Hi Folks
I hope all are doing well!
I was a member here for years, but have been offline for awhile as my doctor advised me to get my mind off of pelvic pain, and stay off all boards.
I have a question and am seeking your thoughts about the following..
I have been seeing a very savvy physical therapist for, a couple years, for my severe pain with sitting and some varying urinary issues.
After several years of suffering and countless docs ,specialists and PTs, I finally met her through a lucky referral..
She treated my physical symptoms, getting rid of the many trigger points she had found .More importantly, we developed a
relationship of trust and friendship. She re-assured me that I did not have any of the diseases I'd been frightened of for years, but instead my
muscles were clenched and spasmed due to intense fear, and the fact that I was obsessively searching for answers. I had in effect been clenching these muscles every waking minute adding fuel to the fire,to the point where I couldn't sit. She assured me that had a muscle issue called Pelvic floor dysfunction.
I was very familiar with this,, due to all my research. It was a relief to hear.
Long story short, I began eating normally again and gained back the 30lbs I had lost from useless elimination diets I'd tried in an effort to cure my pain..
The foods didn't aggravate my pain! and I looked healthy again.. I became active, dined out, attended events, even the World Series! My anal rectal pain was still there, but I knelt on cushions during activities. I still had after-pain but it settled down to baseline fairly soon after.
I now had hope! Finally!!
But this fall, things began to plateau, and I wasn't doing quite as well. I mentioned it to my Physical therapist and she said it was not physical but my emotions/ worry, which was partly true.. IMHO.
However I sought out a second opinion with a new and PT out of state, at the advice of my doctor. His approach and findings were entirely different,,and the homework he gave me often provoked my pain.. and worry. I worked with him for a few months, but the whole thing confused me even more!
Then I decided to return to my local PT. BTW I had let her know I was taking a break; she was ok with it.
My problem: Now I cannot get her to return my texts, voicemails, etc. even though I have explained how much pain I am in!
The pelvic floor PT world is not large. The PTs know each other, and word gets around fast. I would guess they talk about their patients.
My guess is that she heard I got a second opinion and is now angry at me? Thus she is ignoring my calls. (she is a very prideful person. )
I have tried a few times now. She responded once by text, with the words "HI Kathy it's me" .
When I asked to set up an appointment, I never heard from her again!
I cannot think of any reason she would ignore me other than the above.. (No family emergencies, as I heard she was at a class this week.)
What can I can I do? My question: Is she legally required to treat me? She cannot discharge a patient just because I got another opinion (a patient's right..)
I really need her care and suggestions to help me get well. She also had many good ideas for the emotional piece of my pain (which is huge). She understood better than Pyscho- therapists/talk therapists, as they don't truly "get" pelvic pain..etc.
The few savvy PTs of her level are a much further drive away, and I doubt my hubby would do the long drives as he has no understanding of this pain.(another story!), and is rightfully very tired of all the appointments and $$ spent.
Plus after investing over 2 years and much $$ on this PT, I don't want to start at square one again.
Can anyone pls respond and tell me how I should proceed? My goal is to resume therapy with her. A face to face discussion would help her to understand that a doctor suggested a second opinion , and I was just following doctor's orders.
I feel so lost and don't know what to do. Thank you very much in advance.
PT ethical Question
Re: PT ethical Question
Hi Kathy,
It sounds like you contact her directly to schedule appointment (in other words, she does not have a front desk worker who schedules them)? Either way, if you have her email address (or could get if from her scheduler), you could send her a short but thoughtful email that explains that you sought out a second opinion but concluded from that experience that her approach is, in fact, best approach and that you would like to resume treatment. I would frame experience with the other pt as one that made clear to you just helpful she has been. I think it should be just two or three sentences long in total. Another option is to ask the scheduler if s/he could relay the message to her (again, just a couple of sentences). If you don't have email or a scheduler, you could try leaving a short voice mail or a short text that explains this.
April
It sounds like you contact her directly to schedule appointment (in other words, she does not have a front desk worker who schedules them)? Either way, if you have her email address (or could get if from her scheduler), you could send her a short but thoughtful email that explains that you sought out a second opinion but concluded from that experience that her approach is, in fact, best approach and that you would like to resume treatment. I would frame experience with the other pt as one that made clear to you just helpful she has been. I think it should be just two or three sentences long in total. Another option is to ask the scheduler if s/he could relay the message to her (again, just a couple of sentences). If you don't have email or a scheduler, you could try leaving a short voice mail or a short text that explains this.
April
Re: PT ethical Question
Hi April,
Thank you so much for your response. .
Unfortunately she has no email, she deleted it awhile back so her patients couldn't contact her off hours.
She has a kind male partner who does regular PT. I called after she is gone for the day , (after 3:00) hoping to get him, as I assume he would be gracious and fair. But no luck so far. I will probably try to reach her directly once more, then keep trying for the male Pt to answer and as you said describe my predicament in a short, but very complimentary way.
She has quite the ego, if she is ingoring me for following doctor's orders etc.,. If all else fails, I will leave the short message on the
machine or text her the same way,as you suggested. I could also write her a short letter and mail it to her.
I did try to text her this weekend.. no answer.
My only other thought is that she lost her cell phone and got a new one, and/ or somehow didn't get my office message. I doubt it though.
She is a very talented PT, and keeps up with all the latest advancements, classes. etc. Very highly thought of here in our area.
PT and calming my central system are my best hopes of healing... Each one is very important to me.
Thank you again for being so kind April. Im feeling so lost!
I will follow your advice.
Thank you so much for your response. .
Unfortunately she has no email, she deleted it awhile back so her patients couldn't contact her off hours.
She has a kind male partner who does regular PT. I called after she is gone for the day , (after 3:00) hoping to get him, as I assume he would be gracious and fair. But no luck so far. I will probably try to reach her directly once more, then keep trying for the male Pt to answer and as you said describe my predicament in a short, but very complimentary way.
She has quite the ego, if she is ingoring me for following doctor's orders etc.,. If all else fails, I will leave the short message on the
machine or text her the same way,as you suggested. I could also write her a short letter and mail it to her.
I did try to text her this weekend.. no answer.
My only other thought is that she lost her cell phone and got a new one, and/ or somehow didn't get my office message. I doubt it though.
She is a very talented PT, and keeps up with all the latest advancements, classes. etc. Very highly thought of here in our area.
PT and calming my central system are my best hopes of healing... Each one is very important to me.
Thank you again for being so kind April. Im feeling so lost!
I will follow your advice.
Re: PT ethical Question
That all sounds good. Good luck! It sounds like a tricky situation.
April
April
Re: PT ethical Question
Thx April,
I got a doctor of mine to call her. She got the receptionist to make an appointment for me.. We will see how it goes.
Thx again for your suggestions and good wishes!
I got a doctor of mine to call her. She got the receptionist to make an appointment for me.. We will see how it goes.
Thx again for your suggestions and good wishes!
Re: PT ethical Question
Oh, that's great. And I think that it will be easier to resolve this once you can talk to her in person. I'm sure she'll appreciate knowing how much you value her work.
April
April