I'm feeling much better. Feel sure I could be back at work now but need doctor's approval before I can do that or drive. Have a doctor's appointment next week where I expect to be cleared to go back to work. Problem is the doctor's office won't schedule me for the drivers test until the doctor sees me. So even though I expect to get approval next week for return to work I think it'll be at least a few days (or more) before they get me scheduled for the driver test.
Getting the driver's test scheduled is a frustration. I called the practice to see if they would go ahead and schedule it now for shortly after the appointment when, presumably, the doctor will request the test. Worse that could happen is the doctor decides I'm not ready and the test has to be canceled or rescheduled. They said no. They won't schedule the test until the doctor writes the order. I asked to speak with the doctor. I was told no, practice policy is you talk to the doctor when scheduled to see him! I asked to leave a message for the doctor. I was told no, practice policy is they don't take messages for the doctors!! I couldn't believe it!!!
That's one thing I found from this accident. Medical services ARE NOT set up to provide good customer service. Injury treatment may be good but customer service just doesn't exist.
As I said, I am feeling much better but still not 100%. There are still a few issues. My hands hurt at the end of the day. They're sore. Asked one of my doctors, an orthopedist, about that and he said I should wait until at least six months post accident to see if soreness abates. Also there are two small soft lumps on my right temple that haven't gone away. Am trying to find someone to diagnose what they are and if they're a problem. So far I've been given three opinions. They're air that hasn't been absorbed (it was an open head fracture and I did get air on the brain), they're fat that was displaced there by the accident or they're blood or lymph fluid that accumulated there from the accident. Regardless they're a little sore. My head is mostly okay but sometimes it hurts. (Who never got a headache?) When it hurts the pain isn't significant but it is distracting. When it happens it's transient and doesn't occur often so I'm not very concerned about it. Sometimes the top hurts with a sharp pain, sometimes the right front hurts with a dull pain and sometimes it feels like there's a band around my head squeezing. When the band around the head feeling happens the bumps feel as if they're throbbing. Because of that I would like to get a more definitive diagnosis for the bumps then maybe air or maybe fat or maybe blood or maybe lymph fluid. The last complaint I'll catalog is my right cheek and eyelid feel tight. If I close my eye or try to move that part of my face it feels stiff and resistant to being moved.
Regardless of how all that may sound it really isn't a problem. It's just different than things used to be. And it is much better than even three weeks ago. So I'm pretty happy with the way things are. Plus there's been continual improvement since the accident so I'm expecting these problems will continue to abate. All the doctors have been in agreement that they're surprised I'm in such good shape given the initial MRI findings.
One other thing I've written about here is the palsy on the right side of my face. It's mostly gone. I'm at the point now where I can easily drink from a glass or bottle without dribbling and without trying hard to prevent the dribble. It was just a couple weeks ago that I couldn't drink without dribbling unless the cup or glass had a large enough diameter.
All in all things are good. I feel like the doctors are keeping me from work now.
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