Part 8: Turning Point After 10 Years

To say I felt hopeless in this situation as I faced the prospect of yet another doctor and yet another round of tests and who knew what else would be a grave understatement.  However, I knew I had to follow up with Dr. Zdebilik’s advice and find a good sports doctor, because I worried that if I didn’t comply I’d be written off as an uncooperative patient.  I had been going in these circles with doctors for years with no positive results, so I felt I had better start with PT again.  My primary doctor, Dr. Haas, gave me some sports doctors’ names to pick from.  Of these, Dr. Haas said Dr. Timmerman was very good, but, he told me, I would have to wait longer to see him.

I chose Dr. Timmerman, and although I had to wait weeks for that appointment, it was the best decision I could have made.  My appointment with Dr. Timmerman was the turning point away from the traumatic experiences of the past eleven years.  Without Dr. Timmerman’s compassion and persistence, I would never have gotten to the bottom of my vascular problems.  On July 8th, 2004, I had my first visit with him.  Even without looking at my medical records and with just an exam in his office and his listening to me tell him about my past encounters, he said, “Colleen, I agree with Dr. Zdebilik.  I do not think that it is your back.  It’s a vascular problem.”   I couldn't understand how this could be.  After all the years that I had suffered, here was a doctor telling me that the problem was the very thing that all the previous doctors had ignored. I felt numb, confused, and angry, but I did not want to cry because I was afraid the doctor would think I was unstable.  I told myself that I needed this doctor and did my best to regain my composure. I told Dr. Timmerman that over the years I had had numerous Doppler tests, and the doctors kept insisting my vascular problem was stable.  Dr. Timmerman then asked me if I would go back to the vascular surgeon Dr. DeAngeles with a recommendation for another Doppler test - only this time, Dr. Timmerman requested the tests be done with a treadmill, followed by an angiogram.  During my prior visits to Dr. DeAngeles, the Doppler tests were performed at Saint Mary’s Hospital, but without the treadmill.  I had always asked for the treadmill with the Doppler test, but my requests were ignored, time and time again.  Finally, in my first examination with Dr. Timmerman, a doctor took my requests seriously.  He felt that a re-examination of the vascular system would be helpful.  He felt that given my history, a Doppler test with the treadmill and then an angiogram were in order and might offer some sense of what was causing the pain.

            It was with some joy that shortly thereafter I entered Saint Mary's Hospital to have new tests done which Dr. DeAngeles had ordered.  Imagine how disheartened I was, then, when even after Dr. Timmerman and I had discussed doing the Doppler test with the treadmill, it was again done without the treadmill.  While I was lying flat on my back, the test showed within limits 1.07R/0.86L.  According to these test results, I would not need an angiogram; nonetheless, because Dr. Timmerman had asked for an angiogram, it was done. To this day, I am frustrated about this event, and puzzled as to why they would selectively follow Dr. Timmerman's requests.  Although they ignored Dr. Timmerman's request for a Doppler test with treadmill, they decided to follow his request for an angiogram despite the fact that the Doppler test results showed that an angiogram was not necessary.