Doctor What?
I've noticed that there seem to be two kinds of doctors practicing in the US today. The first kind sees the body as a fascinating organism that provides a variety of input for troubleshooting problems, understands that the patient is the best provider of this input, and is open to new thereapies. The second believes that the body is a fascinating machine which can be observed and repaired, and you will listen to them, by God, even if you are the patient.
As my boss observed, the second type is slowly dying or retiring. It's a very definite change in attitude that's come about as a result of how doctors are taught. Myself, I'm a big believer that your body talks to you. And from comments other people have made, I've come to understand that I'm better at listening than most people. This means I get along fabulously with Type 1 doctors and bang heads, inevitably, with Type 2 doctors.
When the dog bit me, I saw a Type 1 doctor. Unfortunately, it turns out she wasn't permanat staff, she was just covering for a Type 2 doctor who was at a conference.
On Friday, I noticed my knee felt "loose": like it just wasn't certain forward and backward was the direction it should be going. By Saturday, I knew something was wrong. By Sunday, i definitely felt that my weight was coming down too far to the inside of the knee, and by Monday morning I was concerned enough that I might do permanant damage that I broke down and went in to the doctor early, rather than wait to see the chiropractor on Tuesday afternoon.
The doctor promptly asked me what I'd done. The answer is nothing. Well, did I fall or re-injure myself in some way? No--I put heat on it, the way she told me to. I stood up, sat down, spun around in a swivel chair, slept . . . She didn't like that answer. She quickly determined that all the ligaments in my knee have flared up, but she doesn't know why. I told her I could live with pain, I was mostly concerned about the alignment of the knee, the feeling that the weight is coming down too far to the inside, and the possibility of doing damage. And I mentioned the chiropractor re-aligning the knee when I saw him last Tuesday.
Oh, she didn't like that at all. According to the doctor, there is nothing in a knee to be aligned. Evidentally it's not really a joint and I just never knew it. She said your kneecap is either in the right place or it's not, and if it's not, you know it. Just one catch: I have had surgery on my other knee as a result of the fact that I did once put the kneecap out slightly, did not know it, and crunched cartilidge. I was left staring at the woman, dumbfounded, thinking, "Lady, you have no idea where my pain threshold is."
So I did what I always have to do with Type 2 doctors: grab the horns and try to steer. As a result, we are agreed that all the ligaments have flared up and are concerned by the fact that we don't know why. I am wearing a compression bandage to provide some extra support and help combat that "loose" feeling. And I will have a physical therapy evaluation tomorrow. The doctor feels that the physical therapist, having more time to spend with me as an individual patient, can do a full range of motion and manipulation evaluation, and may see if something else is going on.
What a horribly frustrating experience. And yes, I am still seeing the chiropractor tomorrow. And no, I won't tell him he can't touch my knee. Because from the chiropractor, I get a sense that he knows what he's doing.
As my boss observed, the second type is slowly dying or retiring. It's a very definite change in attitude that's come about as a result of how doctors are taught. Myself, I'm a big believer that your body talks to you. And from comments other people have made, I've come to understand that I'm better at listening than most people. This means I get along fabulously with Type 1 doctors and bang heads, inevitably, with Type 2 doctors.
When the dog bit me, I saw a Type 1 doctor. Unfortunately, it turns out she wasn't permanat staff, she was just covering for a Type 2 doctor who was at a conference.
On Friday, I noticed my knee felt "loose": like it just wasn't certain forward and backward was the direction it should be going. By Saturday, I knew something was wrong. By Sunday, i definitely felt that my weight was coming down too far to the inside of the knee, and by Monday morning I was concerned enough that I might do permanant damage that I broke down and went in to the doctor early, rather than wait to see the chiropractor on Tuesday afternoon.
The doctor promptly asked me what I'd done. The answer is nothing. Well, did I fall or re-injure myself in some way? No--I put heat on it, the way she told me to. I stood up, sat down, spun around in a swivel chair, slept . . . She didn't like that answer. She quickly determined that all the ligaments in my knee have flared up, but she doesn't know why. I told her I could live with pain, I was mostly concerned about the alignment of the knee, the feeling that the weight is coming down too far to the inside, and the possibility of doing damage. And I mentioned the chiropractor re-aligning the knee when I saw him last Tuesday.
Oh, she didn't like that at all. According to the doctor, there is nothing in a knee to be aligned. Evidentally it's not really a joint and I just never knew it. She said your kneecap is either in the right place or it's not, and if it's not, you know it. Just one catch: I have had surgery on my other knee as a result of the fact that I did once put the kneecap out slightly, did not know it, and crunched cartilidge. I was left staring at the woman, dumbfounded, thinking, "Lady, you have no idea where my pain threshold is."
So I did what I always have to do with Type 2 doctors: grab the horns and try to steer. As a result, we are agreed that all the ligaments have flared up and are concerned by the fact that we don't know why. I am wearing a compression bandage to provide some extra support and help combat that "loose" feeling. And I will have a physical therapy evaluation tomorrow. The doctor feels that the physical therapist, having more time to spend with me as an individual patient, can do a full range of motion and manipulation evaluation, and may see if something else is going on.
What a horribly frustrating experience. And yes, I am still seeing the chiropractor tomorrow. And no, I won't tell him he can't touch my knee. Because from the chiropractor, I get a sense that he knows what he's doing.
posted by Journey | 12:23 PM
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