Kaizen: Day 111

Got up at 6 a.m. 

I knocked out 30 minutes on the bike, packed my lunch, and managed to make a batch of Beef Burgundy in my pressure cooker, before showering up and heading out for an 8 a.m. orthopedic appointment which was booked spontaneously yesterday.

Not to belabor the point, but I'm in a LOT of pain. The NP has been going through the motions to file an appeal with the insurance company to approve the hyaluronic gel injections for my knee. This has been going on since May, as I was hoping to get the shots on schedule in June. And here it is, June is almost over and no shots. 

I called the NP to follow up on a voicemail she left me, and mentioned how much pain I am in, and can I get a cortisone shot in the interim while we wait for the insurance appeal process to conclude.

I got the shot in the knee, plus an Rx for more PT, plus an Rx for meloxicam. 

On my to do list today, I need to update my supplement list, and email that PLUS my full radiology packet to the NP.

Perhaps some TEMPORARY relief is in sight.

PERHAPS.

While I am philosophically opposed to cortisone, for what I feel are justifiable reasons, at this point, I'd snort Draino if someone said it would help. I view the cortisone as = to Draino at this point. 

Doing nothing, as always, is not an option for me. Even sitting still, appearing inert, I am always thinking.

The only card I can play right now is to do whatever is necessary to keep walking, and at the moment, the cortisone + meloxicam is the only option for me (well, the only option, in addition to my regimen of chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, and physical therapy). 

Look how dismissive I am about "the only card."  On the surface, I'm so dismissive as if I only had one of a kind; but the reality is, I have either four of a kind, or possibly 1 card shy of a full house. (I need to get better about my playing card analogies.)

All The News That's Fit To Blog

Oh crap. I thought I had enough stamina and give a fuck to sit here and peck out an update regarding Monday's trinity of appointments. I guess I'll have to do a quick and dirty.

Appt #1: Rheumatologist. Clear bill of health. No auto-immune inflammatory diseases causing my pain. NEWEST DIAGNOSIS: enthesitis. On an upnote, my blood pressure was 110/64, so apparently, the combination of riding my bike 30 minutes each day, PLUS tinkering with my magnesium formulation (I transitioned from magnesium oxide which I was on for years, to magnesium glycinate, and in the last 3 weeks I transitioned to magnesium taurate). My bp was trending lower when I got my bp checked before acupuncture appointments, but this was my lowest reading yet.

Appt #2: Orthopedic surgeon. I went for a consult to see if I could get surgery on my knee. Turns out, despite the degeneration and oseophytes in the knee, I'm not "there yet," and the result of the physical exam was that the bulk of my pain isn't from the degeneration in the knee, but is soft tissue realted. Second diagnosis of the day: enthesitis.

Appt #3: Endocrinologist. I decided to err on the side of being conservative and seek out an endocrinologist. It was 14 long years of going 3-4 times a year to my former endo, and I was hoping I could get away without an endo. Initially I thought my GP could handle things, and then I got it in my head that a possible mover-and-shaker for the pain might be hypothyroid. The appointment was informative and uplifting, and I don't have to go back for another year.

So while yes, the results were good and positive: Yes, my blood pressure is the lowest it's been since I was in my early 20s; and NO, I don't have RA, Psoriatic Arthritis, Fibro, etc; and NO I don't need surgery yet--getting a diagnosis of enthesitis doesn't really help me. I already knew or sensed what this IS (pretty much it's a systemic tendonitis and inflammation of the enthesis, the point where tendons attach to the bone--and possible arthritis related to this too), it doesn't help me eliminate or even minimize my pain.

Hell, even my theory of it being pseudogout was a nonstarter--as my TSH report from the endocrinologist came back well within normal parameters. 

The day was beautiful, and appt 1 and appt 3 were both at the same location, with the ortho blowing a hole through my day by not being able to move that appointment later in the afternoon. 

Appt #1 and Appt #3 were at E85th, and Appt #2 was at E38th. And well, once Appt #2 was over, I convinced myself to WALK back to E85th. And I did more walking afterwards, and before I knew it, by the time I got home, I realized I overdid things. Here it is, four days later, and I am now walking with my cane. If I have a good day, a good day is as bad as a bad day (or perhaps even WORSE than a bad day), because I end up overdoing things and paying a hefty price for days or weeks after.

Imagine it. Me. In pain. Back, hip, knee, groin, you name it, and I managed to walk this far.

I have no recourse for treatment other than to find YET ANOTHER physiatrist*, start from scratch with them, get more Rx for PT, perhaps get some cortisone shots (yes, plural) and hope that helps get me through the hump. And I've been doing a bit of research regarding buying a cool laser so I can treat myself at home. Pricey! But I am sure it will all even out, if I were to factor in how many appointments I'd need with my chiropractor before I start feeling any relief. 

So, I am now bottoming out, mood-wise, I feel like shit, and I'm walking with my cane, and I'm wondering why it's an ALL OR NOTHING thing with me. Why couldn't I just have stopped walking?

*Note: It took me eight more months until I located my fourth physiatrist, aka P4.0.