New tentative date: August 18

[cjsmith]

The woman who does the scheduling did comb through the schedule and did call me at work. She's got me down for August 18 and there's a possibility of a cancellation on August 4. I told her I owed her homemade cookies for combing through the schedule like that.

Ooo, I'm so hoping for August 4. (rfrench, if this schedule uncertainty means you can't drive me on short notice, I can take a cab or something. August 4!!)

Comments

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Homemade cookies? What can I do for homemade cookies? ;-)

Seriously, that would be great to get the surgery done that much sooner! *crosses fingers*

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ask, and show up for 'em. :-)

Thanks!

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's amazingly fast! Most elective surgery takes significantly longer to schedule. This is fabulous.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Huh, now I'm trying to think of when surgery is called "elective" and when it's not. For my previous surgeries I've always had the choice to say no. I guess none of them (well, except maybe that thing sent for biopsy) appeared to be life or death; maybe that's the distinction.

[therobbergirl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, pretty much.

If your surgery has ever been threatened by a strike or lack of blood, then your surgery is elective.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Well, *mine* haven't... ;-)

[rampling.livejournal.com]

I don't think my surgery was elective. They even moved it up for me, to two days earlier than my nice wait-listed date, 'cause I'd had to hospitalize myself early due to the insane amounts of pain I was in. I was very lucky! I have to smile that sometimes horrible pain does have its benefits. Sorta. ;O But I don't remember anyone really asking me if I wanted the surgery; that would have been redundant!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Well, that's the thing: there's surgery that's very obviously "needed" in order for the patient to regain some semblance of a normal life, and there's surgery that's "needed" for the patient to remain living. If "elective" means not "needed", then what definition of need is being used? Every time I've been cut open insurance has called it necessary; not one of them was life-threatening.

Then there's stuff that's "even more optional" (if that phrase makes any sense): sterilization for an otherwise healthy person, cosmetic changes...

[rampling.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking the most important differences may be what the consequences of postponement are. For me it would have meant more hospital days and more IVs of morphine or stronger. For you it's definitely quite annoying and painful, but it's along the same lines as what you're already putting up with and tolerating, though it's clearly damaging your quality of life -- you need the surgery, and preferably very soon, but you could afford to let someone like me in my pre-surgery condition slip in before you. Of course there's gotta be a whole hierarchy of levels of urgency to all these sorts of things.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Right, yours was more urgent than mine is today. My main point was that there's a big gray area and I don't know where the line gets drawn. Heck, I don't even know if there are lots of lines drawn by a variety of "authorities" who all call each other liars and crooks. :-)

[rampling.livejournal.com]

I wish I understood their criteria for determining urgency. I was very offended that they gave me my first surgery date for so far away, which I KNEW I wouldn't be able to last until. I was terrified of having to wait that long for the surgery, and I was quite correct. Of course there's the practical side of everyone else's urgency, matching it against mine and yours and all that, but I don't know how they couldn't see that I only had a week or two left before I'd totally lose it. Later, when I was in obviously greater need while lying in the hospital, they found surgery time for me. OK, I guess that's reasonable, they waited 'til they absolutely had to to move up my priority. But I wish they could have told me that such a thing was possible when they first gave me that ridiculous date -- around six weeks away, if I remember correctly! I really could have used the assurance that if I couldn't last that long, they could help me. But perhaps they didn't want me to know that, so I wouldn't give in until I'd actually hit my breaking point, and not just when I was close to it. *sigh*

I can't help but wonder who "they" are who decide these things, though I know some of "them" are HMOs who are looking to keep costs down and don't care much about pain. My pain probably didn't matter much to "them" until I got to the point of checking into the hospital early and requiring a morphine drip. OK, I'm just ranting now.... I guess I'm in a ranty mood today! ;)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I sympathize with the lack of information and the seeming "testing". Pain makes all of that so much worse. My cynical side wonders if the hospital became more motivated to move up your surgery date because they needed the bed.

I always want more information than I'm given, whether about scheduling or aftercare or etiology or what-have-you. Too often it seems medical providers hoard information and give it out to patients in miserly dribs and drabs. Over the years I've thought about a lot of reasons why this is, and only one theory keeps fitting my observations: they are quite simply way too busy to do anything else.

That's a little scary. If they're this busy now, how busy will they be in a few decades, when we're even better at keeping high-maintenance people alive? How busy will they be when I'm that high-maintenance patient and I really need them?

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Although the "too busy" excuse is likely to be the only one that's nearly always present, I suspect that others are sometimes present too. Especially the "I control the information so I have the power and make the decisions" and the insulting "you couldn't possibly understand". And probably even the occasional "my reasons are icky and due to HMO regulations and I don't want you to see that ugliness".

I always want more info too -- about all aspects.

I also agree that these problems portend poorly for the future! Especially *my* future, since I feel I have a high likelihood of becoming one of those older high-maintainance people -- a scary, scary thought. Made all the scarier for my one-day peek into an especially HORRIBLE nursing home. Aaaaaack!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Like you, I suspect there are other reasons too.

And like you, I feel I have a high likelihood of becoming a high-maintenance patient at some point. My family history even tells me some of the likely causes. Perhaps with luck I can stave those off long enough that something quick gets me first.

[rampling.livejournal.com]

I was waitlisted (at several weeks earlier) for my big surgery, and it did come through! So sometimes it really does happen. I used to shrug off wait lists, but I don't any more. And isn't it wonderful when you get a person helping you who's both nice and competent! *hugs-of-surgery-scheulding-luck*

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

She seems to think there's one particular patient who is thinking of cancelling. I wouldn't be surprised -- many kinds of foot surgery would mean a lot of random inconvenience, and if something comes up, I can imagine wanting to be able to walk.

Thanks for the luck-thoughts! :-)

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

If you go with the cookie idea, ignore the remainder of my earlier advice. All you'd end up with is a messy palm. :)

Also, how good are your cookies? I might be willing to cut your foot open for you.

Dumb joke(s) aside, excellent news! I hope it works out.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I dunno -- *I* like my cookies, but I'm an amateur, so... maybe that would be a good trade for amateur surgery, huh? :-)

Thanks!

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

Sounds fair! And incredible, incredible BAD idea, but fair. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Maybe for serious surgery you get (and have to eat) a LOT of cookies.

[jupiter29.livejournal.com]

(*looks down at belly*) Momma always said I had it in me to be a doctor...

[wispfox.livejournal.com]

Oooh, _wow_. Excellent!

*hopes for sooner*

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Me too! *wrigglesquee*

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Wow, maybe only two weeks!!! =crosses fingers, toes and eyes=

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

*chuckle*

Yep, maybe only two, and at worst four!

[jtidwell.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay! May it happen even sooner! You're in my prayers...

If we actually come out to the Bay area this fall, it would be cool to hike with you. :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I am hoping that most of the pain is really the neuroma. I would deeply enjoy being able to hike again. It would be fun to hike with you this fall!