Some years back, my now-husband and I bought a new lawnmower, and I tried to start it. Gave that cord a good hard yank, and tore my right rotator cuff in the process. I can't even remember if the lawnmower actually started or not. I'm about 5'6", so it's hard to get enough zip on a long cord to turn over the engine. I went to my family doctor, who said that it was probably a rotator cuff tear, and referred me for MRI.
I had, and still have, health insurance through my workplace. But this was at the beginning of the "Consumer Driven Health Plan" nonsense, in which people were encouraged to "make informed decisions" about health care. I think this assumes one heck of a lot about the health care system in the United States, and a lot of those assumptions are not true.
For example, you can't call for a price on an MRI. I tried! I called the hospital that my doctor referred me to, and asked how much it would cost for a shoulder MRI. The answer I got was pretty non-helpful. Could be anywhere between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars. Depends on the machine the technician wants to use, how many images they need, the prices they negotiated with the insurance company, etc etc. This is not like calling K-Mart and asking what they charge for a Dyson Animal. Health care is unlike any other industry I can think of, because the consumer can't know how much it is going to cost until after it's already done and they're on the hook to pay for it.
Imagine if you built this model into any other industry. Plumber, for example. "Hello, Plumbers R Us? I need to have someone come out and unclog my kitchen sink. How much will it cost?" "Oh, we won't be able to tell you that until we send you the bill. It depends on what snake the technician wants to use, how many tries he has to make, and all that. You know." What would you do if you got an answer like this? You'd call another plumber, wouldn't you? You'd keep calling until you found someone who said "Flat rate of $75 for the first hour, and $50 for every additional hour. Travel time is included in the first hour's fee."
Only you can't just call around and ask different hospitals what they would charge for the same procedure. Well, you can, but since you won't be able to get an answer, there's not a lot of point. So the Consumer Driven Health Plan goes down in flames right there. Until consumers can get valid information up front from health care personnel, there is no way to make an informed decision. Well, there's one way, and I took it. My decision was not to get the MRI, and to just accept the fact that I would never be able to pitch in the majors again.
Fast forward to the winter of 2011-2012. My shoulder has gotten more painful, and it's waking me up at night. You know how you can just reach down and grab the covers after you've rolled over, so you can pull them back up again? OWWWW! It aches practically all the time, hurts when I reach for things, and doesn't go up more than halfway if I try to raise it to the side. Not to mention that if I keep taking Aleve every day to keep it manageable, my liver is eventually going to look for a better home somewhere else. So, it pretty much needed to be dealt with before too much longer.
I had to go back for additional imaging after this year's mammogram, and that used up my deductible, meaning that I wouldn't be out of pocket as much for finally getting this shoulder looked at. So I went to the doctor, explained my issue, and she sent me for an MRI, which I actually got this time. When the results came back, the doctor's office called me and said they were sending me to an orthopedist.
I didn't know what an orthopedist was, and wasn't at all happy to see that it's an orthopedic surgeon. Here's mine. By the time I got to my appointment with him, I had gotten it all figured out in my head. This is modern times, yeah? So they have some miracle Super Glue, and I'll be back at work on Monday, yeah?
No. Not so much. I had a few more X-rays there, and Dr. Latshaw ran me through some stuff after he had a chance to look at the images from the MRI and the new X-rays from that morning. The verdict is basically that my rotator cuff is torn out in the middle, leaving 5-10% on each side. They're going to do surgery on Monday, June 25, and I'll be in a sling for 6-8 weeks after that, in physical therapy for some months, and might have full strength and mobility back in a year or so? I think that was what he said. I was too busy drying my eyes to be paying full attention.
There's a pretty interesting little animated video at the Ohio Orthopedic Center of Excellence website, that shows what they're going to be doing. There's no direct link, or I'd post it. But you go here, and then under Patient Education Libraries, click Orthopedics, then Shoulder, then Procedures, then to Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair.
And that's what's going to be happening to me 40 days from today. I have been trying to practice using my left hand for stuff. The first time I tried to wipe with my left hand, I almost fell off the toilet. But it's getting a little better; tonight I ate most of my dinner with my left hand, and didn't stab myself with the fork or anything! I also moved the mouse to the left side of my computer, and switched the buttons.
I'm going to journal my progress in preparing before the surgery and in recovering after the surgery. Welcome!!
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