Back to the Future

by Marinka on November 21, 2008

Yesterday, I went to see a doctor.  He was very nice, but I’m still blogging about it. Because of what he said. 

I went to see the doctor because the day before I hurt my back by sitting at my desk and blinking, apparently. Or maybe thinking. I don’t know. Whatever it was, one moment I was fine and the next moment I was in excruciating pain. Fortunately, John was nearby to provide words of comfort. I believe his exact words were “God rewards the good and punishes the bad”. Really, who needs a heating pad when he’s around?

I felt fine whenever I was totally still, but if I had to do something extraneous, like, say, breathe, I was in agony.  Adding to the agony was the total lack of ecstasy, since my husband left that day for a five day business trip, so I couldn’t even milk this ailment by sitting in bed surrounded by fluffy pillows, the remote control, my favorite magazines and a bell, to be used whenever I needed a grape peeled or or a page turned.  Seriously, what is the point of not feeling well if your partner is not around? I don’t know why people even bother, it’s totally not worth it.

Fortunately, I have many family members who are in the medical field, which generally works out well for me because I am in the hypochondria field.  Within an hour, I had the following advice, from my nearest and dearest:
Mama: “You need to go to the gym.”
Papa: “You need to wash the kitchen floor, the motion will be good for your back.”
Some random guy: “Complete bed rest.”
Husbandrinka: “You will need to change your lifestyle and exercise more.”
John: “Dance with me. It’ll be like Dancing with the Tsars.” 
So given this mixed advice, I decided to seek professional help.  The doctor was nice and asked me if I was worried about the economy and the state of our country.  Always a good sign when they try to make small talk by terrorizing the shit out of you, so that you’re begging for a quick death.  He xrayed me and said that everything looked fine and when I pointed to the alarming jagged lines that I saw on the film, reassured me that it was my pants’ zipper.  Apparently that’s a very common condition and not as dangerous as it looks.
He told me that I needed pain medication. I was 100% on board.  
“Have you taken any painkillers that were effective before?” he asked.
“Yes, morphine,” I told him.  What?  What did you take after your C-section, Tums?
Well, he prescribed percocet.  And he told me that I should rest.
“Complete rest?” my tail started wagging.
“You can still cook and do the laundry,” he said.  “I wouldn’t carry heavy grocery bags.”
Seriously, what the fuck?
Did I make the appointment in the mid-50s?  Last weekend, a guard at the museum made a passing reference implying that I cleaned a lot.
Is there something about me that screams domesticity? Because if there is, I’d like to have that something’s vocal cords cut.  And not share the percocet.
 
 

One year ago ...

0saves
If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the RSS feed.

{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }

anymommy November 22, 2008 at 2:59 am

You post at the perfect time for me to be first every day while I live in the middle of nowhere. Or, you could totally mess with me and approve me like 55th or something. But, then I’d look dumb. you wouldn’t want that, would you? Maybe it would help your back (the chortling and all)? Certainly has to be a better suggestion than Papa’s.

Reply

Kylie w Warszawie November 22, 2008 at 4:06 am

Ha! I wouldn’t have even noticed that remark, which is kind of sad. And I never had a c-section, but I only took Motrin for pain, and I was TOTALLY stupid for doing that. I should have gotten the hard drugs when I could.

Reply

Vodka Mom November 22, 2008 at 4:17 am

LAUNDRY? He is CLEARLY a quack. Except for the percocet.

(your tail was waggin’ – that seriously cracked me up!!!)

Reply

Vodka Mom November 22, 2008 at 4:18 am

okay, so the tail wagging thing totally cracked me the hell up.

AND, the doctor is CLEARLY a quack. Except for the percocet………

Reply

ingrid November 22, 2008 at 6:10 am

dutch doctors would totally give you the same advice without the percoset.

seriously. i’ve dragged myself to the doctor mid horrible cold with cough and green snot and they tell you to rest for week. the good thing is that all employers go with this too, so there is no problem taking time off for illness.

it must be some calvinist thing about feeling the pain.

Reply

Tooj November 22, 2008 at 6:14 am

Your husband says things I probably would. LOL My hubs gets a pain and I always say “you need to exercise more and you wouldn’t get these weird pains.” Good luck with the percocet!

Reply

Madge November 22, 2008 at 6:46 am

if a doctor is not going to tell me to stop cooking and doing laundry and cleaning i have no need of seeing him. wait, first i would have to start cooking, cleaning and doing laundry to stop it, but you get the idea.

Reply

Newt November 22, 2008 at 7:10 am

Enjoy the percocet. With any luck it will make you feel more like the 60’s than the 50’s.

Reply

Ashlie- Mommycosm November 22, 2008 at 7:34 am

I would have totally bitch slapped the Dr! Or at least shot daggers from my eyes while dreaming about bitch slapping him.

