Appointment Tomorrow 15th March

rugbygirl

Hi all

I am off for my official diagnosis appointment tomorrow. Although I have been told what I have by the Pain Consultant I am not entirely sure what it actually means for me.

I would really appreciate some support in the morning. My appointment is at 9.50am.

It seems to have taken ages to get here before jumping out at me and surprising me. Off to bed now to watch some TV and then up early in the morning.

jilly

Good luck tomorrow I know how important it is getting the diagnoses , It took me 3 years . When you get it you can sort your head out and get on with the rest of your life , thinking of you tomorrow . ...............jilly

Poppyg1rl

Hi Jaki,
Thinking of you, hope it goes well and you get the right diagnosis and treatment.
Will be in your pocket tomorrow Poppy X

woodbon

Hi, Good luck for tomorrow. Hope all goes well for you.
Love Sue

suzygirl

Hope all goes well for you!!

barbara12

Hi Jaki
I will be in your pocket tomorrow ,and I am sending you lots of good vibes.
Hope it goes well for you,
Love
Barbara xx

magenta

Best of luck for tomorrow,
Magenta x

tjt6768

Best of luck for the morning. Count me in for pocket duties

tillytop

Really good luck tomorrow morning Jaki!

Will be thinking of you.

Love Tilly xxx

chris7

Hi Jaki

Just joining the queue for the best pocket. Hope you managed to get some sleep tonight without fretting too much and that it is a postive appointment tomorrow. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.
Let us know how it goes when you can.
best wishes
Chris

rugbygirl

Thanks everyone for all your kind messages. I'm already awake and really nervous about today. I'm glad that I am going to have lots of people on pocket duty this morning. I've got my list of questions and my oh is coming with me.

I will let you all know how things go as soon as I can x

tjt6768

best wishes Jaki, I'm off back to sleep for a bit so if I start snoring in your pocket get one of the others to give me a nudge..

Poppyg1rl

Good luck for today Jaki,
Thinking of you ((())) Poppy x

dreamdaisy

The very best of luck for today - try not to get your expectations too high, I hope they can shed some reasonably accurate light on what is going on with you and give you some help. Let us know how you get on, if you can. DD

julie47

Hi rugbygirl

I am here ready and waiting to jump in your pocket.

I hope the appoitment goes well and you get some answers.

Good luck
Juliepf x

caterina57

Hi Jaki
Ow, move over Tony and stop snoring! I am here in your pocket for you Jaki, not much room though, and there are loads of crumbs that must be Tony's JD's! On a serious note sending you hugs and good luck for your diagnosis!
Cath

tiggernut

Hi Jaki,
Bit late as you should be at your appointment now! Hope it went well.
Anita

elainebadknee

Hi Jaki

Im so sorry im late in wishing you luck this morning.....I hope you had a really good consultation and just to say Sol and me are rooting for you posting later with good news....

Elainex

rugbygirl wrote:

Hi all

I am off for my official diagnosis appointment tomorrow. Although I have been told what I have by the Pain Consultant I am not entirely sure what it actually means for me.

I would really appreciate some support in the morning. My appointment is at 9.50am.

It seems to have taken ages to get here before jumping out at me and surprising me. Off to bed now to watch some TV and then up early in the morning.

rugbygirl

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the support this morning. You really helped me get through it.

My diagnosis was strange. The consultant was poking and prodding me, asking me to touch my toes (like that was going to happen).

He asked me if I was being seen by the pain consultant and asked what I had been told by him. I said that I had been told that I had degenerative arthritis in the spine. He told me that there is some degerenation there, but with people of your age who are "normal" you expect to find some.

He was basically implying that there is nothing wrong with me and that I am not in pain. He seemed to be implying that because I am overweight I am not doing enough to help myself.

I feel like I have been overlooked and that I am wasting his time. His bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired and I dont feel as if I have had a response.

I just feel that it is another kick in the teeth and that no-one seems to understand that I am in as much pain as I am.

I am in turmoil. He didnt want to explain anything to me and was more interested in getting me out of there.

