Living Life In A Wheelchair

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Booking An Appointment With My Family Doctor
[ Monday February 27th 2017 at 9:32 am ]

I've just been on the phone with my family doctor's office and the para transit service that drives me to my medical appointments. I was hoping to get in to my family doctor at the end of this week because of the increase in pain. My family doctor is away from the office on Wednesday and all next week. With my condition being chronic I am not urgently needing him.

Instead I've booked an appointment on March 20th 2017 for the results of the ultrasound of my right knee joint. I am suspicious of a tear in my right knee joint. If there is one my family doctors administrative assistant will arrange a phone call to discuss this before my family doctor leaves the office on Friday.

Overall I've found it much easier to discuss pain control in person. I can point to where it hurts. My family doctor is able to perform a physical examine. You can see in my face the effect the pain is having on me. The appointment on March 20th 2017 won't be wasted. We need to discuss the next step in my treatment. When I take the steps needed to transfer between my wheelchair / toilet / shower / bed / lift chair I am walking like a penguin. The pain in my right knee joint is now immediate. The pain goes out of control when I bend and straighten my right knee joint.

Given my family doctor's availability I asked his administrative assistant to let him know of my continued use of the higher morphine dose as I talked about in the letter I faxed him on February 18th 2017. I have no problem being accountable for my use of the prescription pain medication. Being in chronic pain involves an ongoing transparent dialogue. I don't want to violate the trust my family doctor has placed in me.