Posted on Facebook yesterday a note about my doctor. It was Sunday afternoon and I answered the home phone to have my doctor's voice on the end of the phone. This took me back a little as I had not been to see her since April, nor have I made any appointment to see her.
She proceeded to tell me that she had received a copy of an MRI scan and X-rays I recently had and was ringing to discuss the results.
Now, I've had a minor, silly little niggle since February; something I have chosen to ignore as in the greater scheme of things - illnesses, injuries and my regular mental discrepancies have bored more than a few over the years, more specifically this year with my great tales of woe over Ironman and marathon runs. So this little minor, silly, niggly thing - in comparison to everything else happening in this world around us all is just a stupid, silly, little niggly thing.
But, a couple of weeks ago I thought that I'd pop into my long term, friendly and knowledgeable physiotherapist to say, "Hey, I've got this stupid little thing that is bugging me, I've tried to get rid of it but it won't go away, can you do something to get rid of it?"
Long-term-friendly-knowledgeable-physio takes a brief look then decides to make a big issue of little niggle. I express annoyance at making a big issue and repeat the request to just stick some electric shock treatment on it or give me the ultra-sound knob and I'll do it myself.Result was - war of words - she won - I lost. Got sent packing, and sulking, to ultra-sound places, x-ray places, expert places, MRI places, bla-blah-blah. All because of a tiny, minor, silly little niggle. Grrrrr...
But, with all that there was no doctor involvement required. Thankfully. Doctors cost and this didn't as it came under ACC - our medical care insurer.
So never gave the doctor a thought - until her phone call yesterday. That resulted in:
- she wants to see it
- she wants to see me
- she reminded me I needed a flu injection
- she reminded me I was supposed to go get updated blood tests done 2 months ago
- I reminded her that I didn't need the tests anymore as everything got better
- she reminded me that I was not the doctor
- I reminded her that I know I'm not the doctor, but I am me, myself, I, and know that the issue re the blood tests has gone all due to the fact that I have a good doctor who I went to because I know she's a good doctor, who fixed it
- she reminded me that if she rings me on a Sunday I should have the courtesy of giving her the courtesy of being right and doing as she says.
I made an appointment.
I went this morning.
I now have a sore arm from the flu injection. I now have the other sore arm from the blood tests that I got done because of her. I still have this stupid, silly, irritating niggle. I now have a copy of the MRI results she had received. I now have yet another appointment with some other hierarchical person who will no doubt make another appointment with some other hierarchical person - for this stupid, little, irritating niggle.
I then had the giggles during my appointment with her when reading the MRI results - the giggles turned into almost unrestrained laughter as I read aloud the gobbledy-gook to explain what this stupid little niggle is. Such a lot of fuss, for such a little thing.
In the words of the MRI radiologist:
Distal to the fibular tip peroneus brevis has a high grade interstitial split tear dividing the tendon into a very thin medial and lateral bundles which are intermediate in signal. The tear measures approximately 37mm length. The distal 3cm of the peroneus brevis tendons are intact. Behind the fibular peroneous longus shows tendinosis with a small low grade split tear, distally the tendon is intact. There is a further mild tendon sheath thickening and fluid. The peroneal retinaculum appears intact, with no tendon subluxation. The anterior talofibular ligament is irregular with high grade tearing bordering on a rupture, the calcaneofibular ligament is mildly intermediate in signal but intact. The posterior talofibular and the tibiofibular syndesmotic ligaments are intact. The deltoid ligament is mildly intermediate in signal, the tibiospring ligament is normal. The peroneus and medial ankle tendon remain intact. No osteochondral lesion is seen about the ankle or subtalar joints. The sinus tarsi are unremarkable. There is a very small non oedematous os trigonum ossicle. The visualised mid foot joint are within normal limits. The plantar fascia is unremarkable with a small plantar calcaneus spur. There is mild mid to distal achillies tendinosis. Impression is: 35mm length high grade split tear of preoneus brevis extending from just distal to the fibular tip to the peroneal tibercle. Only sparse medial and lateral fibre bundles remain. There is associated preoneuss tenosynovitis. Posterior to the fibular there is minor peroneus longus tendinosis and a notable split tear.
High grade tear bordering on rupture of the ATFL, Mild CFL and deltoid sprains.
Do you get it? Yeah, there's a teeny, irritating tear there somewhere. Big deal. Had worked that out myself. But at the end of reading and absorbing all the above - what stood out most were the two references to my own and personal interior ropes and strings that move my skeletal body around as being "unremarkable".
Unremarkable! Do you know what 'unremarkable' is? It's dull. It's humdrum. It's mediocre. It's average. It's ordinary. It's characterless. It's featureless. It's plain. It's unmemorable. It's even less-than-plain-old-garden-variety. It's nothing-to-write-home-about.
All this fuss. All those appointments - all that governmental costs - and what is the result ? - I'm boring.
