The Daily Hailey

Ok, friends, you’re in for a ride. Another side of me – not a very pretty side – is on display here. 

Let me update you on Brady’s situation. The quick recap goes like this:

Bradys back pain began in July
He sought help through physio in August
Numbness began shortly after starting physio 
Condition worsened, and physio asked him to see his doctor
Finally saw doctor in October
Tests on tests on tests showed there was big issue
Specialist decided herniated disc and pinched nerve
“It will heal in six weeks to six months.”
Continued physio as condition maintained/worsened
Diligent physio appointments (that we couldn’t afford)
Stretches/exercises 3x daily
Last appointment December 14th

On December 14th, Bradys physio agreed that there maaaaybe should’ve been some progress by now, and there wasn’t. In the same appointment, he told Brady they were going to start spacing out their appointments further, and he didn’t need to see Brady for a month. DESPITE the fact that he was not getting better in the slightest. 

Bradys condition has been deteriorating. He limps like he’s 95. He falls in some capacity almost every day. He still cannot pee properly. Along with the condition of his body, his mental health is declining, as you can imagine. We both are feeling SO hopeless. 

On Friday, January 8th, Brady went in to see his physio. His therapist set up to stretch Brady’s leg, and his foot started twitching aggressively. Almost like kicking. This has been something that has happened the entire time. Involuntary leg twitches. His physio held the stretch for about 30 seconds and Brady’s foot twitched the absolute entire time. As it does. This isn’t new. His physio was shocked, and seemed very concerned. He left the room for a solid five minutes, according to Brady. He came back with a new stretch that he held Brady in for 15-20 minutes. Brady said it didn’t feel like a stretch at all, but he went with it. Meanwhile, his physio went over all the details, and reacted as though they were all new, though none of it was. He literally asked Brady when it all started. He should know these things! Brady says it was all quite maddening. Finally, his physio said the smartest and dumbest thing. He suggested there might still be a problem. A pinched nerve, perhaps. A disc still out of place, perhaps. Damage still being done, perhaps. What I have been saying THE WHOLE TIME! 🙄

And then the man had the gall to say “Let’s give it another week, and maybe we’ll talk about getting in touch with your doctor. You might need an MRI.” 

What is the week in the middle supposed to entail?? I asked Brady if he gave him a new circuit of stretches or advice or something – anything – different. But no. When Brady asked him about stretches, which I say again he has been diligently pouring over for months, his physio told him “Don’t worry too much about stretches. Just do what feels good.” 

THEN WHAT IS THE IDLE WEEK FOR?!?!?! 

If nothing else, that appointment confirmed for us that we are done with that physio. Not out of bitterness, that he couldn’t solve our problem, but out of straight unprofessionalismn and negligence. This physio has been good to Brady before, and helped him through a pretty brutal work injury a few years ago, but this issue is clearly out of his wheelhouse, and he should be the bigger person and have referred him out. Instead, Brady has been his experiment, and that is absolute crap. He’s been negligent and dishonest. He needs to take ownership. But the only way to get anything done with that is to sue, which we have no interest in doing. So we simply back out.

ALL of this to say, Brady originally went in with back pain. Not numbness. Only after a weird physio treatment with an aggressive massage tool did his disc slip and did his legs go numb. Thats all I’ll say about that. 

Brady and I were both pretty furious after his appointment. Thankfully, he had a phone call arranged with a doctor just an hour after physio. He wasn’t able to get on with Dr. Guselle, but it was something. 

He discussed with the doctor his history, what had been happening over the last couple of months, and how his physio appointment had gone that morning. The doctor actually asked him when he had his MRI. Not if. When. He said he hadn’t had one, and she was blown away. 

BECAUSE HE NEEDS ONE!

He needed one months ago, but covid made it complicated, so he didn’t “need” one anymore. 

The doctor he spoke to promised to get a referral in to an orthopaedic surgeon that very day.

That was Friday. On Monday, Brady had to come home early from work because his legs couldn’t hold him up anymore. He and I both were just so discouraged. I had him call Spinal Pathways, and they said they had no referral. So he called our clinic next, and there was no referral. I was FURIOUS.

Thankfully, one of Dr. Guselle’s staff called back a couple of hours later, after speaking to our doctor, personally. Apparently, after Brady’s call with the other doctor, Dr. Guselle had changed the plan. Rather than referring him to the orthopaedic surgeon who would decide whether or not Brady needed an MRI or a CT, she’s going to just try to skip that step and get a scan booked. Because she knows how long this stupid road has been, and how badly he needs SOME kind of help.

Thank you, Lord, for our doctor!!!

I know I sound ranty and bitchy and fired up, but thats just where I’m at. If you watched my husband walk up the stairs, you’d be just as angry. If you watched him fall out of the vehicle, you’d be angry. If you watched him misstep and spill food, you’d be angry, too. If you saw the shape he was in after a day of work, you’d be angry, too.

And then he’d be angry, because above ALL of this, he is so self conscious and wants no pity. 

We are coming to the end of our rope over here. Or at least thats how it feels. There is always more rope, it seems. 

Lord, guide us. Guide our health care professionals.