what would the doctor think?

[orgasmictofu]

I'm kind of curious what you guys think about this.

 

Last night at work, my right arm started aching. Not the muscles, it was the "funny bone" nerve. I didn't hurt my arm physically in any way. It got worse and worse. It hurt no matter what I was doing, relaxed, tensed, positions, none of it mattered, it just HURT. I went home and went to bed and kept waking up because of the pain. At one point I was crying in agony. Pain normally doesn't make me cry, that's how bad it was. I threw around the idea of going to the doctor for some pain meds just to make the pain go away and maybe get an x-ray if it was necessary.

 

I decided against it. The one clinic I normally go to I've been there quite a number of times for other things (script refills, blood checks, etc etc), and I have the feeling that the doctor's would stop taking me seriously. The other clinic I've only been to once. The one time I went it was for pain as well. My hips were hurting to the point I was walking funny. Turns out I had sprained a muscle that isin't easily sprained. I didn't want to seem like I was fishing for pain meds.

 

My question is, should I have just sucked it up and gone? Even though the hypocratic oath says that each visit should be taken seriously without bias, practically speaking, would a doctor look at prior visits for a pattern?

 

For awhile, I was worried that maybe during snowboarding this past weekend, where the hill sure showed me who was boss, I might have chipped a bone and it might have pressed up against the nerve. But in hindsight, that seems pretty silly.

 

The pain has since subsided, but it's not something I'm going to forget easily.

 

What do you think?

[venus777]

you may have had some kind of pinched nerve, but only a doctor would be able to tell. working at a doctors office, the only people that people ever get tired of are people who come in and are rude and mean, so if you haven't been like that i don't think they would think twice about you coming in to ask about your health. and if they do, that's their problem not yours. the doctor should be able to give you a good explanation on whats going on regardless of any preconceptions (which honestly, i don't think they should have unless you're there like once a week for a different thing each time that is just fake or something.)

[iamteddybearfeelmecuddle]

ouch! that would suck! and i think you're right about worrying whether they look for patterns. even if they try not to...i wonder about doctors, and other health care providers sometimes....hopefully your nerve was just a bit off that night, and if it doesn't come back no big dea. you might want to try an anti inflammatory, like i think ibuprofin(?).

[annie24]

I know a guy who got "tennis elbow" from being at the computer all day and playing video games with his kids.

 

it could have something to do with how you are sitting and typing at your computer....

[orgasmictofu]

you may have had some kind of pinched nerve, but only a doctor would be able to tell. working at a doctors office, the only people that people ever get tired of are people who come in and are rude and mean, so if you haven't been like that i don't think they would think twice about you coming in to ask about your health. and if they do, that's their problem not yours. the doctor should be able to give you a good explanation on whats going on regardless of any preconceptions (which honestly, i don't think they should have unless you're there like once a week for a different thing each time that is just fake or something.)

 

I have never been rude or mean. I know the nurses and docs have it rough sometimes, I do what I can to lighten their day, I don't make a fuss, I don't complain, I joke around with them etc.

 

I'm not there once a week, maybe once every couple of months. More often than not, it's because I need a refill on my skin cream. I don't know why they won't just give me a script with more refills so I don't waste their time. I will need the cream probably for the next few decades of my life, it's non habit forming and non steroidal, so it shouldn't be a big deal. Or I need a refill on my birth control. Every time I need a refill, it's a trip to the doc. And I might ask a few questions about other things while I'm there. I guess they write it all down.

 

I probably would have ended up going to the doc if the pain didn't go away, history or no history. But I did take some ibuprofen and it did eventually subside. Thank god.

[orgasmictofu]

I know a guy who got "tennis elbow" from being at the computer all day and playing video games with his kids.

 

it could have something to do with how you are sitting and typing at your computer....

 

Hmmm, that's a possibility. But I don't sit at the comp very much. And the past week even less since I was out of province.

