Crux Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 I live in the Seattle area and I am looking for a medical doctor or other suitable practitioner who can see me right away for a brief visit to fill out a medical assessment form and/or provide a medical release that I need in order to stay in school. Eighteen days ago, when riding down the sidewalk along 4th Avenue behind Seahawks Stadium, I caught a long, deep crack in the pavement with the front wheel of my road bike. The wheel plunged into the crack and I was tossed hard onto the sidewalk. I faired not too badly for the fall, suffering only some minor cuts, a dislocated finger, and a fractured clavicle. (I walked away.) I remember a chorus of parking lot attendants asking me if I was OK as I popped my finger back into place immediately after the fall. What a deal. (I really messed up this time.) After relocating my finger but failing to fix my own shoulder, I turned to find the bicycle standing upright with the front rim crushed within the crack in the sidewalk! (The bicycle didn't even fall over.) Anyway, I pulled the bike out of the sidewalk and hiked up First Hill to Harborview and checked into the ER for some X-Rays and a professional evaluation. About five hours later, I was discharged with a big bottle of oxycodone in my pocket and with my left arm in a sling. Five days after sustaining the injury, I still wore an arm sling when I showed up for the first day of classes in a registered nursing program that I was accepted into last summer. I had no idea that my injury would be a big deal to anybody at school. But when I was asked why I had my arm in a sling, my explanation was summarily met with notification that I'll almost certainly be disqualified from the nursing program for failing to meet minimum physical fitness standards. From that point on, it's all been red tape. After the third day of classes, I kept an appointment with the Wednesday orthopedic clinic team at Harborview. New X-rays were taken to see what the bone looked like two weeks after the accident, and after an orthopedic surgeon performed her assessment of my condition, she gave me the medical release that I asked for. Unfortunately, after I submitted the release to my school, I learned that it did not adequately cover all details as needed and was therefore rejected. Also, my efforts to contact the doctor to get the release amended have proven futile because she is insulated by a very tightly managed schedule. (Even the charge nurse was unable to contact this doctor when I went in the next day.) The school will not yield from its position, never mind that I've made an athletic rebound from the injury and can demonstrably perform at levels up to and exceeding all the objective standards set down by the school. And I am running out of time. The first mandatory practical exam is Thursday; they say if I don't get cleared to physically participate by then, I'll be out. My next appointment with the Harborview orthopedic team is not until October 27 -- not soon enough. So right now I am urgently looking for a practitioner who can see me right way, preferably on Monday or Tuesday afternoon. Again, I am fully able to perform as required. I have more than the required strength, can use both hands with ample dexterity, can count past ten, and so on. But it's turning out that red tape and bureaucracy may cause substantial further harm to me after the actual accident. If any Seattle-area people reading this board can be of any help in regard to this matter, please contact me right away. Of course, any fitness and recovery issues related to a clavicle fracture and posted here will also be valued. PM or email with contact info if available. Mykal Crooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glassgowkiss Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 most likely any sport clinic md would be able to help you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crux Posted October 3, 2004 Author Share Posted October 3, 2004 most likely any sport clinic md would be able to help you By Monday or Tuesday afternoon? I've picked up one name along that line so far, for a Sports Med, office-based O.S. practice on Capitol Hill. If I can get in right away, it will be perfect. If not... I'm getting around w/o car; Capitol Hill, U-District... Sports Med clinics or office practices... Recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crux Posted October 8, 2004 Author Share Posted October 8, 2004 FWIW: With help from contacts found here, I was able to get medical releases as needed to avoid being being dropped from the nursing program. Just in time. Thanks, Mykal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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