If it ain't broke...
Apr. 27th, 2015 06:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
captainsblogOK, not quite. The bone in my right foot IS broken. Just not as badly as was first prognosticated.
We'll get there. With pictures, even. First, the getting to the "get there," which is fun as always.
My referral from yesterday was to an outfit called UB Med Ortho Care, which is apparently a practice affiliated with my local alma's medical school. The doc-in-a-box dude urged me (see what I did there?) to call them first thing. Turns out, though, I didn't have to: they have their own ortho-in-a-box subpractice in the same building around the corner from MASH, and they were open Sunday. Would've saved a little cash and a lot of worry if I'd known that.
The urgent PA diagnosed it as a Jones fracture, which, as I said yesterday, is in a very tricky place on the fifth metatarsal (below the little toe) bone. He was concerned enough to put it in a boot (I thought), order me onto crutches, and refer me to the orthopod, stat. These predictions cost me a good amount of sleep last night as I was picturing falls from the crutches and AWOL time for surgery and PT.
I did call first thing, and got booked for 12:30 in their weekend-open annex, which apparently handles the last-minute appointments during the week. They said to come early for paperwork, so I presented at 12:10 with the Holy Trinity of Healthcare, US-style: insurance card, photo ID, health savings debit card. I was asked for my birthdate at least twice, plus turned over my license to them. (It's in November; you could look it up.) They grabbed the CD of my Sunday x-rays from me, took my picture for their file (healthcare impersonation is a Thing here), futzed with the computer, and Intake Lady then said, "$1,218.57?"
Holy deductible! I know I'm responsible for the first two grand all year, but how did they get to THAT?!?
They didn't. Somehow they had aged me almost two years and were trying to confirm my 12/18/57 birthday. More paperwork, more SMILE! for the file photo, and finally a pile of documents to fill out while waiting.
----
Which, after all that, wasn't bad- timewise or diagnosiswise.
I got a PA again- very nice, and with one view of the x-rays confirmed that, yes, there was a break, but no, it wasn't a bad break. This is me and my fracture:
And this is what a Jones fracture looks like:
Sorry, just HAD to get a "Doctor Jones" crack in. No, THIS is the real thing I don't got:
See the break, how far it's down? THAT's what gets you pins and pain.
Instead, mine got the boot.
----
A real one- not a velcro'd Birkenstock like yesterday. This thing looks like a hockey skate sans the skate, will provide much more stability, and for two fitty of payment to the durable medical provider had better not get eaten by the dog. I can still wear the other one in less stressed places where I'm not walking or am driving, and I can even fiddle with both of them to get back to upper body exercise and some non-impact forms of cardio- bikes and ellipticals, mainly, the latter being what I usually use anyway. No stairmasters or step-ups, duh, and NO MORE FUCKING TREADMILLSON SHABBOS.
I'm to call back in a couple of weeks to see how the heal is. I should also have most of the EOB's by then, which will tell me just how much all this stupid has cost.
We'll get there. With pictures, even. First, the getting to the "get there," which is fun as always.
My referral from yesterday was to an outfit called UB Med Ortho Care, which is apparently a practice affiliated with my local alma's medical school. The doc-in-a-box dude urged me (see what I did there?) to call them first thing. Turns out, though, I didn't have to: they have their own ortho-in-a-box subpractice in the same building around the corner from MASH, and they were open Sunday. Would've saved a little cash and a lot of worry if I'd known that.
The urgent PA diagnosed it as a Jones fracture, which, as I said yesterday, is in a very tricky place on the fifth metatarsal (below the little toe) bone. He was concerned enough to put it in a boot (I thought), order me onto crutches, and refer me to the orthopod, stat. These predictions cost me a good amount of sleep last night as I was picturing falls from the crutches and AWOL time for surgery and PT.
I did call first thing, and got booked for 12:30 in their weekend-open annex, which apparently handles the last-minute appointments during the week. They said to come early for paperwork, so I presented at 12:10 with the Holy Trinity of Healthcare, US-style: insurance card, photo ID, health savings debit card. I was asked for my birthdate at least twice, plus turned over my license to them. (It's in November; you could look it up.) They grabbed the CD of my Sunday x-rays from me, took my picture for their file (healthcare impersonation is a Thing here), futzed with the computer, and Intake Lady then said, "$1,218.57?"
Holy deductible! I know I'm responsible for the first two grand all year, but how did they get to THAT?!?
They didn't. Somehow they had aged me almost two years and were trying to confirm my 12/18/57 birthday. More paperwork, more SMILE! for the file photo, and finally a pile of documents to fill out while waiting.
----
Which, after all that, wasn't bad- timewise or diagnosiswise.
I got a PA again- very nice, and with one view of the x-rays confirmed that, yes, there was a break, but no, it wasn't a bad break. This is me and my fracture:
And this is what a Jones fracture looks like:
Sorry, just HAD to get a "Doctor Jones" crack in. No, THIS is the real thing I don't got:
See the break, how far it's down? THAT's what gets you pins and pain.
Instead, mine got the boot.
----
A real one- not a velcro'd Birkenstock like yesterday. This thing looks like a hockey skate sans the skate, will provide much more stability, and for two fitty of payment to the durable medical provider had better not get eaten by the dog. I can still wear the other one in less stressed places where I'm not walking or am driving, and I can even fiddle with both of them to get back to upper body exercise and some non-impact forms of cardio- bikes and ellipticals, mainly, the latter being what I usually use anyway. No stairmasters or step-ups, duh, and NO MORE FUCKING TREADMILLS
I'm to call back in a couple of weeks to see how the heal is. I should also have most of the EOB's by then, which will tell me just how much all this stupid has cost.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2015-04-28 02:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 01:58 pm (UTC)Recumbent bike- oddly, the most stress despite the movement coming from further up, mainly because the boot doesn't fit under the strap.
Different than usual ellpitical- not bad, but it's more of an up-down motion than I'm used to and the pedals are wider.
My usual elliptical- seemed to be the best.
Treadmills- aw HELL NO.
no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 04:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-28 11:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 01:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-28 06:08 pm (UTC)Glad you (eventually & expensively) got taken care of. That sort of thing is why I'm happy to be practicing here. Maybe long waits, but at least the first step in treatment isn't a wallet biopsy.
no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 02:03 pm (UTC)Bullshit. Price charts are proprietary and as closely guarded as nuclear codes. (Wait-probably better guarded.) So I get "not a copay but something close" charges paid up front,and everything else, from radiology to DME, is a big ???? until the EOB comes.
no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 01:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 02:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 02:05 pm (UTC)http://captainsblog.livejournal.com/1339653.html#cutid1
no subject
Date: 2015-04-29 02:27 pm (UTC)