Donna in Hollywoodland

Physical Therapy

Today, she gave me a light lymph node massage.
The trick is that you don't press hard. Its all done very lightly.
And you don't do the area where there was any surgery. And not the area where the lymph nodes were removed.

The purpose is to stimulate the good lymph nodes in the surrounding areas, so that they do the work of the lymph nodes that were removed.

Since my surgery was done on the left breast and left armpit, you don't touch those.
You do your shoulder and neck areas.
Followed by the right breast area.
Followed by the tummy area, and then the left side area.
Then finally the lower left arm and left fingers.

She said that the next appointments she will train me to do this myself.

Yeah, and then she wrapped my hand again. Gauze bandages.
All over my left arm and left hand.
This time though, I wore a long sleeved sweater, that I pulled down over my hand as I left.
So no strangers would notice my wrapped up hand , and make weird comments.

Last, I got on the Arm Bike, and did some reps on that.

As I left, the physical therapist mentioned a problem with my insurance.
The Authorization Prescription is signed by a different Radiation Doctor, not the one who treated me.
Even though they are all doctors in the same group, she needs his signature for the insurance.

This proves my theory - either the Nurse or one of the Radiology Technicians, went "around" the radiation doctor (behind his back) to get me the prescription when I requested it.
My specific radiation doctor had refused to send me to a physical therapist , because in his opinion I didn't need it.
I had threatened to quit my radiation treatments. He still refused.
Then a few days later ... an envelope addressed to me, magically appeared in my patient folder.
It was a prescription authorization for physical therapy.

But now I need the right signature on the prescription for my insurance to cover a special glove that I need to wear.

Well, the physical therapist has called my radiation doctors office twice, and received no response.
I told her I will contact them as well and see what I can do.