VERY bad day for CJ

[cjsmith]

I went to the Stanford Pain Clinic this afternoon. The guy diagnosed me with something something neuritis (I'll get a copy of the full report when the typists are done with it), which he says is under the umbrella of CRPS (although not by any means a bad case).

He says there are several things we can try:
- Medication, which is not likely to work
- Some kind of funky spinal stimulation thing, which is not likely to work
- A sympathetic nerve block, which might or might not give partial relief for three hours or three weeks
- Injecting Botox (into the nerve?), which is not likely to work and which "there is no way your insurance will pay for"
- Surgical or mechanical interventions, which not only likely won't work but could make things REALLY WAY WAY WAY WORSE

So I might get partial relief from an expensive and uncomfortable procedure that would, if it lasts long enough to be worth it, have to be repeated over and over forever.

This is it. End of the line. No more hope for miracle cures, or even nonmiracle cures, or ever having a normal life again.

Comments

[firecat]

Sympathy. I think one should never believe doctors who say or imply "No more hope"; I especially agree with the person who made the comment about everything looking like a nail. But there is also a point of diminishing returns to visiting more and more doctors and sometimes going on with making the best of life as it is makes more sense, at least for now.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

*nod* I find I am already inventing hope for myself. I could have what he says I have and I could go into totally spontaneous miraculous remission. I could have what he says I have and medical science could learn what to do with it. I could have something different from what he says I have.

On some level I realize this is completely illogical; on another level I realize it is essential. Reality-based? Me? Not when I can't afford to be.