do you ever procrastinate seeing a doctor?

[the_sandiest_shoes]

My horse fell on me almost two weeks ago. It hurt my foot but nothing crazy, so I didn’t see a doctor, just iced and took advil. The foot never got that swollen and I was limping, but thought it was getting better.

Cut to now, two weeks later, and it’s not better. If anything, it’s a bit worse. I’m limping most of the time for walking and it hurts to touch (around the bottom and outer-side, where it got crushed). I know at this point I should get it checked out. I think I’m procrastinating because I’m worried it’s something bad, and/or that they’ll tell me to stop riding and I don’t want to.

I also think this is partially because I’m Canadian and used to free doctors, and now living in the USA I’m stressed about dealing with insurance and doctors visits in general, so I’ve noticed I definitely just…don’t really go there if I can avoid it.

Wondering if anyone has any advice for this weird psychological block. I just need to go…but keep shying away from it and not sure about the source of this anxiety.

[DinkyDonk]

I over pronated my left foot about 10 days ago (stepped on a rock or a frozen piece of manure); swelling, no heat, hurts, not getting any better; finally went to a “doc in the box” (acute care place) and had x-rays done today…nothing broken, just a nasty sprain. Went on Medicare this summer (turned 65 in August) and Medicare and supplemental insurance picked up the whole mess. Used to having a huge deductible with our old insurance, so am also just used to toughing it out. In 1999 I went 5 days before getting checked out after a riding fall, and found out I had 3 broken ribs. JUST GO and get yourself checked out.

[Barn_Mom]

Just do it! I’d be concerned that it seems worse vs better at this point. Fingers crossed and jingles that it’s nothing that will keep you out of the saddle!

[2DogsFarm]

Go NOW.
Waiting will only make bad worse.
And why be in pain any longer than necessary.

If you broke anything it is now healing incorrectly.
If you sprained or tore a ligament it is not being supported by a prescribed brace or wrap.

After many years working with Home Health nurses, I learned it is better to go & learn what is going on ASAP & expense be damned.

Better lose some riding time while healing than end up with a condition that prevents riding EVER.

[walktrot]

My horse stumbled and went down on his knees on a stroll around the hayfield one Saturday afternoon. I managed to get off but my right foot found a deep hoofprint and my ankle felt weird when I landed. I diagnosed a severe sprain while I walked back to the barn with some mild pain, but my paddock boot provided enough support. I hit the pharmacy for a brace, and then headed back to the barn because we were taking a team of kids to perform in a “World of Horses” show. A few people noted the limp but I was actually doing pretty good because it was just a severe sprain.

I went to my MD’s office for a better brace, Get it x-rayed she said. It was a simple fracture of the medial malleolus: I popped the bottom off the tibia. The surgeon offered a choice. Let it heal on its own but arthritis would eventually freeze the joint. Or he was screwing it back together on Friday at 1 p.m. He told me to go to one physical therapy appointment for some exercises. I was out of the saddle for a few weeks and the screw is still there.

The moral of the story: sometimes its better to sacrifice a few weeks of riding now versus forever if you let it go.

Keep in mind that experienced orthopedic surgeons know that all horse people are crazy. We have to get back on ASAP, like tomorrow or maybe the next day. If your surgeon doesn’t say out loud that all horse people are crazy he/she hasn’t been in practice long enough. Find somebody with more experience.

[ReSomething]

Yes, and it almost killed me. Get thee to the doctor. I know it’s hard when there’s no blood or something obvious but you may need a boot, or have it heal “off” and be a lifelong issue.

I had kaiser, which is an American hmo that is costly but covers many things for a small copay at time of visit. No bills after the birth of DD. I had to switch and hated the idea but discovered that it’s mostly a morass of paperwork to pay your hundred here and hundred there. Not unaffordable but not fun. I do have the very comprehensive FEHPBlue program, it’s made all those years of drudgery worthwhile.

I get a statement from the insurance and wait for the bill from the doctor, verify and pay, repeat repeat as every single practitioner has an independent charge, that usually wasn’t bad, the worst were the ambulance bills. $1200 to go twenty miles, $800 for across town. Reimbursed to us after we paid. The bills keep coming for up to six months, and we had at least one that we didn’t receive and had to pay as a second notice. You just have to grit your teeth and keep track of who is doing the work, whether they are “in-network” so you pay more, whether a hospital bills inclusive for the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, tests, etc…
Its a nuisance and needs good record keeping.

Forgive me to anyone working in medical coding and all that, but it’s a huge racket, warped and distorted by the insurance companies.

[BlueDrifter]

My horse stepped on fiance foot. He complained of ongoing pain, but didn’t go to doc until 3 months later. Broken metatarsal (the one that connects to your toe) – but since he had gone this long, no boot. It took about 9 months but all healed without doc doing anything…

[viperblood]

Feels like your reason is the hassle of processing docus/filling up forms. It is really like this in America. Maybe what you could do is THINK ABOUT THE EFFECT of this procrastination. Think about What if. What if your horse would have more complications because of you.

[ABDR4]

Took me about 6 months to see a doctor when I hurt my back getting bucked off a horse. Turned out I had cracked a vertebra.

Now I’m currently 2 years post another injury with no diagnosis in sight. I thought it would heal but it didn’t. I went to a doctor and the prescribed PT made it worse. Told the doctor who wanted an MRI. Insurance denied the MRI saying I hadn’t done PT. I tried talking to the insurance company but they can’t help me. None of this would’ve happened when I was younger. Getting an MRI used to be easy. Now my knee is slowly deteriorating and I just have to watch it happen. Similar with another injury, except no one can figure out what’s wrong.

[candyappy]

I walked around, rode and went to work ( delivery driver) for several weeks with a fractured Tibia. When the pain was unbearable and I realized it wasn’t going to get better I went. Cast was put on and it was so much better. I still worked and rode every day. My doctor wanted to know what I was doing since my cast was a filthy mess:winkgrin:

Sadly I never learned my lesson and put off going over the years ( for certain things) until I had too. The latest is shoulder pain for the last several years, hoping it was just inflammation etc…

My total shoulder replacement is in a few days–Lord willing. Not knowing what is wrong doesn’t change the outcome, it just makes your recovery longer.

GO TO THE DOCTOR !!!

[the_sandiest_shoes]

You are all so, so right - it’s still a bit sore now and then, and I still haven’t gone to the doctor. Just posting this here for my own accountability to just frigging go. My boyfriend sat on the couch next to me last night and sat on my ouchy foot by accident and I let out a little shriek. He was so mad that it still sometimes hurts and I still haven’t seen a doctor. Eep.

(These added stories are really helping convince me to go, however)