I Love USC (Medical Center)....

....as a loyal UCLA fan, I never thought I'd say those words. 

However, the UCLA CRPS doctor doesn't take insurance, so it was (hi ho hi ho) off to USC I go... (or went).

As you can probably recall, if you're a reader of the blog, I haven't had the most pleasant experience with pain guys in Bakersfield. If you don't remember, refresh your memory here!

That Bakersfield "doctor" was the epitome of what a doctor shouldn't be. I was praying for the exact opposite when I went down to USC.

I prayed for a doctor who would take time with me, who would listen, who would treat me like a real person with a real problem, who would come up with a plan and would follow through.

Well, God blessed me with all of those things and more. 

Fortunately, my mama took me down this morning (because there's no way I could drive there and face a doctor and drive back all on my own). I have quite a case of white coat syndrome, so I just prayed all morning to calm my anxiety (and my blood pressure). We got to the USC Medical Center a bit early, so we sat down in a quaint courtyard to eat lunch. We shared a table with an older gentleman because the place was hopping. He was waiting outside with his adorable 3 month old puppy while his wife went to her appointment. I loved petting and playing with the sweet puppy as I ate my lunch. It definitely helped calm me down a bit.

Thanks, God, for looking out for even the smallest of details.

My appointment was at 1:30, and they took me back at 1:31. No joke. They even apologized that there was one person in front of me. Is this place for real? 

The resident spoke with me first, gathering my history and my story and asking me tons of questions. I immediately felt like I was heard, and I hadn't even seen the doctor yet. She left, discussed the information with the doctor, and they both came back in. This kind-hearted Jewish man immediately put me at ease. He sat back, got comfortable, and had about a 30 minute conversation with me. It was definitely more than I could have asked for.

After much discussion, he decided that the best plan of action for now was to double my Lyrica (since it seemed to get me over my last big hump) to get me in the right treatment range. We'll do this progressively over the next couple of weeks (and pray that the side-effects are minimal!). He said that if I lived in the area, he'd have me do some OT and stress/talk therapy to help improve my quality of life right now, but he didn't think anyone in the Bakersfield area was qualified in this particular treatment, so we'll stick with the meds for now and see how I do.

We talked a bit about continuing some physical therapy and how to slowly desensitize my foot so that I may eventually be able to wear some different shoes. He said that he hopes in a year or two I'll be close to "normal" again (whatever that means!). I may never be back to 100%, but he thinks I'll at least get close--he seems really hopeful, and that's great news!

At the end of my appointment he even said, "You and I should see each other again in about 6-8 weeks." For real? It's like we're real people working on a project together. This guy is above and beyond! I'll go back at the end of April, and we'll go from there. I am just so relieved to have a plan of attack and a doctor that really cares about me. He truly is everything a doctor should be.

So, thank you all for praying for me!

Thank you, God, for USC and an amazing doctor. Thank You for taking care of the little details and the big ones.

Thank You for hope. :)