Change of Plans

Well, things have changed a bit the past couple days in terms of my plan of attack on my fracture. As I mentioned in my last post, I was scheduled to see the doc for new x-rays next Friday, the 30th, and I was working on a possible second opinion appointment for the Monday or Tuesday after that. However, I got a call yesterday about something I had almost forgotten about, the bone stimulator the doc recommended I get when he last saw me three weeks ago. I figured I would have it within a few days, so after hearing nothing for over two weeks, I had basically forgotten about it. Apparently it took a while to get insurance approval.

In any event, I went back to the doc today at lunch and picked it up. It’s relatively simple to use and is pictured below. I’m supposed to wear it three hours per day, every day, until I’m healed. I was told that it’s best to wear it three hours straight, but I can break the treatment up if needed. I like to chill on the couch as much as the next guy, but three hours at a time is gonna be a lot. Maybe I can just do it while sitting at my desk at work – ha, ha. Actually I just might do that!

Anyway, the research I’ve read indicates these things are pretty effective in healing fractures. In fact, one study showed an 88% success rate in the type of fracture I have, and the model they gave me comes with a money back guarantee if it doesn’t speed healing (good luck collecting that, though). Also, while I was at the doc’s office, there was a lady there who overheard that I was waiting to get a bone stimulator. She said her father had fractured his femur and it wouldn’t heal and they gave him one and it worked miracles. I hope I have a similar success story. I already feel like I’m getting close, so maybe this will put it over the top.

Finally, no appointment for new x-rays next Friday now. I delayed it until the following Friday, August 6, to give the bone stimulator a couple weeks to work before getting new images. Right now I’m still thinking I’ll go ahead and schedule a second opinion shortly after that just in case. The goal is to not have to see anyone else, but if I continue to get the feeling that my current doc is being overly conservative or does a complete 180 all of a sudden and wants to do surgery, I want to be able to get another viewpoint quickly.

Oh, one more note. As my luck would have it, I believe I have developed another case of pleurisy. I had it about 5 years ago and was told then it tended to recur. I had a bad cold three weeks ago that I just couldn’t get rid of and had me coughing my lungs up. The pain in my rib cage started then and I thought maybe I just strained a muscle from coughing so much. It got better for a while, only to come back with a vengeance yesterday even though the cold is long gone. For those who don’t know, pleurisy is not a 17th century plague. While one of the main causes is a respiratory infection, it’s not even contagious. It’s basically inflammation of the lining between your lungs and rib cage, which means every time you breathe it hurts like heck. To make matters worse, the standard treatment is simply anti-inflammatories, which of course have been shown to delay the healing of bones. I really can’t seem to catch a break!