 

Hopefully it doesn't come back. I would give the skin off my back to not hurt like that again. But then again being skinned probably isin't a bed of roses either

[orgasmictofu]

ouch! that would suck! and i think you're right about worrying whether they look for patterns. even if they try not to...

 

EXACTLY! I know they're not SUPPOSED to be biased. But when the history is right there in front of them, I'm sure it's got to be tough not to form an opinion.

[iamteddybearfeelmecuddle]

yeah, i know i wonder about that stuff too. one day you might want to go ask for a copy of your charts (i think you're entitled to it, might cost a little fee). you could see what the docs are saying, and get a 'tone' from that...

[orgasmictofu]

yeah, i know i wonder about that stuff too. one day you might want to go ask for a copy of your charts (i think you're entitled to it, might cost a little fee). you could see what the docs are saying, and get a 'tone' from that...

 

Heh, funny you should mention this. Last time I went to the doc's office, I was talking to the MOA (medical office assistant) and she asked how my sinus infection went. I've never had a sinus infection in my life. Nor was that visit diagnosed as a sinus infection. She said "oh, I wrote this, I don't know why".

 

So maybe my chart is all skewed?

[Daddy Bear]

there's a mental disorder related to hypochondria called Munchausen Syndrome where somebody craves going to the doctor and makes up illnesses or creates a problem by ingesting small amounts of poison, etc. sometimes they even make their kids sick or injure them in order to spend time at a hospital. this extreme version is called Munchausen By Proxy. doctors have to constantly watch for these things and that can create problems for people like orgasmictofu who have real complaints.

[iamteddybearfeelmecuddle]

that's scary...glad it's not surgery! ahhh! yes, get your charts. i got mine once there was nothing real shocking in there, but i found it interesting how the doctors worded things sometimes...seemed like they were projecting a little...and i'm like you i just try to be easy going personable and just really want to get in, get healthy, get out. so from that i learned to keep conversations pretty short and sweet there....

[orgasmictofu]

there's a mental disorder related to hypochondria called Munchausen Syndrome where somebody craves going to the doctor and makes up illnesses or creates a problem by ingesting small amounts of poison, etc. sometimes they even make their kids sick or injure them in order to spend time at a hospital. this extreme version is called Munchausen By Proxy. doctors have to constantly watch for these things and that can create problems for people like orgasmictofu who have real complaints.

 

PHEW! I thought until I read the very last little part there that were accusing me of the Muchausen's (I have heard about Munchausen's by proxy, scary stuff).

 

I'm not a fan of going to the doctor to begin with. I only go when I really need to. Further, I'm out on my own now. My mom was always my "home remedy" voice of reason. She would cure anything that ailed me. Now that I'm so far away from her, I might get a bit panicky and go see a doctor. But again, ONLY if it's at least mildly serious, or very worrisome for me.

 

But I'm just worried that the doc's will think my reasons for seeing them are frivolous and stop taking me seriously.

[Tigris]

Is there a history of Arthritis in your family? If there is go and get checked out.

[orgasmictofu]

Is there a history of Arthritis in your family? If there is go and get checked out.

 

Nope. Maybe the sporadic distant relative, but noone close to me. And I've never heard of arthritis hitting so early in life without an underlying cause. I'm healthy otherwise. Not that it couldn't happen, just never heard of it.

 

Maybe it's growing pains? I had those as a kid, and boy did they hurt!

 

I'm fairly certain it was the funny bone nerve (what the heck is it called?).I clipped the nerve on purpose while the pain was strong and I didn't feel the jolt or the pain that comes from a shot to the nerve normally. It was already numb with pain.

[Daddy Bear]

I'm fairly certain it was the funny bone nerve (what the heck is it called?).I clipped the nerve on purpose while the pain was strong and I didn't feel the jolt or the pain that comes from a shot to the nerve normally. It was already numb with pain.

i think it's called the ulnar nerve. btw i've had pains exactly like you describe and they disappeared after a few days. ibuprofen definitely helped.

 

hey, sorry for the way i wrote my last post--i didn't mean to keep you in suspense like that!

