Getting better every day

I has an interesting couple of days. I went to the surgeon's office to get the medical leave letter and a refill on my pain killers. I was not a happy camper when I left his office. You've heard the old "dragon at the gate" to describe the woman between you and the person you want to see? Usually that's the secretary to the big boss. In my case, it was the nurse between me and the surgeon.

Get this - she said that he "never gives more than 1 week of pain killers" and that he only signs people out of work for 2 weeks. She said that it's "illegal for him to do so for a longer period" because he's only responsible for the incision, not the patient's overall feeling. I really don't believe her about the legal aspect. And I never got to ask the doctor about it.

She said that I'd have to see my family doctor to get what I wanted. The problem is that my family doctor normally takes 2 weeks to get an appointment.

Well, I took a chance and called my family doctor. I was able to see her today. Surprise, surprise - she'd had a cancellation. My experience there was complete opposite from the surgeon's office. She was just amazingly caring and sympathetic. Right away she wrote me a note for another month off work and a prescription for 3-4 weeks of pain killers. (By then I shouldn't need them, I hope.) She said that urgeons don't like to write medical-leave notes but that a doctor can sign someone off work for as long as they need to be off. Oh, and to top it off, I got to pay $20 for the surgeon's note that turned out to be useless since my family doctor's covers me.

So what am I going to do about the dragon lady? Well, I have an appointment with the surgeon next week and I'm going to mention it to him. After all, he told me to expect to be off work for a minimum of 3 weeks. Why would he say that if it's "illegal" for him to sign people out for more than 2 weeks? I think that the nurse is crossing some line, don't you?

Anyway, now that I have the pain killers, I'm back to my normal happy self. Of course I'm being careful and not lifting anything with my left arm, but other than that, I'm doing better every day. I'm getting stronger and stronger. I'm still not driving and my son is my chaffeur (which he hates, by the way). I'll wait until I see the surgeon to make sure the incision is completely healed before I take the chance. I don't want to pull it apart.