Physical Therapy

I, personally, will be delighted to see 2011 come to an end in a few days. I have seen more doctors and medical personnel in the last year than I have in the prior ten. It started in April with a visit to the optometrist. She determined that my cataracts were getting bad enough to call for a trip to the opthamologist. After a brief visit with Dr. Rigsby it was decided that I needed cataract surgery on both eyes. So first surgery on May 9th and the second on May 25th. Both required additional followup visits so the good doctor could check his work. June 17th I get my release from him and June 19th we are on the Harley for a much needed motorcycle ride. A great way to spend Father's day. June 20th I exercise poor judgement and fall off a ladder and dislocate my left shoulder. Emergency room doctor can't get it back so orthopedic surgeon has to be called in. Hospital bill ( not including doctor ) $14,000+ for part of one day. Doctor visits, physical therapy and MRI result in rotator cuff surgery on Augaust 30th. Hospital bill for outpatient surgery $42,000+ and I still have not stayed overnight. Now more doctor visits and more physical therapy and shoulder is still no where near full function. Today it was back to the opthmoLogist for a 6 month check on the cataract surgery. I cannot say enough nice things about Dr. Rigsby. I am able to see 20/20 and his work was amazing.

Physical therapy for those who have not been lucky enough to participate yet is simply legal medical torture. My therapist is Megan and she is affectionately referred to by her coworkers as "Megan the Mangler". She is allowed to fold, bend, twist and abuse me two or three times a week. It hurts like hell. I don't know about torture down at Guantanmo Bay but what Megan does to me would make me tell any secrets I knew and make stuff up if the truth wasn't enough for her. So if the military wants to eliminate the stigma of the United States government using and advocating the use of torture I have a suggestion. The government is always renaming things to make them sound better, we no longer have poor people they are economically disadvantaged. It is no longer torture, it is physical therapy. We are trying to restore the physical vitality of these detainees by giving them physical therapy. By the way they have a dandy device that electrically stimulates your muscles that can be quite effective in making you say things. Not as glamorous as hooking you testicles to a car battery but certainly as effective and it is a "medical procedure". So maybe they aren't even detainees any more, now they are long term guests at a Carribean health spa. It is all about how information is presented isn't it? If I went to therapy and Megan was wearing a leather dominatrix outfit and holding a cat of nine tails I am sure there were be a line of men wanting "therapy". Somehow I doubt if the health care law passed last year would cover that therapy.