I am falling apart. I'm so tired of this all.
I had the MRI for my neck on the 11 October. I am not good in small spaces so the neurologist gave me some Valium. Thankfully one of my friends came with me because me on Valium is insanity itself. It helped a lot and I kept my eyes closed the whole time, which was about half an hour. After I went home and passed out for a few hours on my couch. I was so loopy!
By Friday I still had not heard from Dr. Fatimi, the neurologist. Since the MRI results were only to take a couple of days, I figured I better ring her. I first called, left a message and was told she would return my call shortly. Three and a half hours later, still no call. I rang back, got someone in her office that hadn't a clue about anything, and told me the doctor had already left. Finally they found someone who sort of knew something, but not really. First she told me that the doctor had asked her to call me - Um, well, why didn't you then? - and my MRI was normal. I was happy if not surprised at this, as the pain is just getting worse. I then asked what was the next step, as Dr. Fatimi had thought I would need an EMG test. She said to make an appointment, so the first that was available was for 3 November, the day after I return from Holland. I hang up the phone, and within a minute or two, my mobile rings. It was the woman from Dr. Fatimi's office calling to say that she is very sorry but she gave me the wrong results and the appointment is to discuss my results. "So my MRI was not normal?" I asked her, and she was like, nope. That's it, nothing. I was meant to sit around for two weeks wondering what is going on. Thankfully a friend of mine said that I could go to the radiology place and get a report, which I did on Saturday.
Here is what the report said:
MRI of the Cervical Spine without Contrast
Findings: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed with sagittal T1-weighted images, sagittal fast spin-echo T2 and proton density images and gradient echo and fast spin-echo T2 axial images on a 1.5 Tesla MR unit.
Mild disc bulging and spondylosis is present at C4-C5, C5-C6, C6-C7. At C4-C5, there is a small superimposed right-sided disc herniation resulting in mild compression of the spinal cord. Minimal flattening of the spinal cord is present at C5-C6. At C6-C7, there is a small to medium-sized superimposed central disc herniation with mild cord flattening.
No other significant bulging or herniated discs are identified. The size and signal of the spinal cord are normal. Uncovertebral and face joint hypertrophy results in neural foraminal stenosis which is mild bilateral at C3-C4, mild to moderate right and mild left at C4-C5, moderately severe right and mild to moderate left at C5/6 and mild right at C7-T1.
The craniovertebral junction is unremarkable. The osseous structures are intact. No masses are identified. Mild disc space narrowing is present at C4-C5 and C5-C6 and there is diffusely decreased disc signal on T2-weighted images due to disc degeneration.
Impression: Mild disc bulging and spondylosis from C4-C5 through C6-C8 with small to medium-sized superimposed central disc herniation at C6-C7 and small right-sided disc herniation at C4-C5, resulting in mild spinal cord compression. Mild to moderate multilevel foraminal stenosis as above.
Sounds lovely, doesn't it? I tried to look up some of those things on my phone but it was too much to try. I was able to speak to a friend that is a chiropractor and he helped explain all the craziness going on. The long and the short of it is there are three options: surgery, which does not sound lovely at all; PT, which would strengthen my neck but not help the compression; and chiro, there is a technique called Cox (have to go look it up) but the catch is it a)is management, not cure and b)very few dr's do it, and those that do know more about the lower back than using for the upper, and c)the place my friend knows in the city does not take ANY insurance, and it would be $150 PER VISIT!!! and I would need to go a few times a week. I really need to start playing the lottery!
With regards to this Dr. Fatimi - I am definitely not liking her at all. First of all, I didn't like the way she fobbed me off and told me it was carpal tunnel, even though I told her it wasn't that type of pain. I've just faxed over the report to Dr. Rosen and asked her to ring me when she has a chance to discuss what to do.
I also made an appointment for tomorrow morning with my old chiro as my whole right side of my back is in spasms and I need to get some relief before my long trip to Holland on Friday.
Never a dull moment.
