I'm off to Johns Hopkins Hospital

[w30bob]

Hi Carter,

Man, that sucks. Remind me never to go to Vegas with you.......talk about bad luck. Although I'm sure the guy who bumped you is thankful.

I'm going to PM you.

regards,
bob

[Carter]

Thanks everybody, I am not comfortable sitting so this will be short. The doctor at JHH gave me a script/referal for pain management at a local facility and after sending them the paperwork I was told they do not give pain relief shots on the first visit but only AFTER the second... What the hell is that? Two trips before they will help me, man that is nuts, going to call the JHH doctors staff and ask for some place else to help me out. All the time I am not feeling well but no one sems to give a ship but Sandy and I.
More later friends.

[52 M-42]

Sorry to hear that, Carter. I hope they can find you a better clinic. I sure hope things will improve for you.

Best of luck!

52 M-42

[Tom @ Snake River]

If you don't have good health and are in terrible pain, then nothing else in life seems to matter.
I had muscle spasms in my back and laid me flat for several days.
Hang in there, and keep thinking of all the things in life you still wish to accomplish.

[Carter]

Thanks Tom, that is exactly what I have been doing , I have a lot of things on my list. Get my new house and shop built, move, put new decking springs and axles on my equipment trailer, the list goes on. I think about all and keep a good attitude while I pass the time until surgery.

[Carter]

Just got a call from JHH, surgery on Feb. 20, a person just canceled for that date and they called me first. Looking forward to it and feeling better, pain sucks.

[w30bob]

Carter,

That's great news. I hope the time passes fast for you. Not related to your situation, but......

Here's a funny (sort of) story about Hopkins: A few years back I was having some intestinal issues related to my Crohn's disease. The country's leading doctor in the field at the time was at Hopkins and I became a regular patient of his, so I was up at Hopkins every month or so while we tried various medications. At some point I started having pain in my lower abdomen toward my right thigh that wouldn't go away, and got worse each day. It got so bad that I couldn't move my right leg....so I couldn't walk.....I had to literally crawl around the house. So.....being the procratinator that I am......when I can't stand it no more I call my local Gastroenterologist (whom I'm very good friends with), he calls Hopkins and they say they'll have a bed in 2-3 days. In the interim my doc sends me to a local hospital so I can get intervenous fluids, nutrition and meds until I can get to Hopkins. Well.....2 days turned into 4....then 6....and by day 7 Hopkins still didn't have a bed for me and I couldn't stand the pain or the crappy hospital I was in. It was always noisy so I couldn't sleep, they came and stuck me with needles all the time....etc, etc. I just couldn't get any rest. So I called my Mom and girlfriend and they came and got me and we then drove me 9 hours to the Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland was also a top rated hospital for Crohn's disease, and my second pick after Hopkins. They met me at the door and took me right to a private room where a team of doctors was waiting for me. They determined I had an abscess on my upper thigh muscle caused by a perforation in my intestine. Basically the crappy stuff leaked into my main body cavity and formed the abscess. They were able to treat it with antibiotics to stabilize it and stuck a rubber hose in my side to allow the abscess to drain into a small bag they sewed to my hip. (That bag only lasted for a week or so until I jumped off my tractor seat and the bag stayed behind.) They said surgery wasn't possible until the abscess was fully drained, so they sent me back home with my rubber hardware and while home I contacted my Doc at Hopkins and a Hopkins surgeon I had pre-screened before this all happened (hey, you never know when you're going to need a good intestinal surgeon) to schedule surgery for a small bowel resection. Then I got back with my local Gastroenterologist.......and that's when I learned the secret.

The secret I was told was that when I'm in pain I should just bypass the doctors and go right to the Hopkins ER. By doing so they HAVE to find a bed for me, will contact my doctors, and then we can get on with it. When you schedule things with any hospital for surgery, etc., you always run the risk of getting bumped by emergencies and the like. Emergencies always get top priority, no matter what. So if you ARE the emergency......there's no waiting for beds, etc.......they take care of your ass right away. So basically if you try to do it the right way.....you get punished. Bypass the system and you win. Amazing, isn't it?

Think about that if you ever find yourself in a lot of pain and figure you'll just try to bear it and wait to talk to your regular Doc.

regards,
bob

[Carter]

" Think about that if you ever find yourself in a lot of pain and figure you'll just try to bear it and wait to talk to your regular Doc. "

Been that way for months, never thought about the emergency room approach, My problem is JHH is 1.5 hrs away and in a real need I would be at the same hospital where I was born 68 yrs ago and only ten min. away however all this is about to be taken care of soon now, I hope.... so I can get back to helping members here and not bitching about this other problem. OH..OH...OH.. it hurt,. tough it out you CRY BABY, stop being a such a A$$ HOLE.

[Cal_Gary]

Better to get it done now before "parade season" begins!
Gary

[Paddyofurniture]

Carter,

How are you doing?

Any up date?

Ed

[Carter]

Thanks for asking Ed
I guess I'm better with the new pain meds the management doctor,s script that he wrote when I finally did get to see him, hard fellow to convince I needed help now not after the second visit. I'm not OK but I can move around or sit at the desk for a 1/2 hr. or so. Looking forward to getting worked on at Hopkins.

[Carter]

Better to get it done now before "parade season" begins!
Gary

I was hoping to be able to attend the East Coast MV Rally in May but that might be a stretch. I'll see.

[w30bob]

Carter,

No problem......I'll just strap you to my handcart and walk you around the Rally. When I get tired of pushing I'll just stand you up or lay you down on the cart under a tree and then go grab us some drinks. You'll love it.

regards,
bob

[Paddyofurniture]

Carter,

Hand truck you say?

I will paint my rider mower green, add a white star and we are there. Drop the cutting deck and call it a M1 Carter mover.

Ed

[Carter]

All good ideas but one of you guys could just drive me around in my truck since I may not be healed enough to drive it my self or we could load it up with G741 guys and those not driving could help empty the cold drinks from the cooler.

Paste pretty M37 pic here: