Wednesday, October 31, 2012

ProPatient Rides Again!

I am in ProPatient mode again! So we will have a lot to talk about. I find myself, more than anything else, going to see labcoats when I go out. I have the patient versus consumer philosophical discussion fairly often both out loud and in my head. I am sharing personal information with strangers a lot, and you know how much I enjoy that sort of thing.

I have a lot in my head about medical information: how it is shared, used, what direct input I have as a patient, all that sort of thing. I think that this is a terribly important thing tha we almost never discuss, and I want to be a part of fixing that problem.

I am going to have open carpal tunnel surgery here soon. I am in PT for my back, which is a necessary step to get the insurance to do something for my bulging disks, but we are getting a lot of other work done. One rheumatologist has confirmed lupus, another calls fibromyalgia, my GP and I think that, sadly, they are both correct. I am cutting down on caffeine and cigarettes. Or trying to, anyway. 

Since the carpal tunnel surgery is coming up first, it is what I am preparing for the most. I am beyond aprehensive about losing the use of my dominant hand for a while. And hey, if you know of any low cost or free speech to text software, I would greatly appreciate knowing about it! Please share it below.

This has triggerd a long delayed house reorganization. The basement is undergoing the worst of it, because it had become a place to simply store things, and the ablity to work there was lost in piles of stuff. The same was true for my desk: it was buried in all kinds of paperwork not deemed an emergency at the time.

Of course, politics have been formost in my mind as I go through all of this, and the discussions of entitlements and the Affordable Care Act have emphasized the truth: politics are real life! And we need to talk about them. Here, politics are life and death and quality of life.

4 comments:

  1. Fibro... ugh. It seems to go along with a lot of things. It came along with my RA, too. Stupid freeloading disease. I will send you positive thoughts for your surgery. <3

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    1. Agreed - when I started learning about fibro is seemed like it could show up anywhere! What the everloving hell?

      Thank you! =)

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  2. I have begun to feel the beginning of carpal tunnel myself. How do you write every day? I try to stretch & relax my hand and arm but on days that I do lots of writing or research it's unbearable!

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    1. I use a trackball and that helps lots. Lately I rely a lot on my wrist braces and taking breaks. When it is really bad I will ice it. =( Right now, I will write two or three small pieces when my wrists are okay or at least useable, and then save them to post on days where writing is just physically too difficult.

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