Medical Problems - suggestions appreciated

[Cudedog]

Good morning and happy new year
No rabbits for me.
North Scottsdale had snow yesterday up by the McDowell mountains, unusual but not impossible. I had rain but we stayed warm.
Spent 3 hours on the phone with insurance yesterday getting switched over to a new Dr. Fired the old one for not addressing the cause and just treating symptoms. Spent quite a long day in ER a few days ago doing tests that should have been ordered along time ago to sort out the chest pains. There's more to come but I have more confidence in the new Dr as getting to the issue and cause.
My thoughts have turned to concentrating on getting the move done and my needs for setting up the fifthwheel into fulltime living once again. Will need a circular saw to build a new deck/porch and skirting. (skirting is required) Will see if tractor supply is open today, they have a nice little one that is affordable. Need to pick up a new 30amp plug and cut off the old damaged one. Have looked at and priced out the portable kennel fence for the dogs, no decision there but leaning to getting two of those panel setups as I could load those up on the back of the motorhome for my travels.
It honestly feels good to direct my thoughts to reality and know what I'm doing.
I see blue sky out the window and the gray clouds are moving away. It will be good to get some fresh air and sunshine today. Y'all have a great day, be safe.

Sorry to hear about your ongoing medical problems.

Anne

[OregonLuvr]

I dont know that seniors get lesser care. I do think you have to find the right physician that does care. We really are a geriatric society and our general physician pool is shrinking and the boomers are growing. All the physicians I have had to see around here are pretty good. My ortho doc was younger but very thorough and I was treated just fine.

I have not had a primary care physician for probably 30 years. I always just used one of the docs or midwives I was working with at the time. Last year I stumbled upon one that I liked pretty much since retiring figured I needed one. I went to Urgent care for a kidney problem and she was the doc on duty. Then later I found out she was in practice and taking new patients along with working shifts at Urgent Care. She is fairly young. My appt was just to get established. Well she wanted me to have a Hep C panel (which I had quite a while ago but working in a high risk area seemed prudent), a Bone density test (my last one was normal and even if it wasnt not going to take meds for it) and a lipid panel. Okay so my cholesterol was in the high range. My visit in December she wanted to repeat it and I refused at this time. I have low BP, no heart disease or history in my family. So I am really low risk. I am scheduled again in June for another lipid panel and not sure why I am doing it because I am not taking the statins. I have RA and my rheumy said can cause pretty bad muscle and joint pain in RA patients. I must say I love my Rheumy. He says I am doing so well he cut my dose in half last year so now I go in once every 6 months. (he is not following protocol LOL but I agree with him that less is fine if I am doing well). People come from all over to this clinic (ie: K Falls, the coast, Roseburg) as there are not that many around and they are mostly older people they treat.

You might want to get an appt for a Rheumatologist as there are many forms of autoimmune that might be causing your discomfort. Or it could be something simpler. Have they done an MRI or anything like that? For siatica, pinched nerve, spinal issues? The main thing is you need to find a physician that is willing to explore, listen and is interested in your problem.

[MandysMom]

I concur with Karen!
Velda

[Colliemom]

Anne, I want to chime in a bit here. I was having some issues with my knees last summer and fall. Achy when I walked to point where I wondered if I could keep going some days. But once winter dame, it seemed to disappear for a bit for some reason. Long story short, I have had issues ocassionally where my knees would slip out of place, make a wrong move, or sometimes who knows why, so off to my chiropractor who would get it back in place. Earlier this spring when I was having one done and they gave me a knee massage with some pain relieving cream, the gal who was doing it, asked if it hurt when She rubbed on it and I said no, but asked why she asked and she said it felt a little “ grainy” in there. Said might be a little arthritis. Suggested I take Glucosamaine. So I did and continue to. Have to tell you, that I have not had any aches, pains or what not since. Am walking 2-3 miles a day on average with no issues at all. No doctors to deal with, no prescription meds etc.

I know a lot of people don’t trust. Chiropractors, but if they can find one that does the activator method as it’s called, a little tool they use rather than the hand manipulation, it’s great. I never realized till I finally went to one on advice of a neighbor, for a slipped disc that affected my shoulder, just how much the body is affected by one little misalignment of something. The spine,a disc, a pinched nerve. Every square inch of our bodies are controlled by those lumbar regions all the way down our spine. Eyes, ears, arms, legs, nerves, blood vessels, sinuses, organs, etc., you name it. Chiropractors are more concerned with your overall health than most medical doctors are I think. Mine is my first go to buy for physical issues and if it’s something she can’t “fix” she will tell me. It’s kept me away from hassling with the medical doctors and I feel great. I go every 6 weeks for maintenance as it’s called, a checkup to see if anything needs to be adjusted. Don’t have to, just do it cause I want to and it is keeping me limber. When I went to my doc for that shoulder pain, he had X-ray done, said it was ruptured disc, gave me some pain medsvtobrelieve inflammation and said it will probably ease back in over time wasvtelling this to neighbor who told me about her chiropractor, so thought I would try her. She took one look at the x-ray, told office gal to schedule me in ASAP (I was new patient) and went to work on it the next day. Took a month of 3 times a week, gradually down to two, plus a bit of ne k traction and massaging, but she got it taken care of. Said no way would it have gone back in on it’s own. That’s when my faith in chiropractic started and I’ve been with it for over 15 years now.

I’m not saying it’s a cure all, but it helps. Especially in the arthritis department.

[avalen]

I don't feel I was treated any different for being a senior. But the issue started when I got back from my trip to Vancouver and go to get my checkup find out my doctor that I had for 17 years sold his practice and retired.Then the. new place was a conglomerate of sorts and the Dr I would see had to listed on my insurance card. Ok, get that fixed, (time consuming) see the Dr, then then another call in for an appt months later, my Dr wasn't doing office appt any longer, he was doing home visits of some sort and I would have to see somebody else. So, get another card with the Dr name and start over. Then I get the high blood pressure and go in to get that and at my appt time my Dr called in sick so they had a different Dr take care of that and the followup. But then I call for another appt and I have to change my card AGAIN because I have to see someone else. I told them forget it, I was going elsewhere. Called my insurance and got a new doctor in private practice. However that process took a few hours calling back and forth to the Dr office and ins making sure all the connections were done properly. My appt is on the 11th to address the issues of why the blood pressure is high. In the meantime I could not take my nsaids for my arthritis because of the BP meds, it specifically said no nsaids.So that sent my arthritis in a big flairup and the chest pains sent me to ER. At least in ER I was seen by a cardiologist and they did a proper workup. a work in progress still but I feel the crazy office
management procedures were really ludicrous in that other company. Sometimes ER is the only option and it only cost me $80