Another should I stay or should I go question with COVID-19
March 18, 2020 4:13 PM Subscribe
A few weeks ago I passed out and gave myself multiple injuries, including what I hoped was a sprained wrist. But the pain is sharper now, and I'm really not sure what to do about it during the pandemic.
A few weeks ago, I had Mohs surgery on my face for a skin cancer. I followed the instructions to take a shower a couple days later, when I took the pressure bandage off (familiar steps, as it's not my first time at this rodeo). I bled a lot after the surgery because I bleed like a stuck pig on any given day and they had to do two rounds this time before sewing me up. Like, I bled so much in the office, but the bandage looked great when I took it off.
It's possible I was dehydrated from that, or just because there was so much swelling and trauma to my face, but I felt dizzy afterward and sat down, and next thing I knew I was coming to on the floor, grinding my wound into the bathmat and contorted up because my bathroom's the size of a postage stamp. My knees were very banged up, my neck hurt from twisting, I had a giant goose egg on my head, and my left wrist hurt a lot. Everything's slowly gotten back to normal (weirdly, my face wound was okay!) except my wrist and my knees, but the knees seem to get better while the wrist does not.
(It's also possible that it was related to an ongoing problem with the back excision I'd had for a similar issue where one of my stitches popped, and the wound opened and I developed an infection. That...has not helped anything in terms of my stamina.)
A couple years ago, I fell and the urgent care place told me I needed to see my regular doc when I got home from my trip, because there was a type of fracture or break that often doesn't show up on x-rays for a few weeks. My regular NP confirmed this, and they had to do multiple x-rays and eventually a scan (MRI? I think?) to confirm there was no break. I keep thinking about that because right now, I'm wondering if that's why the pain has become more acute.
I did find out from those test in 2018 that I have arthritis, which explained increasing hand pain I was having. So I honestly don't know if this is that fracture thing whose name I can't recall, or just because of the arthritis and the fall I took this time. My clinic is not allowing anything elective, of course, and they seem to be discouraging anything but serious conditions from coming in.
I'm 60, and aside from these two ridiculously awful things recently, in pretty good health most of the time, but who knows what I've been exposed to. I just honestly don't know what to do here, if this is something that will just heal on its own but leave me with lasting damage, like the broken leg I was walking around on for four months before I finally found out it was indeed broken, or if I should just let it sit for a while longer and wrap it.
YANMD, I know, but...it's incredibly uncomfortable in most positions, my livelihood means I need to type a lot, and I'm pretty poor right now with shit insurance and looking at massive bills for these two surgeries, so fixing something surgically later might be a no-go.
A few weeks ago, I had Mohs surgery on my face for a skin cancer. I followed the instructions to take a shower a couple days later, when I took the pressure bandage off (familiar steps, as it's not my first time at this rodeo). I bled a lot after the surgery because I bleed like a stuck pig on any given day and they had to do two rounds this time before sewing me up. Like, I bled so much in the office, but the bandage looked great when I took it off.
It's possible I was dehydrated from that, or just because there was so much swelling and trauma to my face, but I felt dizzy afterward and sat down, and next thing I knew I was coming to on the floor, grinding my wound into the bathmat and contorted up because my bathroom's the size of a postage stamp. My knees were very banged up, my neck hurt from twisting, I had a giant goose egg on my head, and my left wrist hurt a lot. Everything's slowly gotten back to normal (weirdly, my face wound was okay!) except my wrist and my knees, but the knees seem to get better while the wrist does not.
(It's also possible that it was related to an ongoing problem with the back excision I'd had for a similar issue where one of my stitches popped, and the wound opened and I developed an infection. That...has not helped anything in terms of my stamina.)
A couple years ago, I fell and the urgent care place told me I needed to see my regular doc when I got home from my trip, because there was a type of fracture or break that often doesn't show up on x-rays for a few weeks. My regular NP confirmed this, and they had to do multiple x-rays and eventually a scan (MRI? I think?) to confirm there was no break. I keep thinking about that because right now, I'm wondering if that's why the pain has become more acute.
I did find out from those test in 2018 that I have arthritis, which explained increasing hand pain I was having. So I honestly don't know if this is that fracture thing whose name I can't recall, or just because of the arthritis and the fall I took this time. My clinic is not allowing anything elective, of course, and they seem to be discouraging anything but serious conditions from coming in.
I'm 60, and aside from these two ridiculously awful things recently, in pretty good health most of the time, but who knows what I've been exposed to. I just honestly don't know what to do here, if this is something that will just heal on its own but leave me with lasting damage, like the broken leg I was walking around on for four months before I finally found out it was indeed broken, or if I should just let it sit for a while longer and wrap it.
YANMD, I know, but...it's incredibly uncomfortable in most positions, my livelihood means I need to type a lot, and I'm pretty poor right now with shit insurance and looking at massive bills for these two surgeries, so fixing something surgically later might be a no-go.
