NORMAL LIFE: I Should Have Been An Orthopaedic Specialist

You won't believe what happened to me today! I mean, you'll fall over silly when I explain what happened at the hospital today. Following on from my recent entry about my bike accident in August (see here), and finally getting my insurance company to locate a collaborating-laboratory with which to do the much-needed CT scan with, I was handed my scans in electronic form on a CD-ROM.

I rushed home, look at the scans and, in my limited capacity as a semi-qualified accountant and Chartered Marketer, deduced nothing of value; the point is I could view the many images using my own computer at home.

Today came and I waited at HelsinginLääkärikeskus to be seen by the orthopaedic specialist. He put the CD-ROM into his CD-drive, but nothing came except a message claiming that 'Image Format Not Supported'. He barely tried to rectify the matter, not even bothering to try the CD on another computer for instance (just in case the case with PC-specific, as it can sometimes be).

He read through the radiologist's 100-word-of-so report that accompanied the CD, which stated that the two discs sitting between cervical vertebrae C5, C6 and C7 had ruptured, and it was this that was causing the immense pain and limited mobility of my neck. He told me that, outlook-wise, it could take up to a year to recover, and that I should refrain from exercising too much. What a bombshell that was for I like to go the gym and swim regularly.

I asked if further physiotherapy would help, agian being the active one! He said yes. I asked if he would recommend a physiotherapist, implying that the earlier one had not done the job properly. He said he didn't know of any! In disbelief, I claimed "you should know a physiotherapist if you're an othopaedic specialist". If looks could kill, I wouldn't be here right now to write this blog entry! I was like, oh my god! Not only with the computer issue, but also with recommending a physiotherapist, I thought this 'specialist' was nothing short of incompetent.

Basically, he wrote a prescription for further physiotherapy treatment, but handed over his second €170 bill for less than 15 minutes of his time! I knew I should have been an Orthopaedic Specialist!