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| From:  tomcat5162 (Original Message) | Sent: 8/22/2004 12:28 AM |
 Hi, my name is Debra and I live in Texas and am relatively new to this group. It's ironic that I'm having all this mess wrong with me, as I had worked in the medical community from age 16. I am now 42. My problems began when I was a medical transcriptionist for a clinic.. I started with tennis elbow of my left elbow in June 1987. My first surgery was in 1990-tennis elbow release. I continued to have pain and finally saw a hand specialist-diagnosed with radial tunnel syndrome of the left arm. Had surgery on that in 1992. THEN, I developed tennis elbow in the right arm because that was my only "good" arm. Had surgery on that also in 1992. THEN, while in a long arm splint for the right elbow surgery, my right shoulder begins KILLING me. Guess what, impingement syndrome. Surgery on that. THEN, guess what, LEFT SHOULDER IMPINGEMENT. Surgery on that. Surgery for radial tunnel syndrome was major and it failed. I developed adhesions at the incision site, the nerve became pinched again. So now I'm left with the hot, burning, boring type pain in my entire left arm and up into the left shoulder and neck. Doc also says I have RSD. I definitely have repetitive stress injuries. I left and worked for one of the doctors that worked at the clinic when he opened his private practice. I started with him in 1989 as his office manager. Gosh, I was so efficient, so productive, so loyal, so hardworking, so dedicated, so etc. etc. In 1997 he "merged" with a group of Orthos here in town, we now were part of an organization. Ultimately, the stress of the practice, we had added another doc in our office, the ongoing pain with no relief, my depression, etc. I absolutely decompensated. I left his office in 2001 and "transferred" to an open job at the MRI center that the docs owned. I DEMOTED MYSELF to a receptionist and took a huge pay cut. I was mentally a wreck. In 2003 they hired a new administrator and he fired me shortly thereafter. He thought I was a druggie. He constantly looked at the pupils of my eyes and they are always pinpoint. This to him was "a sign". I told him I had chronic pain, showed him my scars, etc. Anyway, one day he called me to his office and fired me. I'd been with them (the solo doc and group) for a combined 12 years! Fired! Then the deep, deep depression set in. I only recently in the past 2 months got that under control to where I wasn't suicidal all the time. I currently am continuing to have a pain level of 8-10 on a scale of 1-10-ALL THE TIME.
I'm sorry that my story is so long, it's been a horrible and long journey so far. I'm sure it will continue to be that way 'til the day I die. Debra (aka tomcat) |
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Tomcat, Sending u an Angel to Help u get through...Wishing u well all night thru. Love, shelley  |
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Oh, I forgot to mention in my original post that my dad died just 3 months after I went to work at the MRI Center. This was sooooooo traumatic for me. I still can't cope with it sometimes. But anyway, I was just in the members section, saw my original post, read it and realized I failed to mention that traumatic event while all this was happening in my life. I lost 2 jobs and my dad all within 2 years, in addition to trying to cope with this damn pain. tomcat |
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Wow, you have really had some road to travel. I feel for you. Seems like when it rains it pours doesn't it. I hope that being part of the group has helped you some. You are a good asset to everyone here. Hugs, Katie |
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