NeuroTalk Support Groups - View Single Post

Always_Believe · 01-29-2016, 06:33 PM

Wow. Not sure what to say about this week.

New PT. Apparently, the last PT wanted me to do heel slides at home but I obviously did not catch that & it wasn't written down anywhere. She asked how I was doing and I proceeded to tell her my pain level was 6-7 on average prior to last week but was now averaging between an 8-9 with several periods of 10's. I was explaining how discouraged I was that I was in a greater level of pain after my first visit. She began to tell me that there were those heel slides that I was supposed to have been doing. I told her I wasn't sure how that was going to work if I was at a point of choosing between an OT exercise & going to the bathroom because they use the same number of spoons.. She said something to the effect of 'you need to stop talking and listen'. Fine. She had me to the arm bike. No resistance. Fine. She explained that exercise was to increase my cardio and give my nervous system somewhere else to focus. Ooookkkkaaayyyy. While doing the arm bike, she said she doesn't usually have patients purchase anything but that I should look into Amazon or something to purchase an arm bike. I explained that I am on disability and am having trouble getting insurance to cover my stomach medicine and can't afford anything. She said, well you can get one for like $15. Hello. Broke. Going to start randomly vomiting because I will have to pay for my stomach meds and cannot afford it. Once done with the bike, she has me doing heel slides....obvious struggle with the heel slides as my pain was pushing a 9. She has me only do a few (5?) of those and then wants me to do 10 quad sets, then onto my side for clam shells. WTF is wrong with her???? Middle of my clam shells, I'm toast and tears are streaming. She waits until I have done the amt she wanted me to do, then tells me to lay on my back and do some relaxation breathing. Right. I'm at a 10. She prints out 'homework' and leaves the gym. Apparently she went to get the psychologist since that was my next appt.

So psych comes in and introduces herself as she is subbing for the one I had last week. (I'm noticing an issue with consistency here). We head up to the 8th floor where her office is. She tells me PT told her I was wanting to quit the pain program. WHAT??? Seriously, there is something wrong with that PT. I told her 'No, I don't want to quit, I am struggling to find the positive when my pain has increased since starting last week.' She then goes into a lecture about the pain cycle and how it works. I told her I understood that but I am stuck on how exactly I am to think down a level 9-10. Instead of directly answering, she returns to the pain cycle. And more blah blah blah.

We had a lunch break at that time but I chose to stay in the waiting area on 8 due to pain...not wanting to walk back to the elevator, down to 2, then down the hall to the kitchen and back to the elevator, up to 8 and to the waiting area then the patient room for the pain doc.

Pain doc wanted me to take off my left sock. Once I did, he wanted me to take off the right so he could compare (oooo....progress!!!). We then went over the same issue I hd explained to PT and psych. Increased pain since last week. He decides to increase my amitriptyline and explains this is a process. Okay. I'll bite.

Back to 2nd floor for OT. I love her. She recognized 20 minutes in a shoe was too much, so we are cutting it back from 20 minutes 3x/day to 5 minutes 5x/day. She also explained that I can "mind modify" my exercises from PT if they are too much.

Done at 2. Back to moms at 3:30. Daughter picked me up at 3:45 and I was home by right around 5.

I will keep at it but I won't push myself to a 10 because they insist on these exercises. That's crazy talk!

On the personal note: all of my out of state children arrived by 2:30am and are now with their grandfather for the evening. He is home with hospice in place. Time is relative.