OK, about the pain…have you ever gone to a chiropractor? I highly recommend finding a network spinal analysis chiropractor. Mine has fixed me when a mere blink knocks me to the floor with back pain. Without meds. Although sometimes meds are good, it just puts a band aid on the problem and doesn’t address the real issue.

Hope you feel better soon. Back pain sucks.

Reply

Heinous November 22, 2008 at 8:12 am

Oh, I’ve always seen you as June Cleaver. I mean…you could be twins, right?

Reply

Smart A$$ Mom November 22, 2008 at 9:03 am

Rewarding the good and punishing the bad? Clearly I am reading the wrong book. I heard that only the boring die sober. Or something to that extent.

Reply

Comedy Goddess November 22, 2008 at 9:24 am

Doctors are too busy writing perscriptions for their wives to bother about us less fortunate souls.

Didn’t people visit grand spa retreats in sexy European villas, surrounded by sexy service people, all sanctioned by doctors orders?

We have lost so much!

Reply

Heather November 22, 2008 at 11:13 am

I appear to be the only person that nearly peed herself at “Dance with me. It’ll be like Dancing with the Tsars”. That is the best line ever!

Reply

Aunt Becky November 22, 2008 at 3:06 pm

I’m in dire need of some percocet. Care to help a sister out?

Reply

kia (good enough mama) November 22, 2008 at 6:31 pm

Jackass. Cook and do the laundry. Jackass.

“I’m in the hypochondria field…”

LMFAO, lady. Love. it.

Reply

Swistle November 22, 2008 at 6:53 pm

Hee. And can I SWEEP THE FRONT STEPS, as long as I don’t VACUUM?

Percocet puts me in a forgiving mood, though.

Reply

Temple November 22, 2008 at 9:17 pm

Did he mention whether you would still be able to wander around the house wearing a lace-ruffled apron or if the meds would hamper your weekly beauty parlor trip to get your hair “set”? WTF? Oh well, the important thing is you got the drugs…that’s what I told myself a few months back when the “stand-in” pharmacy guy (with the one bad eye) went to get my birth control pills, came back, looked at my left hand and said “But you’re not married…” Really? Really?

Reply

Sophie, Inzaburbs November 22, 2008 at 11:43 pm

Yeah. Next time you go to the doctors, take your apron off first. And remove your dishwashing gloves.

I am still waiting for a doctor to ask me what pain medication has worked for me so that I can look them in the eye and say “heroin”. Because that is what I was prescribed after my c-section. Truth.

Oh, and can we get a guest post from your friend John? Or did he already do one and I missed it?

Reply

bernthis November 23, 2008 at 3:01 pm

I had horrible back pain over the summer. I went to see a chiropracter for knee pain and for only 300 bucks he gave me a back problem to go with it. Kind of a matched set. I think he just liked the idea of everything coming in sets of 2.

When I told him I had back pain and that my knee was still throbbing, he pointed to my head as in :

“your nuts.”

Nice huh?

I didn’t hit him b/c I was so shocked at his reaction that I could barely speak or walk for that matter.

Reply

Anna See November 23, 2008 at 4:47 pm

Ugh. I remember when a doctor told me I needed to “do my wifely duty” if you know what I mean. I don’t think he winked, but he might as well have.

Reply

Anna Lefler November 23, 2008 at 8:40 pm

Who is this infidel doctor? This has HMO written all over it.

Clearly, you should have a personal physician, ideally one who makes a great grilled cheese sandwich.

I’m picturing the Andy Griffith type.

Maybe without the whistling, though.

Hope you’re back in full ninja form by now…

:^) Anna

Reply

Julia November 23, 2008 at 11:42 pm

My family loves to give me medical advice too. My mom is an ofice manager for a gastroentonologist so she thinks she is a doctor by osmosis. Oh well, at least I can get drugs from her 😉

Reply

ShallowGal November 24, 2008 at 5:39 am

DUDE ! I hurt my back this weekend too, doing absolutely nothing, giving more credence to your theory that Husbandrinka and PCSguy are one and the same.

Except PCSguy made me an appointment for a 90 minute massage, so he does love me more.

xoxo, SG

Reply

Kristine November 24, 2008 at 7:03 am

Beacuase baskets of laundry are lighter? than heavy grocery bags? Maybe I don’t do my laundry often enough, but this does not compute.

Is this Dr. friends with Husbandrinka? Sounds like he might be.

Reply

Magpie November 24, 2008 at 12:36 pm

Mmm, opiates.

Reply

Z November 25, 2008 at 11:24 am

Pssssst: I’ve still got a goodly stash of the good stuff – i.e. post-surgery drugs – stored at my place, if you need something extra.

Though really, for this kind of pain? I’d suggest a good swift kick to the you-know-where for anybody who even suggests you cook and clean… ACK! No!

Reply

WA November 25, 2008 at 11:29 am

Maybe you should stop carrying around that squeegee.

Reply

Previous post:

Next post: