The tale of the Christmas Day ER visit

[Hermione]

So for several months, I've noticed after sitting for a long time then standing up, I walk funny, like one leg is longer than the other. I also noticed my left shoelace kept coming untied.

I just figured I'm fat and I'd been working out a lot trying to fix said fatness. Plus I'm 35 and not a spring chicken anymore.

Christmas Eve I woke up from a nap and realized I had a stretching type pain over my left heel. At that point I began hobbling. Stepped out of the shower that night and nearly hit my knees it hurt so bad.

Christmas Day? No better and my foot started tingling. So off to my friendly neighborhood ER I went.

One man's wife had attempted suicide I think , one guy nearly cut his finger off, and another girl had smashed her hand all up. I felt bad taking up space there.

But anyway, after my leg ultrasound, and their 3 attempts at an X-ray (they came while I was having my ultrasound looking for me, then tried to do them again after they'd already done it) I got placed in THE PEN. For the not so sick people.

After hearing them tell a heavier guy with a RAGING case of sleep apnea his gallbladder was acting up and telling the guy who jumped a fence he broke his kneecap, it was my turn.

She told me I had a heel spur. My mouth dropped open. My parents have had them so I knew what they were, but I was stunned. An RX for prescription strength Aleve and I was off 9 days later to the podiatrist my dad used for his spur.

This was my convo with the nurse:

Nurse: "What do you weigh?"
Me: x...and that's down from my heaviest weight of x"
Nurse: "We're not gonna talk about weight. I got 3 teenage daughters and still got my pregnancy weight."
Me: "You look good!"
Nurse: "You haven't seen me naked." *shuts door*
Me:

Gotta love it. Finally after 9 days of waiting I saw the spur. IT. WAS. GINORMOUS. He was thoroughly impressed and said I'd had it for a while. Got a cortisone shot, pads for my shoes, and come back in a month. I had my shot yesterday and it hurt so bad!!! I hurt the rest of yesterday once the freezing spray wore off and most of today! But I think it might finally be kicking in.

That nurse was great.

[Sapphire Silk]

I have the exact same problem. Hopefully the shot fixed it. Don't get frustrated if you need more than one injection (I've had two so far, and will be getting another one in February). Some folks get by with just the one (hope you do), others (like me) don't. But there is a lot your doctor can do to help you with this, so be sure to follow up.

[Hermione]

Oh I definitely will.

I've got LOTS of training coming up at work though, so I gotta kinda see the schedule first. I'm a medical coder and we're COMPLETELY changing our billing.

Now inpatient hospital bills through a database and outpatient clinics use a different web based program for clinic notes and billing.

In April we will ALL start using our inpatient EMR outpatient notes and billing functions. And the doctors and midlevel providers (NP's) will be leveling their own services and capturing their own charges. Us Coders will just be checking behind them and sending off the claim.

So needless to say, there's a BUTTLOAD of training coming up.

[PastryGal]

oh my!! I'm getting a slip from my doc soon to get my foot xrayed for the same thing too. Already have my show inserts ajusted at my foot docs, was initially done for plantar fasciitis almost a year ago. I'm noticing a lot less pain again already with the extra work done to my inserts. Was going around in pain for a few months before finally going back in to see him, lol. Though it was my shoes but got new shoes and still same problem but much better now that he's ajusted.