9/24/13 5:33 AM

Well, I hate to say it, but Linda did it again. She was having a great time at the Sucker Brook 'cross race and riding well, when she crashed on a muddy section after the barriers. This time, she fell on her shoulder and broke her scapula in at least 3 places. An ortho doc on the Cape looked at the CT and X-rays and said it's nothing that he would touch, but he referred her to a shoulder specialist in Boston. We'll know by tomorrow if she'll need surgery, but in my non-expert viewing of the scans, it sure looks likely. This is the third significant injury in less than two years and she's probably done competing. "Propeller Head" will most likely be retiring from the local 'cross peloton.

She's pretty bummed, as much because she was having so much fun before the accident as anything else. We may go to Gloucester to cheer on her team and the many friends she's made in the sport. We'll definitely keep riding 'cross bikes, but it will be on trails and dirt roads, not on racecourses.

9/24/13 5:56 AM

Bummer for sure and she has my best wishes. Sounds like she has a great spirit.

9/24/13 6:33 AM

Bummer. Too many people are getting hurt these days!

Best wishes for a speedy, though relaxed, recovery. And good drugs.

9/24/13 7:09 AM

I think this may be a first for Sucker book at last in the morning to have a muddy course, of course by afternoon everything was drying out. I am sorry for Linda. Hope she heals well. I have a shoulder specialist in Boston I can recommend if needed...

9/24/13 7:34 AM

That's a bummer, missing the season. Hope she heals fast.

And I assume she's got her bone density checked not too long ago?

9/24/13 9:31 AM

Heal fast. Best wishes.

9/24/13 10:16 AM

Speedy recovery for her! Sounds like a longer haul though as far as that goes. Shoulders are pretty complicated joints, get the best surgeon if that is the route she must go...

9/25/13 5:34 AM

Linda was feeling much better yesterday and was in better spirits, too. She should hear form the shoulder specialist today, then we'll have a better idea about her treatment and prognosis.

Rick, what's the name of your shoulder doc? I'm curious if it's the same guy that she's been referred to.

I was watching the carnage at the bridge before her race and it amazed me at the number of riders who had no idea how to ride it and ended up in a heap, often taking down several people behind them. There was even one slow learner who crashed on it twice! You have to be a bit crazy to race 'cross, but you don't have to be stupid...

9/25/13 5:49 AM

My Shoulder doc was Dr. Jeff Zilberfarb of Meeks and Zilberfarb and BIDMC.

(Lou Meeks was a doc for an NFL team)
http://www.bidmc.org/CentersandDepartments/Departments/OrthopaedicSurgery/ServicesandPrograms/SportsMedicine/OurTeam/AffiliatedTeachingFaculty/JeffreyZilberfarbMD.aspx

I should get a "frequent flier" discount as I have been a "customer" of Dr. Meeks & Dr. Zilberfarb since the 1990's Zilberfarb "restrung" my shoulder and installed my "hardware".

I have to publicly thank Pete H as when I had to get to my appointments and I could not drive both he and his lovely wife Carol as they were kind to drive me over and back from appointments

9/26/13 5:00 AM

...a Glen Ross at NEBH. She checked him out and he's apparently really good.

9/26/13 6:02 AM

yup the NE Baptist Hosp is well regarded for their Orthopedics Dept

Wish Linda good recovery from us

9/27/13 5:34 AM

...and she may end up contacting him, as she's heard nothing so far.

It never ceases to amaze me how rude and unprofessional doctors can be. They seem to have no understanding that the single most important thing that patients need when waiting for a diagnosis is communication . Even if it's just a courtesy contact from one of their staff to say that the doctor hasn't been able to review their scan data, that's at least something that indicates that someone actually cares and is thinking about them. Completely ignoring people is absolutely inexcusable!

9/27/13 7:55 AM

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It never ceases to amaze me how rude and unprofessional doctors can be.

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9/27/13 8:20 AM

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It never ceases to amaze me how rude and unprofessional doctors can be.