The only thing that is coming out of it is the fact that they have put me on the waiting list to have spinal injections done but that is going to take 4 months before I get a pre-examination done.

caterina57

Oh Jaki, That is really not good and I am sorry that you have had to go through this - some people are definately in the wrong Job! are you saying that he has not given you a diagnosis at all?
Cath

rugbygirl

He didnt disagree with the pain consultant but he didnt confirm it either. I dont know what he was doing to be honest.

Poppyg1rl

Outrageous Jaki, try to speak to the pain clinic and tell the
What's happened. This just isn't on.
So sorry and thinking of you hugs Poppy X

dreamdaisy

Whether some degree of degenerative arthrits (is it OA with you?) is to be expected or not is immaterial: you are in pain, struggling and need to know what is happening. It's true, however, that sometimes definitive answers are not to be found. Pain clinic people are not necessarily expert in the causes of pain per se although they do understand its management etc and if it was a rheumatologist you saw and he is thinking along OA lines then that is probably why he felt he couldn't help. At least you are on the list for injections: ring them up and say you will take any cancellations they may get for the assessment etc and you never know they may come thro a little faster.

I can understand your 'flat' feeling: I think most of us have had a similar experience. We invest a deal of hope in these appointments but to them we are just bodies on a long conveyor belt of patients - we lack individuality to them. Take some time out, absorb what has happened, then come back fighting - I reckon you are a girl of character and determination, you will beat this. DD

caterina57

Hear hear DD. We are all individulas and pain is pain. My Twister has never really understood my pain - but now she does - she is suffering terribly with her neck and shoulder and arm and headaches at the moment which has rendered her to bed!
I have warned her that it could be the cervical spondylosis I have, she has apologised to me saying that she thought I just wined all the time. Pain has to be experienced to be understood!

and as DD says doesn't really matter if its age related its pain non the less!

skezier

Hi Jaki,

It is a bit confusing cus he obviously does know something is wring else he wouldn't be sending you for the jabs......

I know in my 20's when they operated on me they told me some degeneration was normal in the sacral by then.

I had seen the # clinic ortho's for a year by then for the lumber. Had a load of tests initially but 6 months on they lost interest and well they also said a load of other stuff about being better and such like.....

Like you I thought ok so why can't I use my leg and why haven't I got any reflexes in either leg.... this idiot registrar told me it was a mental issue... so I got a private magnetic and guess what.... the spinal cord was bent to the shape of a dogs hind leg, had 3 disc's stuffed into it, had a fair bit of nerve rot damage and it was in danger of being snapped.....

So I kinda think see what the pain clinic say but then if you don't agree get a second opinion......

It might just be that the guy you saw has a very bad bedside manner? Some of the ortho's are bad and I know the one who did my back said he became an ortho surgeon cus his patients prefer to be seen by him asleep......

Its hard when you have someone like that. How soon before you see the pain clinic doc's? they are often more able to relate to people and maybe they can help. Don't let this one make you think its in your head though... i did for a while and it could have cost me so much. ((( ))) and hang in there flower. Cris x

rugbygirl

Thanks everyone. You dont realise what your comments mean. I thought I was just being a complainer because I didnt have the final answer that I expected. I guess I thought I would come out of there with an answer to everything and got my hopes up. Instead I came out with a feeling of emptiness. I thought it was going to be right - this is what you have and this is what we are going to do about it. I should have know better after reading everyone elses stories.

I am going to deal with this and get over the initial shock of the way I was treated today. I am going to face this head on and do the best to deal with it the way I can. I am going to be going swimming soon with my friend and try and get some sort of activity going.

I don't know when I am going to see the pain clinic again as I am waiting for them to contact me - I cant for the life of me now think why I had to wait for a letter but I am sure that once I get the letter I will remember why. I have had too much to think about since 21st February!!

I have a feeling I will be seeing the pain consultant about the end of April but cant be entirely sure.

I am also concerned that the DLA are going to write to them to find out how things affect me etc and are going to be told that I can cope when I obviously cant.

I cant stand to cook a meal for myself without being in agony but he doesnt know that because he hasnt asked any questions. I dont want my DLA to be stopped because he is incompetant

Sorry to have such a rant but I just feel angry.