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Originally Posted by IH8PN
Its a good walk from my car to her office so I brought crutches last time. I wonder what she thought of that.
Also I went in flip flops to my first neuro appointment in 50 degree weather and made it clear I couldn't tolerate shoes or socks.
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You're not alone. I've been taking notice of other peoples' footwear (or lack thereof) in public, and canes/crutches/sticks, and I
think I'm starting to be able to identify other PNers. If you regularly/semi-regularly bring crutches with you and wear flip-flops whenever you go out, I wouldn't worry about it. I've been wearing slippers and using a cane for a few years now. Once a doctor asked me if I needed the cane, and I told him, "Only if I don't want to fall down." End of discussion. No one has ever asked about the slippers, but one look at my edema-swollen feet should answer that.
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I've never asked for pain medication other than gabapentin. I'm not sure how long I can hold out with the pain before I start making suggestions.
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Rather than
making suggestions, some chronic pain wisdom is to
ask for suggestions on how to deal with pain, and/or as MrsD suggests, focus on symptoms and the effect they are having on your day-to-day life.
I've used some technical terms with my doctors, but I've always told them upfront that I'm very proactive, and they find out very quickly that I'm not their "average" patient. I find that doctors are more open to my ideas when I'm open to/willing to try their ideas/suggestions. I ask questions and their opinions, but I don't try to Dx or Rx. If something is/isn't working, I'm not shy about giving feedback.
Doc