nhbowhunter Posted May 24, 2002 Report Share Posted May 24, 2002 If you do not feel comfortable with the first doctor you should get a second opinion. What happened to you anyway? Did you break a bone originally? Doctotrs can only do so much. Medications are not a cure-all but do help. Do you have medical covereage? If not this doctor could be offering you the least expensive "fix". On the flip side, he is the doctor and the one with all of the training, you need to have a baseline trust in his abilties and advise. It is hard to do but simply because something does not make sense to you does not mean it is not helping. Hang in there... I wish you a speedy recovery. [ 05-24-2002, 01:45 PM: Message edited by: nhbowhunter ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tominator Posted May 25, 2002 Report Share Posted May 25, 2002 Re: new medicines and how they are used? well wtnhunt, i feel for you. i've battled cancer twice now, both in the chest and i guess my advice to you is do as much learning about your situation as possible. i know our problems aren't the same, but i know when i was diagnosed i read up on my type of cancer until i was sick about it, but, when i talked to my doctors and they saw i knew what i was talking about, they seemed to sit up and take notice a little ya know? maybe i'm wrong, but they take notice of educated patients and are intimidated by them to a certain extent. i would use this wonderful thing called the internet to research. search on 'mutiple arm breaks' or bone surgery or search on the drugs they're giving you. you'd be amazed at what's out there. good luck, i'll be thinking of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
womanwhohunts Posted May 25, 2002 Report Share Posted May 25, 2002 Re: new medicines and how they are used? I have Carpel Tunnel Syndrome.I have been told surgery can help.I don't think my arms hurt that bad.lol.I wear braces on my wrists when I work,so I don't hurt them more.I know that is sorta different but it does help to rest/support them so they heal.They take awhile to heal.Best of luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horst Posted May 25, 2002 Report Share Posted May 25, 2002 Re: new medicines and how they are used? wtnhunt, the viox, steroids and cortisone are just for the swelling and the pain.If your bones are screwed up there probably isnt much they can do other than try to get the swelling down, the splint should help some if you wear it.Sounds to me like thats what hes trying to do is to get you comfortable again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Realtree Posted June 12, 2002 Report Share Posted June 12, 2002 Re: new medicines and how they are used? It's Dr. James Andrews in B'ham and he and the others in that group are the best in the business. Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, and most other Pro athletes have relied on him to get them going. If you are going to have to travel, you might consider heading down there. TR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkoholic Posted June 12, 2002 Report Share Posted June 12, 2002 Re: new medicines and how they are used? From a pharmacist perspective, I can say that the idea behind the medications was to decrease inflammation (Vioxx and the steroids) which can allow the injury to heal and they also help with the pain. The cortisone (a steroid) shot would do basically the same, only it is delivered directly to the site. These can be extremely painful for several days after the injection. Instead of the Vioxx the physician should have used ibuprofen, which is much less expensive and just as effective. The only benefit of Vioxx is less (maybe) chance of causing ulcers. Another important aspect is that you need to rest the arm to allow it to heal. I see way too many people who continue to use an injured body part and do not allow it the time to heal and then complain about it still being messed up, I hope this is not you. Most of the time medications to reduce inflammation take weeks to have any effect. As for the bone problem itself, I think reconstructive surgery would be the only true fix and even then there is no guarantee. Most of the time this type of surgery is only done in larger cities and sometimes that is because of available facilities. At any rate, there is no quick fix as this appears to have been a long time problem that has come to a head (there is probably scar tissue, adhesions and calcium deposits). Even with surgery, things will not be "normal" again. I realize your frustration, as I have gone through a similar thing with some ruptured discs in my back, but time and patience are your best friends at this point. The physicians were correct in trying a conservative approach first and while there may have been a lack of communication between you and the physicians, you need to remember there is no quick fix and you must have realistic expectations. Your insurance company probably would have required conservative therapy at first anyway. I wish you well and hope you can keep a positive attitude. That big buck is waiting for you this fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTF Posted June 12, 2002 Report Share Posted June 12, 2002 Re: new medicines and how they are used? wtnhunt , hang in there. Take it from someone who has been there and beyond that. I am a Gullian Barre syndrome survivor. It took a while for the doctors to find this out, but by the time they did, they should have just read me my last rights and pulled the plug. Thats how I felt. Now heres the kicker. Not a doctor in this country or world could do anything to help me. They pumped with heavy narcotics for weeks and told me to let it run its coarse. I had a 50/50 chance of being wheel chair bound for life and or being tube fed. There is no cure for what I had. I was in the intensive care unit for a short time before they sent me home because the insurance companies where not going to pay for me being in a doctors care when nothing could be done about it. As long as I did not need to be on a ventilator, they said go home and take the half dozen or so perscriptions for the pain. You talk about no strength. I couldnt even lift a pencil or even wipe my you know what. My hunting days where over. But I refused to believe so. Spring was coming and that ment turkey season. After weeks in bed and loads of narcotics in my system I decided to scout out for turkeys while being accompanied by wishinone. That didnt go so good and I ended up in the ER for the rest of the day. To make a long story short, I got in the woods that turkey season to just tag along with wishinone and didnt do too bad. Was real hard getting up off the ground at first, but that whole month of being in the woods helped my strength. That was a few years ago now. I back to bow hunting and all hunting. Climbing tree stands again and even trapping. My doctor is amazed at my recovery. The only draw back is that I know have high blood pressure and take medication for it. The medication slows me down, but I keep going. I have lost most feeling in my feet and my arms and hands go to sleep alot. So hang in there, it gets bettter. RTF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkeygirl Posted June 12, 2002 Report Share Posted June 12, 2002 Re: new medicines and how they are used? Oh,I feel bad for you,especially if you aren't able to bow hunt:( Yeah,you should see several doctors and get their opinions.And maybe a sportsmedicine type of doctor might be able to help you.Now if it was me,and I still had alot of years left,I would definitely consider seeing a specialist,especially if it meant I might be pain free again and have more motion in my arm/wrist.I wish the best of luck to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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