Physician Fatigue, Part 2

I'm so damned fatigued about it all, every thing, I just cannot even muster enough GAF to type this out. But will persevere, if for nothing else, THOROUGHNESS.

Blah blah blah, two other pain doctors leaving me hanging, blah blah blah, rotator cuff, elbow tendonitis, blah blah... new pain doc October 2016, speculations about hip and back pain actually emanating from my knee, blah blah...

I started seeing my current pain doc in October 2016. I've gone through several weeks of trigger point injections in my neck and shoulder, left elbow and even down my IT bands of my thighs. It took us until DECEMBER to finally get around to doing the Synvisc shots in the right knee, which concluded up a few days before my trip to Hong Kong & India. The shots in the left knee commenced the day after returning from India.

In all honesty, I'm about 50% improved over how I was and have felt since 8/18/16, the day that set me into crisis mode. I'll take 50% over nothing, or 50% over how I was feeling. I'm now classified as "sub-acute" or "sub-clinical," however, the doc is making claims that it wouldn't take much to put me back where I was. And it's this claim/justification that I allowed her to give me a cortisone injection in my hip to help with the inflammation to the bursa.  

I'm no fan of cortisone--between my family predisposition to Type II Diabetes, plus my own Dx of Reactive Hypoglycemia, I want as little disturbance to my blood glucose as possible. 

Anyway, I am tired of visits every two weeks. Couple that up with this doctor's habit of "appointment creep," this is what I call it when a doctor insists on being late, making me wait anywhere's from 30 to 60 minutes. I *could* get an early morning appointment, and go to the office immediately after, but who knows if that means I'll be showing up to work a half hour late, or HALF A DAY late.  This makes it frustrating for me on a lot of levels to remain motivated and convinced that there is merit in going to this doctor.

Granted, she's made a huge impact in the hip pain. Huge. But as far as the unrelenting elbow tendonitis? Nothing. Physical therapy has provided ZERO relief. The day we did a cortisone shot in the elbow, THAT VERY DAY it was fine, but I suspect that was more a result of the local anesthetic used rather than the cortisone itself. The elbow isn't what I'd call excruciating pain 100% of the time, however, when the arm is at the full extension, right at the site of the medial epicondyle? OMG I cannot describe the searing pain.  

I've done everything imaginable to treat it:

Topical NSAIDs
Penetrex/arnica rub
Biofreeze
Ice/Heat
Compression
Physical therapy: Exercise
Physical therapy: Myofascial release
Chiropractic adjustments
Cool laser
Ultrasound therapy
TENS/EMS
Braces for carpal tunnel as well as elbow tendonitis
Behavior modification (discontinuing crochet for a full month or more)

ZERO relief.

There are only three other options, and none of which are covered by insurance:

PRP
EPAT
Acupuncture

I'm truly at a loss, and in pain, and I'm not convinced that more trigger point injections are going to help me with the elbow. And I have this prevailing sensation that the doctor is just trying to milk me (by way of my insurance) for as much as the insurance plan will allow.  

Not only am I planning on ditching my endocrinologist, but I'm also planning on "back burnering" my pain doc until June, when I have to resume the shots in the knees.  

I am at the point where I am overwhelmed and feel like a crazy person, just wanting to purge all of this out of my life.