I got from strangers today, my facial expression must also have been matching my good mood.
The first order of the day was my blood pressure. It had been high since my back injury in 2006… Until I started using a wheelchair most of the time. My blood pressure today was completely normal, just as my GP had theorized six months ago that it would be if I stayed in the wheelchair. Yay positive physical health benefits of treating BIID! Using a wheelchair means almost zero back pain most of the time, which means normal blood pressure. No doubt the significant emotional stress reducing capacity of a wheelchair also helps significantly. My GP seemed pleased that her prescription of a wheelchair had indeed proved beneficial: "Keep using the wheelchair." It is wonderful to be told by a physician that one needs a wheelchair!
Continuing the theme of health benefits from treating BIID, I mentioned that fibromyalgia pain in my braced left leg had all but disappeared. Also, the pain and inflammation from the bunion on my left foot has gone since using the orthopedic shoe attached to the brace. I feel that leg braces nicely excuse one from following footwear fashion trends. Sean did refer to mine as "granny" shoes though. Geez, what a meany!
I mentioned the five week fibromyalgia episode that had been triggered in early December by hanging off a branch with my left hand. She understood very well that it is just about the worst thing one could possibly do in terms of triggering fibromyalgia. She gave me a prescription for serious painkillers, to keep on hand for next time. She knows that in the peak days of an episode I am bedridden from pain, can’t dress myself, etc. She also knows I am not someone who will abuse painkillers.
We talked about skiing next. I told her about the limping, which lasted for two weeks, and the left calf pain, which is still present more than three weeks after skiing. She immediately figured this was due to deconditioning and atrophy. She was not at all surprised when I mentioned that the circumference of the left calf was now half an inch less than the right. She thought that increasing atrophy would gradually make it more and more difficult for me to ski as the years go by. She suggested specific exercises I could do to mitigate this. However, the possibility of not being able to ski without adaptive equipment is far too attractive a prospect. It is wonderful to be told by a physician that one has atrophy in one’s leg!
A discussion of medications followed. I brought up my failed attempt to go down from 60 mg to 40 mg of Prozac in late Summer. She said it was quite likely I would need to keep taking it for life, and it shouldn’t cause any problems. I said I was fine with that. There, it’s official. I’m a permanent nutcase!
Once in a while the possibility of antipsychotic medications for treatment of BIID gets floated around. I brought up the idea of Seroquel with her. She was fine with me trying it out any time I felt it might be appropriate. I decided against it for the time being. I’m doing well with wheelchair therapy after all. I’m not deliberately attempting to injure myself, like I was a year ago. The prospect of surgery is a ways off due to financial constraints. I seem to be in a stable holding pattern. I don’t want to rock a boat that is not sinking. I did mention to her that she had been correct in thinking I would be able to find a surgeon for femoral nerve transection. I was surprised that she seemed happy for me to have that possibility. It is wonderful to have a physician who is supportive of BIID surgery!
Of all my physical and mental idiosyncrasies, hearing loss is what bugs Alicia the most. This was the next topic. I don’t want a hearing aid. BIID doesn’t seem to help me with that issue. I can hear just fine with lipreading assist anyway. Most importantly, if I had the money for a hearing aid I would spend it on adaptive ski equipment instead. My GP suggested getting periodic free hearing tests and bringing the results to her. We could see if my hearing is in decline, and how fast. It may be stable, since two environmental factors which contributed to my hearing loss are no longer present.
Finally we talked about peeing. I said that the method of managing minor incontinence she had recommended had resulted in me peeing through the incontinence pad to my skirt only one time. She thought that was good going. So did I. No need to change anything there.
It was another good visit with a very supportive GP. I left feeling elated.
After returning to work, I met one of the psychotherapists in the corridor. We both stopped. She immediately bent down to give me a kiss and a hug, and said "You look wonderful!"
Tags: Atrophy, BIID, Blood Pressure, GP, Incontinence, Leg Braces, Pain, Skiing, Wheelchair
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1 On 24 February, 2010, Mark Comer said:
WOW! Who is your doctor? Are you in the United States?