Mayo-praise

Due in part to a major medical issue from 15+ years ago, I occasionally go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota for diagnostic testing and check-ups.  It started out as a kind of second opinion on treatment I'd already received, to help determine if there was a different / better course going forward.  I got comfortable with doctor(s) I saw there, and it morphed into semi-annual, then annual, and now once every 3-5 years deal at my discretion.

I made my latest Mayo visit this week.  It's about a 3 hour, one-way trip, and although I've done the entire visit in a day, I usually add a one-night hotel stay.  When I go now, I'm contemplative about the prior visits, and why I still go there.

The bottom line is, Mayo is different than other health care providers.  In dozens of testing appointments over the years, I've rarely had to wait.  The staff has always been 'Minnesota Nice' in those times.  Perhaps best of all, the diagnostic testing reports are done immediately, so I can visit the doctor, often in the same building, within a couple of hours to hear the outcome.

Factor in that the Mayo Clinic doctors are salaried staff.  They don't get paid more for seeing more patients, or for ordering more tests.  It's a very patient-friendly model, and from that perspective, it's almost infuriating that health care organizations aren't all mandated to operate in that same way.

However, it isn't the most financially-friendly model.  It's definitely more expensive, for both the testing and the doctor visits.  So, if you don't have insurance coverage, there may be a question of value, something that can't be overlooked.

Fortunately, I have insurance.  I also have a desire to  go to a place where I'll know about any medical breakthroughs related to my condition / treatment, if and when that happens.  I still feel the trip to the Mayo Clinic is worth the extra time and cost.

You Have A Tumor

In July of 2000, after a few months searching for answers about chronic fatigue and stiffness in my legs, I got a call from my family physician.  It was obvious this was no ordinary call; it was Sunday morning around 9 A.M.

After a quick exchange of pleasantries, I will always remembers her next words:  "You have a tumor."  I will never remember much about the rest of the call, beyond being told to go to the hospital later to visit with a neurosurgeon she recommended to me.

In short, I had surgery a few days later to remove a spinal tumor.  Although the pathology was not confirmed for a couple of weeks, it was later determined to be a benign ependymoma.

Today, July 14, 2015, marks the 15th anniversary of that surgery, the only in-patient surgery I've ever had so far, and hopefully the only one I'll ever have.  Several weeks later, it was followed by a six-week course of preventative radiation therapy, which I know I'll never have again.

I don't want to write much about it, I don't even want to talk much about it, but it's a good time for me to look back and consider the lasting impressions I have now:

• There is no not being scared when you are told you have a tumor.  It doesn't help for others to tell you it's going to be fine.  However, one thing that does somewhat mitigate the fear is drugs, in my case Xanax, which has a way of making you not care about things even though you know they are very serious.  This remains the only time I've ever taken something like Xanax, but I can understand how and why people get addicted to it.

• The internet is an incredibly distracting, mentally exhausting resource for looking up health issues.  It's 50/50 to me whether it was (is) a good thing or a bad thing.  But what might help is to find someone else who's been through what you're going to go through.  I wish I would have known someone else in my situation, someone who might have given credible advice.  Unfortunately, it was kind of a rare deal, so much that the internet didn't even help.

• When someone is going through a recovery and/or long-term oncology-type treatment, send them a card sometime.  Misery loves company, even when the company isn't as miserable as you.  It's just good to know that others haven't forgotten about what not only you, but also your family, are going through.

• Don't act in such a hurried or fearful way that you make non-emergency medical decisions without getting a second opinion.  I didn't, and although I feel like I had a good surgeon and a good outcome, in retrospect, I'd have gotten a second opinion on both the surgery and especially on the preventative radiation therapy.

• There wasn't anything good about this tumor/surgery/treatment, but if I had to pick something, it's that I no longer care about aging.  In fact, I've considered every birthday in the past 15 years to be a gift.  Health is a gift.  Age is a gift.  Too bad I had to spend a few weeks thinking about dying young before I figured that out.

Which Doctor / Witch Doctor, Part II

My last entry covered my frustration with traditional physicians and their lack of treatment on my sore shoulder.  At the end, I declared my intention of turning to alternative medicine next, if necessary.

Unfortunately, I don't see going 'all-in' on the alternative medicine stuff.  That isn't because I question the therapeutic benefits -- I accept that there are scientifically understandable aspects to things like chiropractic care, acupuncture, even natural foods/oils,

The problem is, so many of the practitioners of alternative medicine, ARE all-in.  When I see and hear them rejecting any benefits of modern medicine, they and their beliefs lose credibility.

I think the best example of this is treatment for the flu.  So many people are affected by it each winter (with this winter being one of the worst), you'd think everyone would get on board with the idea of a getting a flu shot.  The science is clear -- introduce the dead virus to the body, essentially training it to attack the virus strain.

However, the alternative medicine folks want you to believe the flu can effectively be avoided, or its impact lessened, by going to the chiropractor or inhaling/ingesting/applying some natural element.  They feel the body is already able to counteract any viral or bacterial attack as long as it's in optimum working order.  And why introduce something unnatural into the body.