In other news...My UTI results came back and Dr. Rosen said that the antibiotic I was taking was not one the lab listed for that type of infection, so I had to go back, take another test - which was not completely normal - then they sent it to the lab, and go on a different antibiotic. Of course we didn't get the results from the lab until AFTER I was done taking the new antibiotics, which, obviously, I did not need.
Where can I get a new body please???
20 October, 2008
07 October, 2008
M.I.A.
Yes I've been MIA for quite some time now. From mid-August till the beginning of September I was in my own world. I just didn't have the energy to deal with everything going on. I will give a quick recap for the past few weeks:
18-24 August: went to pool 3x that week, and cut my hair off. I needed a change in so many ways, and that one was the easiest! Then again, I didn't really have much of a say. Avi, my hairdresser, decided I was long overdue, and well, there is no arguing with him. That weekend I was out pre-celebrating my birthday, which I overdid - way too much. You don't realise how that sangria hits you until it's too too late. Had an appointment with Dr. A, to check my wound - he said it was ok but the day before it didn't look so ok.
25-31 August: was good again and did pool 3x. Continued to celebrate within reason for the most part, until the weekend. Oops. I did do some samba dancing though which I thought was quite impressive for my hip. The hip let me enjoy myself for a bit and then decided it was time to sit back down. But still, no long term suffering which was a v. good thing.
1-7 September: pool 2x that week. Yet another appointment with Dr. A to check the wound that would not heal. He says it was doing okay, even though I was in more pain than I had been in for a few weeks (not counting the cauterization).
8-14 September: Big accomplishment - I biked from my flat to BB&B, which is a little over 2 miles. I was very proud of the hip, it held up quite nicely, even with a few inclines that were on First Ave. Pool again 3x.
15-21 September: Pool only 2x this week. I had to go to the dentist to have a crown made for my last root canal, the one that went horribly wrong. Yes, it was almost a year ago, but after all that agony I was quite happy to not have anyone muck up my mouth again. It was agony and then I had to stay for a cleaning as well. Thankfully I took half a pain pill beforehand so that helped a little bit. My TMJ was a mess for the week after, and still is a bit now come to think of it.
22-28 September: very bad - didn't go to the pool all week. To be fair, Thursday night I had a pretty bad onset of my FMS and by the weekend was almost completely bed/couch bound. Between my exhaustion and stress and the weather I felt absolutely dreadful. I did somehow manage to pull it together enough to make challah on Sunday though. Not quite sure how I pulled that off, but I was determined.
29-30 September - 5 October: pool 2x this week. It was difficult with all the running around back and forth to the island for the holidays, and then again on the weekend for the dentist. I had my crown fitted and also decided to get a night guard as my teeth seem to be catching the brunt of my nighttime grinding. Hopefully this one will be better than the one I had ages ago and it will do some good. It sure costs enough! But to add to the excitement of the holiday, during shul on Tuesday I started to feel icky. I thought my tummy had gone off so went to the loo, but it wasn't that. To spare you the details, the short of it is I had a surprise UTI. I can't remember the last time I had one, so was pretty flipped out when I started to see blood. Thankfully my sister in law knew what to do and sorted me out until I was able to see the doctor the next day. Yes I had a bad UTI and had to go on a major dose of antibiotics. Oh joy!
As for this week so far, it's been pretty icky. Yesterday I had a visit with a neurologist, Dr. Fatimi. When I had my physical a few weeks back, my doctor recommended me to one so we could check out all this tingling/pins and needles down my right arm/hand and the twitching in my left finger. She decided I needed an MRI for my neck and an EMG test. For those not familiar, please see the video below. I'm still not convinced after watching it that it isn't more painful than they are portraying, but that's because I do not trust anyone in the medical profession anymore after all of the pain they've inflicted on me. But hey, that's just me.
