I had an appointment at 7:30 Wednesday morning to get my left leg checked out; it still was swollen and it hurt. Mike Barwis referred me to this doctor. He wasn’t just ANY orthopedist. He is THE orthopedist who works with the Detroit Pistons. I was shocked that Mike made a phone call and the doctor could get me in SO quickly. I was nervous about my leg because it was STILL swollen. My brother’s and my Mom’s concern compounded that nervousness. There was one other person in the office when we (my Mom drove me) got there. I
I laughed to myself because there were “normal sized” waiting room chairs and sprinkled in, there were “super sized” chairs. I told the receptionist that it was pretty cool that they had chairs for tall people and she told me that they have a lot of Six-footers come through. I was scheduled to go to Barwis later but it seemed unlikely that I would go there but I wore wacky socks anyway!
I chose the red and blue stripes because I WAS going to see the Pistons’ doctor. Now, this was the first time since high school that I wore shorts out of the house. I HAD to wear shorts so the doctor could see the swelling and discoloration in full effect. I wondered if he was going to comment on my ACL reconstruction scar (he did).
After we waited for a little while, I told my Mom that she should sit in the BIG chair. She did and her feet were like a foot and a half from the floor when she sat back comfortably (she is even SHORTER than I am!). We both laughed. I laughed about it ALL DAY!!! Then I was called back.
I made my way into the room with the nurse in front of me and my Mom behind me. It was a normal patient intake and I’ve been in orthopedist’s offices before having torn my ACL and having surgery, having broken my ankle, and having Sean having broken his arm. I went for X-rays and shortly after I came back in, Dr. Frush came in. As he sat down, he said, “So, Mike Barwis referred you?” I felt my face light up as I smiled and said yes because whenever I say that to my neurologist, he doesn’t know what I’m talking about. Then, Dr. Frush asked, “You’re with the First Step Foundation?” Two for two! Yes I am! I felt so good hearing this because he knew ALL ABOUT Mike and the work I am doing to walk. I felt validated and that felt REALLY good.
Dr. Frush told me that I need to get on the table so he could examine me but it came up to my shoulders like the black table at Barwis. I looked doubtful at the table then he told me that he has a movable table down the hall. We went down the hall, he lowered the table, I got on, and he examined me. He left to look at my X-rays. I felt good that he OBVIOUSLY knew what he was doing and it felt good that I was getting it addressed (at my Mom’s urging). I didn’t know that I would feel the BEST when Dr.Frush came back.
When Dr. Frush came back, he said that I have a partial rupture in my hamstring but that my muscles looked good and felt good and that I will make a FULL recovery. He said that I am “an excellent candidate” for the aggressive work that Brawls does to get me walking. Hearing that made me feel REALLY GOOD!!! Dr. Frush ordered physical therapy for me and knew the therapist by name who works next door to Barwis, a compression sleeve for my left leg, and an ultrasound to rule out blood clots in my leg. He said the ultrasound was necessary because he can’t see the range of motion because my legs do not move normally at this point.
I went down the hall and got fitted for my compression sock and my Mom dropped me of at home where I called ATI (the physical therapy office next to Barwis) to make an appointment (it’s on Friday). Dr. Frush told me to NOT go to Barwis this week but that I can resume Barwis next week. When I went to the hospital to get the ultrasound, two women asked me if I was a professional. I didn’t understand what they were asking but I think the coding on the orders and who it came from, got me immediately seen. The ultrasound was good and I didn’t have any clots. The tech told me that if I did, I would be admitted to the hospital. Luckily, I wasn’t.
I texted with Mike Barwis all day and told him that I felt like a VIP the entire day! I know that it is ENTIRELY because of him. My problem was taken care of and my faith in Barwis Methods has only been solidified. Dr. Frush told me that Mike does GREAT work, I already knew that but it was REALLY nice to hear!!! It was great to hear that I am exactly where I need to be to get walking. Mike and his team do exactly that and it’s just a matter of time for me.