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9/27/13 9:14 AM

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/easing-doctor-burnout-with-mindfulness/?src=me&ref=general&_r=0

9/27/13 9:44 AM

Just finished the "Checklist Manifesto" written by a surgeon, the amount of caseload, complexity looks overwhelming....

http://www.amazon.com/The-Checklist-Manifesto-Things-Right/dp/0312430000

9/27/13 10:22 AM

I have fired a surgeon after the surgery was scheduled. I walked out of his office after a third over hour wait, well over. Now the asshole has time and calls me telling me to get back there. I said your fucking fired, get some interns or an associate. he says, I already scheduled the surgery, you can't just go to another doctor. I said fuck you and hung up.

Elaine has a few @ work at the surgery center that are real fucks. A few of them are outstanding surgeons, but no correlation between skills and tude for the most part apparently.

Last edited by Sparky on 9/28/13 11:12 AM; edited 1 time in total

9/27/13 11:16 AM

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doctors - they exist on an elevated plane

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9/28/13 5:56 AM

...that they may have heavy workloads and lots of "balls in the air", but that's why you hire a support staff to handle the small things. Linda is a Nurse Practitioner and she understands the operation of a medical office firsthand. Neither of us expect a surgeon to sit with her for an hour, hold her hand and tell her everything is going to be alright. However, we do expect the common courtesy of a phone call, at least from someone on the doctor's staff.

Yesterday, she thought she had made some progress in getting through in the morning only to hear nothing for the rest of the day. Now she has to wait until Monday, which is more than a week after the accident, and she still has no complete diagnosis, prognosis or surgery scheduled (assuming it's necessary). She has no idea if it could or will heal on it's own. Our frustration level is through the roof right now and it could have been avoided with simple communication.

It's hard to heal when you're stressed out because A-hole doctors can't be bothered to return a friggin' phone call!

9/28/13 11:09 AM

Totally understood. That's why doctors also get the moniker "body mechanics". Establish a really good rapport with the nurses can be a big plus. They will certainly empathize with you and better look after you, including getting timely information/command the attention of the doctor.

9/28/13 7:54 PM

My situation is somewhat similar to that of Linda's. Looking back, I had wasted a full week, an extra week of pain and discomfort, before the surgery finally happened.

When my Mom broke her jaw, she had better luck. The Maxilo-facial specialist was able to see her the next day, surgery the following day. So a speedy route to recovery.

I get to see the contrast of good and bad practice in medicine. Yes, it's stressful to be left in the dark!

Do tell Linda to assume it'll heal on her own. That way, she can relax and let the body does it magic. Even if she end up having to have surgery, there's nothing to lose.

9/30/13 5:37 AM

In desperation, she texted him on Saturday morning and he actually responded. One specialist has reviewed her scans and said no surgery was necessary. A second opinion is in the works. So, despite the aggravation due to lack of communication, at least he's doing the right thing from a medical standpoint. Linda's going to make an appointment with one of the specialists to discuss what she needs to do going forward.

9/30/13 6:38 PM

I've had a number of ORIF (open reduction internal fixation) surgeries (pins and screws inserted and still there) and I was always more concerned about finding a good "bone carpenter" than a guy with good bedside manner. My most recent one was certainly that but he did a good repair. It was my task to chase him down for information and answers. It would have been great if he had been chatty and friendly but I was mostly worried about him being good with a drill and such. It seems that a doctor with well-rounded capabilities is a bit rare.

Remember: the difference between a doctor and God is that God doesn't think (s)he's a doctor.

Also remember that half of them graduated in the bottom half of their class.

10/1/13 5:30 AM

...but rather of basic professionalism and communication. They should have it drilled into them daily that YOU DON'T IGNORE PATIENTS". Linda has a few patients that she'd rather not deal with, but she does the right thing and treats them professionally. There is NO excuse for any physician to do otherwise. The doc that fixed my hip wasn't warm and fuzzy either, but when I needed information and straight answers, he was right there. We had a great relationship throughout my recovery because of that.

10/1/13 9:24 AM

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It's not a question of "chatty and friendly"...
...but rather of basic professionalism and communication

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I was always more concerned about finding a good "bone carpenter" than a guy with good bedside manner.

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