[sophie274]

Hi

I've worked at a doctor's office before, and I've found that they do sort of keep track of patients. Not frequency of visits per say - just because you go every couple of months for refills does not mean they will take you less seriously! - but I would say yes, if someone has a history of coming in with all the time with a bunch of weird complaints, his or her next visit might be taken with a grain of salt. I guess I understand how this happens - doctors are only human - but I think it's regrettable. Just because things seem weird does not mean that the patient is not being perfectly honest, and some funny symptoms could just be masking an unusual condition. Hopefully even though doctors may have a human bias towards taking certain patients less seriously, their professional side will take over, and they will treat every complaint fairly.

I wouldn't let this stop you! Just dig in and go - you have a problem, you need it to be fixed, and yes, no matter how often you go, it's still their job. If some immature nurses or doctors want to make fun of you, whatever - it's their issue, not yours.

[Tigris]

I started getting weird symptoms in different parts of my body for a few years and the doctor didn't know what it was. Eventually he sent me for tests because I was in so much pain (he wouldn't tell me what he was testing for until the results came back negative) the result was I have Fibromyalgia Syndrome which affects all the muscles in the body.

 

I advise you to go and see your doctor even if it is just to put your mind at rest.

[orgasmictofu]

I started getting weird symptoms in different parts of my body for a few years and the doctor didn't know what it was. Eventually he sent me for tests because I was in so much pain (he wouldn't tell me what he was testing for until the results came back negative) the result was I have Fibromyalgia Syndrome which affects all the muscles in the body.

 

I advise you to go and see your doctor even if it is just to put your mind at rest.

 

A good friend of mine has fibromyalgia, and I know how much pain she is in all the time. I can't say that when I'm in pain that's not in the back of my mind.

 

My understanding of the condition is that it doesn't affect the muscles as much as it affects the nerves. The coating on the tip of the nerves is gone, making them hypersensitive. I could be wrong. This is the explanation I got from my friend.

 

The pain in my arm is gone now. If it does come back, I'm going straight to the doc. Even if it goes away again, having the same thing happen twice is worrisome.

[iamteddybearfeelmecuddle]

geesh i hope it's nothing like that! maybe it was just a one time thing. but yeah, if it did come back, i'd go to the doc.

[Tigris]

Keep a written record of pains or unusual symptoms you've never had before. This will help the doctor with the diagnosis in the future. Have you ever had an injury to your neck?

 

Fibromyalgia Syndrome starts through neck trauma. I had a car accident in 1992. It was 1997/98 when strange symptoms started to occur. Each month caused a different problem. The previous months problem would disappear. In October 1999 I couldn't move any part of my body without screaming in pain. I couldn't sleep at all through the pain. If I could've crawled to some tablets to commit suicide I would've done! I was eventually diagnosed in 2000. That year I was in a wheelchair which the doctor said would never happen.

[orgasmictofu]

Keep a written record of pains or unusual symptoms you've never had before. This will help the doctor with the diagnosis in the future. Have you ever had an injury to your neck?

 

Fibromyalgia Syndrome starts through neck trauma. I had a car accident in 1992. It was 1997/98 when strange symptoms started to occur. Each month caused a different problem. The previous months problem would disappear. In October 1999 I couldn't move any part of my body without screaming in pain. I couldn't sleep at all through the pain. If I could've crawled to some tablets to commit suicide I would've done! I was eventually diagnosed in 2000. That year I was in a wheelchair which the doctor said would never happen.

 

That is almost exactly what happened to my friend, car accident.

 

Have I ever had injury to my neck? Probably. I'm a total clutz. I'm always bumped and bruised. Day to day, no big deal, a nick here, a bruise there. When I get at some sports though, I do get hurt, and I get hurt often. Last weekend when I went boarding, I hit the snow so hard so fast that it felt like whiplash, I felt my brain move in it's fluid.

 

I am going to take your advice and keep track of pain. Not hurt-to-the-touch pain (like bruises), but deep down muscle or nerve pain. See if there's a pattern.