Well, the scheduled appointment went alright. But I have fast started to dislike going out in public, more then I use to. Now I in all honestly virtually dread going to a medical appointment, where before I had 0 issues doing so.
The reason is before I could read expressions and lips and know within reason what was said to me. Now, it is much harder when someone is speaking to me, nevermind, what they are saying to me the majority of the time.
I can tell them that I am deaf, but that does little good as they still carry on. If you do not respond, the people get irritated and take it out on you for not paying attention to them. Yet they have completely disregarded the fact that you have already let them know that you are deaf.
Sadly this appointment started no different, then previous since needing to wear masks has become the new normal. The reception called me up to give them my info, which I was unaware of despite looking at them.
No one ever looked up or in my direction or even a hand gesture not until I failed to respond, only then the person actually stood up and virtually threw her hands up at me (as if to say, hello!!! I called you why are you not here already!).
I got to the window, hand over my sheet and health card (since I know that is what she needs to have). I also show her my note that states I am deaf and that I need to see their lips to know what is going on. All I got was an annoying eye expression (aka an Eye Roll) and a shooing motion, to go back to where I had been. So I go and sit and wait until a person in full PPE comes and puts her hand up to wave me towards her.
I think alright maybe the person knows, reception told them. But no. I assume she starts talking as soon as I get close to her because she moved away immediately as I got close. I had no idea what was happening, as in was she the X-ray tech, ultrasound tech, random person assigned to show me somewhere, etc.
She points at a curtained room while looking at me, I say to her I can not hear you, I am deaf. She moves her mask down enough to expose her lips and repeats that I am to take my top off, put the gown on, and leave the back open and wait to be called.
I thank her and do as directed kind of, I undress and put the gown as told, But I then stand in the doorway instead of sitting inside the cubical because I have no clue if she is the one coming back for me or someone else.
In short order, she appears and motions for me to follow her into another room. She lowers her mask and asks me why am I getting the x-ray – I reply I have something wrong with my shoulder we do not know what, so my GP wants it scanned to figure out what is going on/wrong.
She asks me to raise my arm as high as I can, which I do. She directed me to the x-ray machine instead of having me sit down. I have to stand because the range of motion she was expecting is not the case. I am now regretting not using my wheelchair. I had not expected to need it since I was not aware I would need to stand for a length of time (Ummm I was SOOOO wrong on that thinking).
I had to stand and put my arm in a couple of different positions – of which I found epic painful and had me in virtual tears from the increased pain – pain from the shoulder, but also the spasms in my back and legs from my dystonia did not help matters any.
After I am shown back to the cubical and told the ultrasound tech will be with me shortly – so more waiting, I text Norman while I wait to let him know what is going on. I had to do it solo, as the rules for most appointments, unless you need physical assistance, which I do not necessarily need most of the time.
At any rate, I text Norman to let him know that I finished the X-ray and am just waiting for the ultrasound and that I do not know my remaining timeline. We text for a few until the ultrasound tech knocks on the cubical and motions me to follow him.
I get to the Ultrasound room he motions for me to straddle the wickedly low ass stool. He pulls his mask down and says that he is going to manipulate my arm instead of asking me to do it if that is alright with me, and once he places it, I am to hold that position until he repositions it. I agree, it is better than me trying to do it as I know full well my arm responds better to having it moved by someone else and me just letting it happen, so it works for me.
So he pulls out the gel and the ultrasound wand and starts going over my shoulder with it louse at my side (dangling). On-screen, it takes a few moments for me to get an idea of what I am seeing, but what I am seeing does not look right. I can not place what was wrong with what I was seeing, but something was strange with the shoulder bone (it was not clean like I have seen in online ultrasound images).
He then starts to manipulate the arm/shoulder into positions if I had tried to do it, would have had me in even more pain. I did have to engage the muscle, bleep that had me in semi tears from the level of pain it caused.
He runs the wand over the front of the shoulder and takes like 12 images (at least that is what I assume the screen flashes meant). He moves to the back of the shoulder and does the same thing and takes more images (more screen flashes) and proceeds to manipulate my arm into other positions, with more scans taken along the way.
Watching the screen was interesting to see what the ultrasound was picking up. I have 0 clues about any of it, but some I knew some of what I was seeing was bone, muscle, and skin based on having looked at ultrasound images online.
I could not tell tendon from the muscle, that was just not something I could figure out from looking. I do know is that my actual shoulder bone had what appears to be an edge/point to it (which could be a bone spur) as well as what looked like a divot (an indent that I have not found online and when those wherein focus the screen flashed, so I assume it means something).
Afterward, he told me to clean up as best as I am able and toss the gown into the hamper, and I was free to leave when finished.
I thanked him and left. Trying to clean off the goop from my shoulder was harder to do than clearing that goop from my previous ultrasounds of my belly area. I finally resorted to using the gown like a big towel and shimmying it over while I rubbed my back shoulder against the wall to get the goop off. It worked, but I can only imagine what I looked like doing it.
I texted Norman to let him know that I was finished and was heading out and would see him in short order. It was good to see him, Storm and Payton again after everything. I am amazed at how stressful things can be when I do not have Storm with me. It is like she helps keep my stress levels lower or something.
Well after all that we headed back home and I went to bed, as my body was screaming at me that I needed to sleep/rest, it had had enough for the day.