When All Else Fails, Check eBay
The past month since I haven't used the DuoDERM has been difficult. I'm back on 7.5/750 Hydrocodone every 8 hours, the RSD is bad and you don't even want to know how itchy My Stupid Leg (trademark pending) has been.
Yesterday, after Chef and I enjoyed a dinner at Harry's (awesome medium rare roast beef for me, Chicken noodle soup for Chef, Pecan pie to share), we drove by the hospital to see about the wound care centers. Well, the one place is really a foot and ankle place, but Lakeland Regional does have a wound care center.
I checked out their website once I got home and left a message on their voice mail. This morning, I got a call back with instructions on how to get in to see them. Referral? I have a PPO, we don't do referrals. They want one anyway. From my PCP? He's never seen My Stupid Leg! No, they won't take a referral from Nurse M or Dr. J. I suppose it will be an interesting phone call to my PCP.
"Hello? This is SuzanneSez. Yeah, I know the last time you saw me was for my chronic bronchitis. Well, see, I have some issues with my leg, and I'm seeing Dr. J for them. However, I want to have a wound specialist in Lakeland look at My Stupid Leg, too. Something about the words "Hypabaric Chamber" sounds too good NOT to try it. Yeah, I try to be funny.
"Oh, I understand. Now YOU want me to come in and have Dr. S look at My Stupid Leg, too. I get that you have to see exactly WHY you're giving me this referral. Never mind that anything you suggest probably has already been tried or ruled out because of my friggin allgergies. That's why I have specialists, and you handle the stuff the specialists don't. (I love them to bits, despite what this sounds like folks).
"Okay, I'll come in. Tell you what-how about I call Dr. J's office and have them fax you the 200 or so pages in my file. Would you like that, or the two page synopsis I've written about just My Stupid Leg? Yeah, I think I'd rather the Reader's Digest Condensed version, too. I'll fax that to you tomorrow when I'm back at work. K? "
All this to see if Hyperbaric treatment is a good option and if there's something other than DuoDERM that I can use on my leg without breaking the bank, to keep me from scratching off the precious new skin.
On a lark, frustrated as all get out, I hop over to eBay to check on the Boy Scout shirts I'm bidding on for Gameboy. He needs more Class A's. While there, I figure what the heck, I'll type in DuoDERM.
I find DuoDERM!
There's all manner of DuoDERM dressings available on there. Someone has a lot of 28 boxes, but you can Buy it now for 17 bucks for a box of ten. That's a heck of a lot better than the 45 a box on Amazon! Mind you, I'm getting the extra thin ones instead of what Nurse M had been giving me. I'm sure they'll work, maybe not quite as well. Anything to stop the incessant itching is worth it. I bought two boxes.
Next week, I'll be able to see if the extra thin will be worn two days per dressing, and if not having that caustic (to me) adhesive will help the skin around the wound.
I've gotta call Nurse M and inform her of the Wound center news and the discovery of DuoDERM on eBay. Oh and have that conversation that I posted above. :)
Yesterday, after Chef and I enjoyed a dinner at Harry's (awesome medium rare roast beef for me, Chicken noodle soup for Chef, Pecan pie to share), we drove by the hospital to see about the wound care centers. Well, the one place is really a foot and ankle place, but Lakeland Regional does have a wound care center.
I checked out their website once I got home and left a message on their voice mail. This morning, I got a call back with instructions on how to get in to see them. Referral? I have a PPO, we don't do referrals. They want one anyway. From my PCP? He's never seen My Stupid Leg! No, they won't take a referral from Nurse M or Dr. J. I suppose it will be an interesting phone call to my PCP.
"Hello? This is SuzanneSez. Yeah, I know the last time you saw me was for my chronic bronchitis. Well, see, I have some issues with my leg, and I'm seeing Dr. J for them. However, I want to have a wound specialist in Lakeland look at My Stupid Leg, too. Something about the words "Hypabaric Chamber" sounds too good NOT to try it. Yeah, I try to be funny.
"Oh, I understand. Now YOU want me to come in and have Dr. S look at My Stupid Leg, too. I get that you have to see exactly WHY you're giving me this referral. Never mind that anything you suggest probably has already been tried or ruled out because of my friggin allgergies. That's why I have specialists, and you handle the stuff the specialists don't. (I love them to bits, despite what this sounds like folks).
"Okay, I'll come in. Tell you what-how about I call Dr. J's office and have them fax you the 200 or so pages in my file. Would you like that, or the two page synopsis I've written about just My Stupid Leg? Yeah, I think I'd rather the Reader's Digest Condensed version, too. I'll fax that to you tomorrow when I'm back at work. K? "
All this to see if Hyperbaric treatment is a good option and if there's something other than DuoDERM that I can use on my leg without breaking the bank, to keep me from scratching off the precious new skin.
On a lark, frustrated as all get out, I hop over to eBay to check on the Boy Scout shirts I'm bidding on for Gameboy. He needs more Class A's. While there, I figure what the heck, I'll type in DuoDERM.
I find DuoDERM!
There's all manner of DuoDERM dressings available on there. Someone has a lot of 28 boxes, but you can Buy it now for 17 bucks for a box of ten. That's a heck of a lot better than the 45 a box on Amazon! Mind you, I'm getting the extra thin ones instead of what Nurse M had been giving me. I'm sure they'll work, maybe not quite as well. Anything to stop the incessant itching is worth it. I bought two boxes.
Next week, I'll be able to see if the extra thin will be worn two days per dressing, and if not having that caustic (to me) adhesive will help the skin around the wound.
I've gotta call Nurse M and inform her of the Wound center news and the discovery of DuoDERM on eBay. Oh and have that conversation that I posted above. :)
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Teehee