A matter of priorities

Yesterday I was reminded that I do not always have all my ducks in a row, priority-wise.

It's been about five months since I started physical therapy for my shoulder. After my last whiny update* in June, things started progressing and I gained a lot of mobility in pretty short order, even though I had cut back to two appointments per week and didn't do any of my exercises at home.

Things were going along pretty well, up to a point. There is still something that just won't let me do certain things. Running down the middle of the side of my upper arm is this pain. It's been with me from the beginning, but now that almost all the other pain is gone, it has taken center stage.

I was re-evaluated yesterday and given the verdict that I need to go see the orthopods in the orthopedics clinic. There may be a tear in there somewhere, and I guess those things just don't go away by themselves. There may be another MRI in my future, and there may be a little arthroscopic surgery required.

As you might expect, I immediately started to worry.

Did I worry about the fact that I lose access to this medical facility when I marry -- in approximately 90 days -- and if I wait to have MRI/surgery done after the wedding it could cost me thousands of dollars, even with insurance?

Oh, but no.

My first concern was about the nose piercing I was going to get this week so it would be mostly healed for the wedding. If I have an MRI or surgery, they will make me take out the nose screw (lovely name, that) and that is something you just don't want to do to a new piercing.

The real issue popped to the forefront of my consciousness when I was told the soonest I could get in to see the orthopod is in about five weeks.

Let's see... three months less five weeks leaves... about eight weeks to get a diagnosis and treatment.

Oh yeah, that could totally happen.

* Then again, I guess all my updates are whiny.