Okay. So. I'm mad.
For those of you who don't know, I've been in and out of hospital a lot lately. Something like 6 or 7 trips to the ER in a month. I think that's a new record. I should get a reward or something... "Congratulations, you're broken!" Anyway, I digress.
I have terrible shoulders. Actually, all my joints are pretty bad, really loose and fragile, but my shoulders are especially bad, due to the combination of high performance sports, biological mistakes and stupid accidents. I've lost count of the number of times I've had to go to hospital for my shoulder, but I know it's over 20. That doesn't count the number of times I haven't gone to the hospital.
That's not even what frustrates me. Nope.
What frustrates me is the fact that nothing is being done about it. The last few times I've gone into the ER, they haven't even tried to put it back in place because "it will just come back out anyways". The surgeon won't operate because "it's not a good match" and he "doesn't know what's wrong, why it keeps coming out". My GP won't give me a referral to get a custom made brace because "that's [your] specialists' job". My specialist/surgeon has a 2 month wait-list, so by the time I'm actually able to get the brace, I can expect another 10 or so hospital trips... Anyways, so then the job of 'fixing' me gets left to my physiotherapist. He has been totally great--but he can't really do anything. I've been in a fiber glass cast, taped up like Christmas present, massaged, put in traction... The list goes on. And it's not because he is doing something wrong, it's because my shoulder is so messed basically nothing helps. I was put in a cast and it STILL dislocated (while I was reaching for my bible, might I add...).
I'm a relatively healthy 17 year-old, and I just don't know what to do anymore. I've been told not to go into the ER unless a)I lose feeling in my arm, or b)it's been fully dislocated for over 6 hours. That just ain't cool. Sure, my pain tolerance is getting high, but 6 hours is a long time to wait. And it's just freaky not to be able to use your arm. I've experienced it way too much lately, thanks.
Then, what frustrates me even MORE is the fact that there is absolutely NO conversation at all between my medical team. Were I in the States (just using as an example...) my specialist, GP and physio would all be working together to form a plan for how best to fix this. Instead, I have to be the go-between, and they all just keep saying the same thing--"I can't do anything, so go see ____." Well, I shouldn't really say that. Andrew (my physio) has definitely been trying, like I said, but even he has been referring me to other people. He's just as frustrated as I am, because he doesn't understand the system either.
In May, back with this had only been a major issue for a few weeks (that's right, May!) I met a guy on the bus, wearing the same sort of sling-shoulder-immobilizer-contraption I was. He had been in a bar fight the night before, dislocated his shoulder, and had surgery that morning. Okay, so, maybe his was 'the right' type of dislocation for surgery, but maybe if I get in a bar fight, at least the doctors will consider treatment options?! I don't know.
Anyway... Wish me luck. I'm headed on a family vacation soon, and Andrew figures I'm going to be visiting the ER at least once... That won't be fun, I don't like new places...
Oh, and the reason I'm up so late? I tried going to sleep, got one of my nightmares, and rolled on my shoulder, slipping it completely out of joint again. What will come first, lack of feeling or the 6 hour mark? Only 5 and a half hours of agony left until the good drugs...
