Bill Dawson: A slowed-down healthcare system is still at work

To The Daily Sun,

For the first nine months of the pandemic, I was coping with the day to day routine pretty well for a guy in his mid-80s. There were miscellaneous aches and pains as well as inadequate sleep and indigestion. Then I started to feel something amiss in my left leg. To get a diagnosis of the condition I had to get the attention of my VA primary care doctor. That took about 10 days. Finally, without an exam, he set up a series of X-rays of my left knee and lower back. 

Meanwhile, the knee area hurt like hell. Tylenol and stretches were recommended. At that juncture, I cut back on walking and started using a cane for support of the knee. The cane was a whole new experience for me. There’s more than a little bit of training that must be done. It’s not that it doesn’t help you get around, it’s that there is a right and wrong way. While I was doing cane use 101, I was brow-beating the VA for a more complete evaluation of my condition.

Then came a virtual conference with the primary care doctor. I wore my best boxer shorts and got to examine the leg with the help of my desktop camera. We mutually agreed that more diagnosis and follow-up was needed. The following Tuesday I went to Manchester for an orthopedic exam. Based on, and following that, a course of treatment was recommended. So, cane in hand, I awaited a change for the better. It could have been worse, I could have caught the COVID virus while visiting the Manchester facility.

The orthopedic doctor referred me to a physical therapist and, while I awaited a scheduled MRI, I began PT. Between the therapy and a prescribed anti-inflammatory drug, I began feeling better by the day. As the date for the MRI approached I began to wonder whether I needed it. The great December snowstorm helped me decide. When I called to cancel because of the storm, I talked with the doctor. He was pleased with the progress report relating to the PT treatments and agreed to put a hold on the MRI. Further, he assured me that the MRI would be available if required in the future.

Things run a bit slower in this era of pandemic but they get done. My four-month ordeal was not pleasant and I had to lobby strongly for my patient rights. For those who are not quite as tenacious as I am, there might have been a vastly different result. Anyway, I am back on my feet and stored my cane for future use at an, as yet, non-specific time. I am ready to step forward into 2021 with renewed vigor.

Bill Dawson

Northfield