It feels good to be cared for properly!

Dr. S redeemed himself today. He came into OR with the positive attitude I had needed on Monday. While a little late, it still made a big difference in my heart. He said that he heard that I was upset Monday afternoon and made the comment "Well, she's coming in on Wednesday." The scheduler *I* talked to, said "No, there were no openings. She is scheduled for next week". At that point he realized that the scheduler *he* talked to didn't communicate his request to over book today putting me in at 8am. I thanked him several times over the next 45 min for doing this. I told him that was only part of why I was upset. He looked surprised and asked what else had me upset. I told him that he didn't finish addressing my questions. He looked mortified and asked in a very genuine tone, what were my other questions. So as he preped his needles and stuff and poked me, we talked about the rest of my issues (which I'll go into more detail about below). So, we start the procedure. He asked me to point to where the pain was the strongest. Since my nerve was acting up good this morning, I was able to show him exactly where. He was quite surprised as I apparently pointed right at the nerve. Later investigation in the bathroom shows that the puncture wound from today is 1/2 cm from my left laparoscopy incision. So, he begins the stimulation and pulsating of the nerve. He did this in three spots to make sure that he got it all. I guess K could hear me hollering from the pre-op area right outside the door. So I think that we hit a bull's eye today. :o) The pain isn't sharp, more dull, but very intense when he stims the nerve. You can't help but make sure he knows he got the spot (and you *want* him to find it). He said that as he deaden the nerve he could see in my face that it was getting better. After I indicate that he has the spot, I grit my teeth and grimace. Dr. S gave me a nerve block as well to give me some good relief for a few days. When he does this, it's much more sharper and I hollered pretty good on that one. He paused and asked if he wanted him to stop. I said "No!! If it takes the pain away, go for it!". I think that he truly understood how desparate I really am to get rid of this pain. I think he finally understands that I'm not the type of patient you can treat and send away. I need to be able to come back and re-evaluate the situation and make sure that it is resolved. So he asked me if I wanted to do a two-week follow-up to see where things were. I said yes and it was scheduled before I left the facility. While Dr. S spends 20-30 minutes poking your nerves and pulsating them, there's lots of time chat. I brought up getting sick and not being able to take pain meds. At first he didn't seem to understand that this was a real concern for me. When he did realize that I really was concerned he did admit that we could do the durgesic patch (joy of all joys! NOT!) or apparently they have pain meds that can be delivered rectally. Certainly not the most wonderful option, but hey, at least it's an option. He did say that IV pain meds couldn't be delivered as out patient. I told him that I certainly understand that and explained exactly *why* I didn't bother to go to ER for pain relief (though I was starting to get desparate enough by day 4). I was satisfied that if I was sick enough (and now that his office an Rx meds for me), there *was* something that could be done. I just hope I don't have to test the process any time (and preferably *not* at all). I think he's finally starting to understand that I truly am paranoid at being under treated for pain. We talked about Patient Assisted Laparoscopy (pain mapping). He was very intrigued by this concept. He did share the pros and cons of poking around in the pelvic region, but thought this was certainly interesting. I gave him the article that I had regarding this subject that addressed the nerve his had been poking. We talked about where I could find his article so that my Endo Buddies could bring this to their dr.'s. He said there are plenty of articles in the Pain Journal regarding "ilioinguinal nerve injury" post-hernial repair. He said that laparoscopy is being added to the list of procedures that damages that nerve. He said that pumping the abdomen with CO2 can damage the nerve. (Too bad Laparosopies are the gold standard for treating Endo). He said that adhesions are known to cause damage and he personally believes that Endo can certainly be added as well. We talked about nerve branches and that my procedure today was dealing with another nerve branch. I told him about my experience with dentists not fully numbing my molars before working on them and my issues with that. I told him when I moved to Anchorage, my new dentist was appalled that I had endured that b/c he said they should have known to give me the shot higher in my jaw. Apparently, some ppl's nerve branch is higher and all dentists should know what to do. I told Dr. S that my dentist was so good with a needle that I even allowed him to give me the shot without local anesthetic. Dr. S shared that he isn't fond of dentists and was interested in knowing how mine was. I was happy to share the info. LOL!! Nothing like giving your dr. a referral to another dr. I told him that I had been dealing with this left side pain for 3 years. He said that I should have come to see him sooner. I told him I would have if it hadn't presented itself to be indicative of Endo on the bowel. He said that most of the time these issues are so complex, that it isn't just one thing, so he usually does see patients after their dr.'s have done everything else. I told him it was livable until three months ago when it escalated to such intense pain I couldn't function. He said that is common in long term nerve damage and that it was unfortunate that several things escalated at the same time. He is still confident that I would have needed the hysterectomy. My description of the pain tells him that I had more issues going on then just the nerve damage. He agreed that Endo is a very nasty disease to deal with and that Dr. C has done a good job in caring for me. I felt heard today. I felt that I got excellent care. I felt that my dr. extended compassion. All things that I look for in a good dr. I'm willing to let Monday go and chalk it up to a bad day for the both of us and move on. I think we both have a better understanding. Now to see what the next 7-10 days brings. With the nerve as symptomatic as it was today, we are hopeful that we've *finally* reached the part of the journey that is pain-free.