Now-Whattian Expedition

Neurontin got replaced.

By desperation.

I was given a lecture by my (now former) pain management doctor that weight gain only occurred in something like five percent of all patients -- or was it a half percent?  Can't remember now -- and that I shouldn't have experienced it.  I told him to look at the five (or half) percent, sitting in front of him.

His response was to give up.  Literally.  I'm no longer under his care.  Very disappointing.

He claimed there was nothing else that he could do for me and told me that I needed to go to a "comprehensive pain management program."  He then kicked the ball back to my primary care doctor's office for future care.

Of course, the paperwork always gets mixed up in the transfer, and I wound up having to actually go with my wife to my primary care doctor to get the referral started.  I now have an incoming patient exam scheduled for next week.  That's just to see if I qualify for the program.  Sigh.

In the meantime, things on other fronts haven't been much better.  I had tests run to see if my gastric bypass is still working.  These were done because I don't feel like I'm getting much help from it anymore.  Despite that, the doctor says it's still functioning properly, so no need for a revision or anything else that insurance will cover.

Similarly, I followed the advice of two other orthopedists and saw someone about possible knee replacements.  Quick backstory -- I had a bicycle accident back in 1984 that resulted in a partial tear of my left medial meniscus and chondromalacia (sp?) of the back of my kneecap.  A poorly-done arthroscopy got me back on my feet, but left me with pain that has been present for almost 30 years now.  The right knee just sort of developed into near bone-on-bone osteoarthritis (according to the doctor who operated on my ankles).  Synvisc injections into both knees did zero to help, so I was sent by doctor #2 to a knee replacement specialist.  He told me, basically, to lose 50 pounds and come back afterward, at which point he might consider doing a replacement or two.

Other things have happened that I can't talk about yet.  If I can post info about them, I will.  Watch this space.