[Nairek]

Hello everyone,

It has probably been a good 8 months since I have posted here. I got myself involved with a community action group which has taken up a great deal of my time.

So what's new with me? I finally received my Associates Degree woohoo! I'm working 2 part time jobs, keep myself busy with a community action group, & I'm steadily headed down the tubes with my back (thanks to being forced to take a gym class in order to graduate).

I had been seeing an OS in Westchester, NY who I really felt comfortable with for 5 years. He was the only Dr. that I had seen who actually believed that I had a problem with my back. We tried unsuccessfully to get BC/BS to pay for ADR surgery. Fast forward to a few years later, still seeing the same Dr., new insurance plan. I had hoped to get the ball rolling to see if I could get the new insurance to pay for the ADR surgery. However, I have hit a brick wall with his office staff who refuses to submit the paperwork. She seems to have "psychic powers" & knows I won't get approved. Since I can't get anywhere with my Dr. or his staff, I made the difficult decision to go elsewhere.

Fast forward to last week. I went to see a very competent ADR Dr. in NYC. I took a 1 1/2 hour train ride down & then the subway out to his office. I then spent about 2 1/2 hours in his office. His office staff was wonderful. The Dr. however only spent, no joke, between 5 to 10 minutes speaking to me. The rest of my time there was filling out paperwork, the exam by his PA, him looking at numerous films I brought with me, & me waiting.

So the discussion was that my last MRI doesn't really show much which is true. My MRI's have always been like that. But the CT scans that I had after 2 discograms show that L5-S1 is kablewy. I guess that didn't matter to him. He suggested an ESI for the sacro-iliac joint. He didn't tell me why (I already know from copies of my medical records). So if the injection doesn't work, then it's another discogram & we take it from there.

And here's the kicker, he wants me to see his Dr's as he trusts them. They are also in NYC.

So now I'm struggling to figure out what do I tell my 2 employers when I have to keep taking days off. I'll be on trains for 3 1/2 hours for each visit. VERY EXPENSIVE & time consuming yet, if he's right, & it is just sacroiliitis, if the ESI helps, then maybe I can avoid ADR surgery.

I guess if there is a moral to this story, it would be that even the best Dr.'s don't spend quality time with their patients.

So now I have to make a decision as to what I need to do. I'm just so flustered about the whole situation. I have to say, I really hate Dr.'s ; )

So enough of my whining. I hope to hit the boards a bit more often than I have in the past. Glad to see that there are still some familiar "faces" on the boards here & I'm glad to be back!