Thankfully it all was worked out. Friday am I received another call from Dr. Wu's office saying I needed another blood test. I rang back and explained the procedure was set up for Tuesday and that unless the results would be back by Monday I wasn't going to have it. The assistant said to ring the dr at his Queens office. What a backwards place that is! I tried ringing and either got a busy or fax sound. I rang the assistant back to make sure it was the wrong number and told him and he said that you have to let the fax go on and when someone is there and the realise it's not a fax they will answer. Quite frustrating. So I finally gave up with that concept and sent a fax in big black marker asking the dr to ring me ASAP - which was about an hour or so later. He said there was one more test, but I probably was ok b/c of previous results, but to be sure I needed this one. I said all the other dr's said the test results were fine and he said most likely but he couldn't definitively say. By this time I had received a call from Dr. Ahmed's office saying someone cancelled for Monday am and I could have that slot. I asked Dr. Wu when the results would be back and he said Tuesday so I said no thanks, I'm just going to go have the test done. Truly there is only so much you can put up with. Just like I'm not going to have an X-ray taken to see if my neck is lax when we know it is already. No wonder the health system is such crap in this country. They overdo tests when you don't need them and the people that do don't get them! Anyway, I digress.
So Monday I went to the hospital at 10 for an 11 am appointment. They put an IV in me for fluids and electrolytes, but no meds. I thought I would be out but when the doctor came down to talk to me he said they wanted me awake so I could tell them if they were in the right spot. This didn't sound like an enjoyable concept but I guess there is a better chance of it working if you can get the medicine as close as possible to the correct spot. I went up about half an hour or so later and the worst part was laying down on the table. They had a couple of pillows that went under my chest and this big foam cut out with a mirror under it to put my head on. This and laying on my back flat are the most painful for me currently. I told him so he said to try to get in a comfortable position, but I told him there was no way like this so lets just get it over with. He was concerned I wouldn't make it but afterwards said I was a trooper as he couldn't believe how I didn't move. I was too afraid to move, and also figured it would go faster so I tried to zone out.
First they put a local in my neck. That burned a lot but I've had worse so whatever. After that they put in the contrast, and then poke around, whilst continually taking x-rays, to see where they are near the nerve and spine. At times I had the strongest stabbing pain down to my right third finger and I told him. The procedure is quite interactive! That happened about twice I think. I also think it mean it was near where he wanted to get so it was good. The pain would go away pretty much as soon as he moved the catheter away from the spot. It was freaky having someone mess around with your nerves and feeling how they control different parts.
After he found the spot he had to push the medicine in. They go very slowly with this,especially, as the dr explained after, that the nerve area was quite narrow. The extra pressure can cause more pain whilst injecting it. Thankfully it didn't really with me and next thing I knew we were done and he was cleaning up the iodine. They sat me up carefully and I was feeling okay, a little light headed but not too much. The dr then showed me the images of my spine and the injection and explained what he did and what I might experience. He told me to rest the rest of the day and put ice on my neck if it hurt, and I could take pain killers if I wanted, but I usually avoid those like the plague. Some nice wine is much more preferable to me. Then I was wheeled back down into the nurses are where my parents were waiting for me. All in all not the first choice of things to do with free time but it's nothing compared to what I've been through. The hip surgery still remains the all time tops of nightmares, and the brutal ER visit last year the second.
I iced and just vegged on the couch for the rest of the day yesterday and came to work today. Taking it easy. Have some mid back pain on the right side but think that's more from being a couch potato the last 7.5 weeks as it's been getting worse for about a week. At this moment I'm icing my neck as it was hurting after going out for lunch. Should have had a liquid one! Ha!
So that's that and we will see if it (G-d willingly) kicks in and works in the next few days. So far I still have pins and needles depending on how I'm standing/sitting and stabbing in my neck depending on how I move, but as he said, it can take a few days. Fingers crossed!