That's mostly crazy-talk.  Our bodies are exposed to so many non-natural (chemical) elements these days, it doesn't follow that the body should be expected to manage it on its own, without some non-natural (chemical) elements like over-the-counter or prescription drugs.  [Aside: Maybe here we can at least agree that natural but currently illegal elements like cannabis / marijuana would be helpful?]

Here's another way I've framed it for my hard-core alternative medicine friends;  Why is it that I'm willing to compromise and accept alternative medicine as part of a holistic health program, but they are so adamantly opposed to any type of modern medicines?  Is it because it makes sense, or is it because others who've convinced them to believe in it so much will also profit from that belief (e.g. chiropractors, natural element sellers, etc.)

And finally -- how come I never hear the alternative medicine folks talking about the role of exercise in health?  You'd think this would be right down their alley, I mean, what could be a better way to naturally keep the body in top form?  I think the answer is the same as it is for everyone else -- it's easier to inhaling/ingest/apply something to the body than it is to spend 30 minutes sweating. Ergo, alternative medicine.

In conclusion, both modern and alternative medicine practitioners (and exercise!) play a role in good health.  Also, both modern and alternative medicine practitioners are trying to gain financially from what they say/do, so it's probably a good idea not to believe everything they say/do.

Which Doctor / Witch Doctor

This is a story of how traditional doctors failed me.  It's also a story about why people turn to those who practice alternative medicine, to a fault.

Last November, I made an office visit to my family physician for chronic 'minor' shoulder pain I'd had for a few months.  After an exam and x-ray, I was essentially diagnosed with tendinitis/bursitis and given stretching exercises to do.

Over the course of the next few weeks the pain was reduced by approximately 50%, but I made another office visit in late December, because I didn't want to wait again as long for the rest of the shoulder discomfort to go away.  I asked about getting a cortisone shot (more on this later), and my doctor said that seemed reasonable, and scheduled an appointment for me with an orthopedist.

It all seems very reasonable so for, right?  Well, here’s where it starts to fall apart.

First, the orthopedist’s office called to take my new patient information over the phone, which I did in a five minute interview.  Great idea, right?  Then I won’t have to spend a bunch of time filling out those pesky forms at the office.

Unfortunately, when I got to the office, I was given a bunch of paperwork to complete.  When I told the reception staff that I’d already taken some time to provide that data over the phone, I was told that my particular doctor “prefers to have you fill out those forms.”  Thank you for wasting my time, medical office!  Maybe you should inform the person who called me?  Just an idea.

Next, the orthopedist’s nurse tells me they need another x-ray.  I asked to see the orthopedist to understand why, because that had already been done weeks ago, and was informed they “needed it from a different angle.”  Factor in by this time, it’s already been ½ hour since I entered this office (plus a five minute pre-visit phone interview), so I’m officially getting annoyed that no progress has been made, nor will any be made until I get another x-ray.

After the x-ray (again negative – surprise!) and exam, I get a diagnosis of ‘frozen shoulder’ and the orthopedist simply tells me to do more and different stretching exercises.  What about a cortisone shot?  I was told it might temporarily help, but that would be something to discuss if my shoulder wasn't better in about 30 days, when of course, I should come back.

So let me recap:  I've already invested the time and money for three doctor’s office visits and assorted paperwork over the course of about 8 weeks, and for that I've got nothing but a few exercises and a still-problem shoulder that may or may not get better inch-by-inch, plus I can look forward to coming back for another office visit to get more of nothing in another month!

What did I expect?  At the least, I expected some temporary relief via a cortisone shot.  If you think that’s a dumb idea because it only treats the symptoms, I'd say you were correct, and I’d also say screw you, because you haven’t been bothered by (and lost sleep from) a bum shoulder for almost six months.  Throw me a bone, for god's sake.  At least give me something for my money.

In the end, I’m pretty much where I was months ago, spending more time with a chronic dull pain in my shoulder, with no immediate relief in sight.  This is exactly what I was trying to avoid happening, by going to see a doctor.

At this point, I see no reason to go back to see a traditional doctor if my shoulder is still hurting; I've already done that three times, with almost nothing to show for it.  (Note: That won’t keep them from billing my insurance for several hundred dollars, or more, for their ‘work.’)

Can you imagine paying for any other service, on multiple occasions, and getting no satisfaction, but still be expected by the servicing entity to come back to them?  If I had a car problem, and went to two different mechanics on three different instances to get it fixed, and it still wasn't repaired, is it reasonable to keep going back to them?  That's a 'definition of insanity' alert.

If I feel I still need medical treatment, what medical provider do I want to see now?  It isn't a matter of which doctor, it's more a matter of a witch doctor, perhaps -- a practitioner of alternative medicine.  Maybe an acupuncturist, massage therapist, or even chiropractor.  Why not?  At least somebody would be actively trying something.....

Of course, there’s a downside to alternative care, too.  For more on that, check back another time for Part II of Which Doctor / Witch Doctor!