EMG NCS test
Currently the doctor thinks I might have carpal tunnel. I've thought I've had that for a while, but the pain I've been having daily for the last few months feels different than that, so we shall see. (As a side note, my right hand by the thumb area has been killing me the last couple of weeks. The injection that Dr. Melone gave me definitely wore off. I know he said that I would need surgery if the injection didn't last, and not sure if I should do that now or wait. I am going to see what the EMG study shows first about carpal tunnel and then make an appointment to see him. He said it would be an easy surgery compared to what I've had in the past, but I need more detailed information on that.) The doctor was pretty young and I am not sure I am that keen about her, but I will give it a little time. Then again, whenever I meet a doctor they usually think I'm barmy because of the multitude of issues I have. It's hard to find a good doctor that has a clue. Anyway, she said that if I do have carpal tunnel she would give me a splint to wear at night. I said I've already got that. She also mentioned Lyrica and when I told her I'd only heard bad things from people who have taken it, she said she had seen good results. Since I don't really trust doctors and I definitely don't trust pharmaceutical companies, and I do believe real people stories, I am not going to go that route. It's bad enough I'm taking Mobic now - though I really need to remember to take it every day, I think it's a subconscious thing that I forget it. I told her I would prefer non-medicated ways to treat whatever the issue is, and she did say PT could be something as well as massage therapy. Now that is something I can get on board with!
Of course when I returned to the office there were messages from my regular doctor. The results of the pee test came back and the lab claims that the bacteria in me would not be destroyed by the antibiotics I am on. So, since neither my doctor nor I wanted to try more drugs just for the sake of it, I have to go back on Friday for another pee test to see if the bacteria have been killed or if I really do need to start another course of antibiotics.
I'm starting to wonder how I have not ended up in a loony bin at this point.
I think that is all, but my memory has been crap. Yesterday the neurologist asked me if I had a doctor treating my FMS and I was like - on no, didn't like the last one and haven't got a new one. Daft git I am - of course I have a new one, the one that put me on Mobic. It was pretty embarrassing to have to tell her that I forgot.
Oh - never heard again from Dr. Kelly's office about rescheduling, and I'm in no rush to go back there. Still v. mad that they did not help me one bit in fighting the insurance about cancelling my PT. Also had an appointment w/ Dr. A scheduled for last Friday, but his office cancelled it, and I have not been bothered about ringing them back to reschedule either. I am so bored with all of this medical rubbish!
18-24 August: went to pool 3x that week, and cut my hair off. I needed a change in so many ways, and that one was the easiest! Then again, I didn't really have much of a say. Avi, my hairdresser, decided I was long overdue, and well, there is no arguing with him. That weekend I was out pre-celebrating my birthday, which I overdid - way too much. You don't realise how that sangria hits you until it's too too late. Had an appointment with Dr. A, to check my wound - he said it was ok but the day before it didn't look so ok.
25-31 August: was good again and did pool 3x. Continued to celebrate within reason for the most part, until the weekend. Oops. I did do some samba dancing though which I thought was quite impressive for my hip. The hip let me enjoy myself for a bit and then decided it was time to sit back down. But still, no long term suffering which was a v. good thing.
1-7 September: pool 2x that week. Yet another appointment with Dr. A to check the wound that would not heal. He says it was doing okay, even though I was in more pain than I had been in for a few weeks (not counting the cauterization).
8-14 September: Big accomplishment - I biked from my flat to BB&B, which is a little over 2 miles. I was very proud of the hip, it held up quite nicely, even with a few inclines that were on First Ave. Pool again 3x.
15-21 September: Pool only 2x this week. I had to go to the dentist to have a crown made for my last root canal, the one that went horribly wrong. Yes, it was almost a year ago, but after all that agony I was quite happy to not have anyone muck up my mouth again. It was agony and then I had to stay for a cleaning as well. Thankfully I took half a pain pill beforehand so that helped a little bit. My TMJ was a mess for the week after, and still is a bit now come to think of it.
