Three times this year, I've had doctors order xrays for my mom. All 3 times, I did not see a reason for the xray (there was a 4th time when my sister insisted I take her, I'm not including that one).
The problem seems to be, my mom will complain of how much her ankle or knee hurts, the doc will ask some questions, and my mom will continue to complain, and then the doc orders xrays.
And of course, all they ever find is "degenerative arthritis" meaning she is old and her joints are creaky, and it's not going to get better. She has had shots (cortisone) but that is limited to 2x/year. She also has rx for Naproxen but rarely takes it because of the warnings on the label.
I'm concerned as to how to avoid unnecessary medical bills on mom's limited resources.
How do I talk to doctors to avoid unnecessary xrays? If there is no brusing, swelling or signs of trauma, why do an xray?
Tonight I was checking my local grocery store website to see what other gluten-free items the store offered... thought I would order a box of cookies for him to try. In fact, I might try some items myself :)
Dad's not 100% gluten-free because this has been a learning curve for him as he didn't know what the muffins, his cereal, and cookies Mom usually get were made of wheat. Mom's not going to part with her wheat, so I hope she let's Dad cut down since it is making him feel so much better regarding the arthritis. His back, shoulders, and one knee are now pain free... still has one knee hurting.
Whether wheat is an issue with Dad or if this is just mind over matter, we shall see. Gluten-free bread is a required taste, Wonder bread flavor it is not.
Her Medicare does pay for most of the xray, it's not a cost issue.
The issue is, Mom seems to love going to the doctor, for the social aspect. She will also tell Sis (former paramedic, but it was so long ago, and she couldn't handle the rigors of the job, lasted maybe year) that she has aches & pains, and then Sis tells her she really needs to go to the Doc. Sigh. So then I get stuck damned if I do, damned if I don't (sorry for language) BUT if I take Mom to Doc, there's not anything wrong. Then I relay this info to Sis, and encourage her to trust me, whereupon Sis then gets insulted because after all, she is a former paramedic and of course she must be the expert you know.
I wish I could put that on the forms I have to fill out for every x-ray - they all have to have a Reason, preferably a codable diagnosis, which I typically don't know before I get the x-ray. Maybe I'll try that someday...Reason: "I forgot my super 3-D x-ray glasses today." Sorry, I should be more serious, it's been a loooong day though.
I've unfortunately had the opposite experience. If my husband's doc had x-rayed his hips a little sooner, we might not have waited til he had bone on bone and no options besides hip replacement surgery at age 65. Grated, x-raying the same joint over and over again if nothing has changed makes no sense, and no test should be done unless it affects management and treatment decisions, or occasionally just so someone knows prognosis (what to expect) even if it turns out nothing much can be done.
Sorry the pictures are not as convincing as the warnings on the Naproxen label to your mom. Does she know its the same stuff as Aleve? There are some herbal OTC things that might work, and Tylenol is OK in reasonable dosage for most folks as well, and may work just as well. Sometimes a prescription non-steroidal like meloxicam is easier on the stomach, she might want to mention that next visit. And if there is a lot of worry about fractures, consider getting a bone densitometry (covered every 2 years or so if criteria are met) and treated for that if it's low.