I have an appointment with my regular physician in a couple of weeks. I have been keeping a daily log, which I will condense and discuss with him.. Even though there was some "bungling" with misdiagnosis in the beginning, his PA was partly to blame, I do trust him. I also have routine visit with cardiologist. I have learnt that even when one has good, trustworthy physicians, it is important to help manage your care yourself. An aside, for year I have laughed at the question "what is your pain 1-10?" Every body is different and we certainly have different pain tolerances. In my middle years, as a competitive runner, I certainly learned the difference between discomfort and Pain. I could run through discomfort, but not pain. I m afraid in the present culture, we are told discomfort is pain which has to be repressed. Hence the overuse of painkillers. I just want to have what I consider a quality of lfe, which does accept some pain.
@noosat1 your pain comment brought a smile to my face. I think that's why my ortho doctor didn't think I was ready for a knee replacement even though the MRI shows advanced degenerative arthritis and bone on bone in the knee. I had mentioned my "pain" being on average a 4 or 5 rating. They only want to do the replacement if it's a "can't stand the pain any longer" situation (IMHO) so they put me through the alternative hoops which don't do anything to address the pain but do make the knee a little stronger.