22-28 September: very bad - didn't go to the pool all week. To be fair, Thursday night I had a pretty bad onset of my FMS and by the weekend was almost completely bed/couch bound. Between my exhaustion and stress and the weather I felt absolutely dreadful. I did somehow manage to pull it together enough to make challah on Sunday though. Not quite sure how I pulled that off, but I was determined.
29-30 September - 5 October: pool 2x this week. It was difficult with all the running around back and forth to the island for the holidays, and then again on the weekend for the dentist. I had my crown fitted and also decided to get a night guard as my teeth seem to be catching the brunt of my nighttime grinding. Hopefully this one will be better than the one I had ages ago and it will do some good. It sure costs enough! But to add to the excitement of the holiday, during shul on Tuesday I started to feel icky. I thought my tummy had gone off so went to the loo, but it wasn't that. To spare you the details, the short of it is I had a surprise UTI. I can't remember the last time I had one, so was pretty flipped out when I started to see blood. Thankfully my sister in law knew what to do and sorted me out until I was able to see the doctor the next day. Yes I had a bad UTI and had to go on a major dose of antibiotics. Oh joy!
As for this week so far, it's been pretty icky. Yesterday I had a visit with a neurologist, Dr. Fatimi. When I had my physical a few weeks back, my doctor recommended me to one so we could check out all this tingling/pins and needles down my right arm/hand and the twitching in my left finger. She decided I needed an MRI for my neck and an EMG test. For those not familiar, please see the video below. I'm still not convinced after watching it that it isn't more painful than they are portraying, but that's because I do not trust anyone in the medical profession anymore after all of the pain they've inflicted on me. But hey, that's just me.
EMG NCS test
Currently the doctor thinks I might have carpal tunnel. I've thought I've had that for a while, but the pain I've been having daily for the last few months feels different than that, so we shall see. (As a side note, my right hand by the thumb area has been killing me the last couple of weeks. The injection that Dr. Melone gave me definitely wore off. I know he said that I would need surgery if the injection didn't last, and not sure if I should do that now or wait. I am going to see what the EMG study shows first about carpal tunnel and then make an appointment to see him. He said it would be an easy surgery compared to what I've had in the past, but I need more detailed information on that.) The doctor was pretty young and I am not sure I am that keen about her, but I will give it a little time. Then again, whenever I meet a doctor they usually think I'm barmy because of the multitude of issues I have. It's hard to find a good doctor that has a clue. Anyway, she said that if I do have carpal tunnel she would give me a splint to wear at night. I said I've already got that. She also mentioned Lyrica and when I told her I'd only heard bad things from people who have taken it, she said she had seen good results. Since I don't really trust doctors and I definitely don't trust pharmaceutical companies, and I do believe real people stories, I am not going to go that route. It's bad enough I'm taking Mobic now - though I really need to remember to take it every day, I think it's a subconscious thing that I forget it. I told her I would prefer non-medicated ways to treat whatever the issue is, and she did say PT could be something as well as massage therapy. Now that is something I can get on board with!
Of course when I returned to the office there were messages from my regular doctor. The results of the pee test came back and the lab claims that the bacteria in me would not be destroyed by the antibiotics I am on. So, since neither my doctor nor I wanted to try more drugs just for the sake of it, I have to go back on Friday for another pee test to see if the bacteria have been killed or if I really do need to start another course of antibiotics.
I'm starting to wonder how I have not ended up in a loony bin at this point.
I think that is all, but my memory has been crap. Yesterday the neurologist asked me if I had a doctor treating my FMS and I was like - on no, didn't like the last one and haven't got a new one. Daft git I am - of course I have a new one, the one that put me on Mobic. It was pretty embarrassing to have to tell her that I forgot.
Oh - never heard again from Dr. Kelly's office about rescheduling, and I'm in no rush to go back there. Still v. mad that they did not help me one bit in fighting the insurance about cancelling my PT. Also had an appointment w/ Dr. A scheduled for last Friday, but his office cancelled it, and I have not been bothered about ringing them back to reschedule either. I am so bored with all of this medical rubbish!
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