Response by poster: I should also mention--I did actually break my arm sort of in this general area quite a number of years ago. I still have a couple of left-hand braces but they are both uncomfortable, left over from the other injuries.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 4:25 PM on March 18, 2020
posted by kitten kaboodle at 4:25 PM on March 18, 2020
This sounds like a case for telemedicine. If you are in the US and insured, both your insurer and your primary care physician may have options. There may be a fee, but less expensive than going in; your insurer likely at least has a nurse phone line that is usually free. Any of these options will be able to tell you if you need to be seen in person and how urgent it might be.
If you are not in the US I haven’t the faintest idea of how you would manage, but there is still likely to be at least a phone consult available, if not full video setup.
posted by nat at 4:28 PM on March 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
If you are not in the US I haven’t the faintest idea of how you would manage, but there is still likely to be at least a phone consult available, if not full video setup.
posted by nat at 4:28 PM on March 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
There are orthopedic urgent care centers you could try, that would help you avoid emergency rooms and clinics (which you want to avoid right now for sure). I have no advice on whether you should actually get it looked at, but if it were my I'd probably go to the orthopedic urgent care.
posted by dbx at 4:30 PM on March 18, 2020
posted by dbx at 4:30 PM on March 18, 2020
Best answer: Intake procedure right now where I'm working is: call us and ask what you should do. When you say your clinic is restricting services, are you reading from a general policy notice or have you spoken directly with someone in the practice about your situation and been turned away?
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:33 PM on March 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:33 PM on March 18, 2020 [2 favorites]
If your pain has gotten worse, it is definitely worth getting in touch with a medical professional. You should certainly call first. A couple of avenues to try:
1. If you are insured, your insurer probably has a free nurse line. There's often a phone number on the back of your insurance card that you can call to get connected to all your insurance services, including a nurse line.
2. You can call your regular doctor, who will be able to tell you more specifically what the risk of coming in is, and may be able to offer you an online appointment (telemedicine).
I'm sorry you're in pain -- I hope you're able to get the help you need soon!
posted by ourobouros at 6:06 PM on March 18, 2020
1. If you are insured, your insurer probably has a free nurse line. There's often a phone number on the back of your insurance card that you can call to get connected to all your insurance services, including a nurse line.
2. You can call your regular doctor, who will be able to tell you more specifically what the risk of coming in is, and may be able to offer you an online appointment (telemedicine).
I'm sorry you're in pain -- I hope you're able to get the help you need soon!
posted by ourobouros at 6:06 PM on March 18, 2020
If a telemedicine appointment isn't enough, maybe you could see if a house call doctor could help. (Here's one app). Not without risk, since they may have been exposed to a contagious patient, but maybe better than sitting in a waiting room...
posted by pinochiette at 6:14 PM on March 18, 2020
posted by pinochiette at 6:14 PM on March 18, 2020
Best answer: Scaphoid fractures don't always show up on x-ray but require treatment. Extend all of your fingers. Look at your wrist right at the base of your thumb; you may see two tendons there ending at your wrist. If you press in between those tendons (on your wrist), does it hurt? That's pretty indicative of a scpahoid fracture.
I would get it checked out if you're not high risk in other ways. If you don't have it treated, it can interfere with blood flow to the area, which can lead to a painful condition called avascular necrosis, which is basically arthritis from a lack of proper blood flow to the bone.
The alternative is to just completely immobilize it yourself. Put a brace on and leave it there at all times. Do not move your wrist and especially do not move your thumb. Pretend you have a plaster cast on the area, since that would be the first line of treatment anyway. If it's not better when this crisis slows down, then you can have it checked out.
posted by Amy93 at 8:28 PM on March 18, 2020
I would get it checked out if you're not high risk in other ways. If you don't have it treated, it can interfere with blood flow to the area, which can lead to a painful condition called avascular necrosis, which is basically arthritis from a lack of proper blood flow to the bone.
The alternative is to just completely immobilize it yourself. Put a brace on and leave it there at all times. Do not move your wrist and especially do not move your thumb. Pretend you have a plaster cast on the area, since that would be the first line of treatment anyway. If it's not better when this crisis slows down, then you can have it checked out.
posted by Amy93 at 8:28 PM on March 18, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks so much, everyone. Scaphoid fracture—that’s totally what I was trying to recall! I will call tomorrow and see if they’ll talk to me—their notice was on the general home page but even a couple weeks ago when I was in, they were starting to restrict services.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:52 AM on March 19, 2020
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:52 AM on March 19, 2020
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I'm so sorry you've been going through so much! I'm not a doctor, but my instincts tell me that you should do whatever you would do if there wasn't a pandemic going on. If you can, make an appointment with your doctor or go to an urgent care center. I know that can be expensive, but it might give you some peace of mind.
Wishing you well!
posted by Drowsy Philosopher at 4:23 PM on March 18, 2020