It's just about 10:30 and I just got in from the gym. I've been going rather infrequently lately and I need to get into a better habit while my knee can still move.
As a child I loved to play softball. Although, my eyesight has never been the greatest, so playing outfield was out of the question. I've never been truly quick on my feet, so infield was out too. I was the mighty catcher. I loved playing catcher more than any other position and I was good at it. I would heckle the batters, tell them jokes, or just talk about my day. It really rattled some and didn't make a difference to others...good times. I digress...
What I'm trying to say is that I spent much of my youth squatting. I guess I've used up my squatting quota, because there's not a lot of squatting going on now. My knee aches. It aches especially bad after I've gone to sleep.
I went to my doctor, who gave me a cortisone shot. He was gentle and I felt no pain. The cortisone masked the pain for about a month and then the pain came back with vengeance. My doctor gave me a referral to see a specialist. He took x-rays and told me that I have a little arthritis. I'm thinking, if this is a little arthritis I don't want to have the full experience. Honestly, I think something else is going on in my knee and I haven't been able to explain in the right words to the doctor.
So the doctor tells me that I can have this shot, a silver bullet if you will, that's made from the comb juice of a rooster. He explained that it was very expensive and that he would need to make certain that my insurance would cover it before he even ordered the chicken juice...fair enough. I waited and after approval, I scheduled the necessary 5 appointments (5 shots of chicken in my knee.)
Going into the office, I was excited knowing that these shots will most likely take away much of my pain. The cortisone didn't hurt and my doctor was gentle...
Here's my experience with DR. X at the Corvallis Clinic...
I show up early to my appointment to fill out the necessary paperwork, but the doctor is running a bit behind... it will be just a moment.
I'm called back into the examining room. I wore shorts, because I thought that would be easier. I was asked to remove my shorts and put on paper shorts...O.K. whatever.
Doctor X comes into the room, obviously feeling rushed. Picks up the needle that has the "numbing potion" in it, finds the spot in my knee and lets loose. I mean he shot that stuff in my knee so quickly that it felt like electricity was going through my leg. A better description might be "like chewing on aluminum foil with a mouth full of fillings" only in my knee. Does this make sense? The guy takes his thumb and rubs where he gave me the shot. I lay on the table crying. The nurse was very kind and said that he was in a hurry. The doctor and I exchanged only a few words and he was gone. I'm not going there to make any friends, but I would like a little compassion when I'm in pain. I also think I should not have to pay for his tardiness.
Now, one shot is done...4 more to go. For the entire week I'm counting down the days until the next time I have to go in...like one would count down to falling off a cliff.
Shot number 2... I go in, the nurse sees me and comes over. She tells me to tell Dr. X to put the "potion" in slower this time. I'm thinking...yea right. The last thing I want to do is tell this guy that I didn't like how he gave me my last shot and could he please do it differently this time. It's amazingly scary knowing that someone will be doing something to your body that will either hurt, or wont, depending on what mood the doc is in.
I did ask him if he wouldn't mind going any slower this time. He seemed a little disgusted with me, but went slower and it didn't hurt. O.K. there we go... all will be fine. 3 shots to go...
The last 3 were much like the first. I went and took my medicine, but I can never go back to him.
My knee is hurting now... I guess that's why I told my story.
Does anyone know of a good knee doctor in Corvallis?
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3 comments:
The Corvallis Clinic is horrible. Never go there, if you can help it. They are only concerned with making as much money in as little time as possible. One of their doctors handled a surgery of mine and I woke up in the middle of it. He then canceled my followup appointment and billed my insurance incorrectly! With the exception of their oncologists, I wouldn't go see a Clinic doctor if it was totally free.
The best knee doctor in town is Dr. Ron Wobig. It's a bit of a pain to get into his office (very thorough secretary), but he's great. He handles a lot of the OSU athletes and he specializes in knees and shoulders. Dr. Coen, his partner, is also fantastic...but he mainly handles hip and knee replacements, not maintenance treatments.
Thank you for the info. I'll see what I can do about getting an appoinment. I don't mind going through a thorough secretary...I'll take that as a good sign. Thanks.
My family have had experience with Wobig and Coen and found them to be highly competent, but have also met with success several Corvallis Clinic doctors. I don't think they're all so bad. Another wonderful doctor from another clinic, a family physician is Dr. Bruce Thompson. He goes out of his way for his patients and is so kind and caring. He's not the knee guy, though, so his wonderfulness won't help your knee.
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