Thursday, April 28, 2011

I saw the Nurse Practioner at the cardiologists office yesterday…Cheryl Vincent, she wants me to have a carotid ultrasound (scheduled for Monday) and wear a monitor for a few weeks to see if we can find an arrhythmia that may be causing the dizziness and drop spells. She is also having me see Dr. Kutinsky on June 14th when she has had time to read the monitor.

I have to see a pulmonologist too, they want to verify that this issues isn't with my lungs causing issue…Well, they just called me. My appointment is May 4th; it was a cancellation, not with the doc they recommended but another in the practice. I only hope he is as good as my other docs, I don't care for my sleep pulmonologist, and I didn't like my other pulmonologist either, it doesn't seem to be a specialty I like, but I need to breathe and it needs to be easier. I wish it was with Dr. Allen instead of Dr. Galens but we shall see how this one goes.

So I will have to make a list of all of my doctors, I have almost lost track of all of my doctors, I have more docs and meds than I know what to do with the numbers just keep growing too.

I need to have faith that all the doctors together are going to get to the bottom of this though.

Dr. Wille is sending me to PM&R, Dr. Bowers wanted me to see Dr. Kutinsky, and pulmonology (so He sent me to his partner another Cardiologist and Dr. Galens is the pulmonologist) and Dr. Dobrin wants me to see a Bariatric Surgeon to discuss how my GI issues may be causing some of these pains since he also specializes in GI surgeries (Dr. McIntosh also does GI surgeries, but he doesn't agree with Bariatric Surgery, and I don't either, long story short, you can't take anti-inflammatory meds and Toradol is an anti-inflammatory so I would lose one of my big gun pain meds as well as losing the ability to eat a lot of choice foods, it gives you a challenge to eat less, which I do already, and research tells me that a lot of my problems won't go away.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

My rescheduled appointments turned out to be a VERY long week

I spent the majority of this past week visiting my doctors. I had 3 appointments on Monday and one on Friday.

But let's go back I saw Dr. Kachan before my last entry He did yet another plantar fasciitis injection, I am not even sure this one took, I am guessing I had maybe a week or so but I didn't get any real rest time cause I had too much going on. So it was my fault…I don't remember when it started hurting really bad again cause I had too much else going on. That's on me.

On the 11th, I had my hospital follow up with Dr. Dobrin, she wants me to see Dr. Weiner, a Bariatric surgeon who specializes in the digestive system…uhm, well…that's gonna have to wait I will eventually get there, I have too much else going on right now. I will schedule it though, eventually, I have NO interest in the surgery anymore, I just have too many health issues that I really do not feel it's the best idea. (and the docs that are dealing with my digestive system are not mentioning it, so I don't think it's a good idea) so, I will call but I will put it way off

Well…I had my EEG, they did the photo part, I have never had that, I never want to have it again either… I saw Dr. Masters, my period lasted 19 days (since it was so long and painful, she wants an ultrasound in a month (May 17th) and I saw Dr. McIntosh, he was very happy with my progress, but All three, Drs. Dobrin, Masters and McIntosh wanted me to go back to see Dr. Wille because of the constant Nausea, Constipation, and Diarrhea as well as just plain overall lack of eating (I have lost almost 30lbs since August, no big deal, except most of it came in the last 2 months, and that's twice as fast as I should really be losing)

So I called Dr. Wille, they wanted me to see a PA, I was not comfortable with that, I was willing to wait til May to see him, his receptionist emailed him, and he responded within 24 hours working me into his schedule in literally 1 week, so I saw him on Friday, he wants to do both a gastric emptying study and a colonoscopy, neither are fun, but he decided the colonoscopy first because if it comes back abnormal he may not have to do the gastric emptying, but the other way around, well, he doesn't have that luxury, he would still have to do both.

So that is scheduled and the prep will NOT be fun, but I am barely eating, so I should not struggle too bad, its 3 days of liquid diet for me, (most people only get 24 hours, but I am blessed with 3 days of liquid diet thanks to the extensive constipation crap.

So While April was hectic, I still have one appointment, I see the cardiologist on Wednesday J

May will be even Busier.

Dr. Kachan May 4th

Grandma's Birthday May 5th

May 9th The NEW doctor Dr. Maltese head of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

May 11th follow up with Dr. Dobrin

May 16th Dr. Simone

May 17th Dr. Masters

May 24th Colonoscopy with Dr. Wille

And May 25th most important day in the world…our TENTH anniversary

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Hmm, Where Have I been?

I would love to tell you that my appointment this morning with Dr. Masters went great, and my EEG was a piece of cake, but uhm, I had to cancel them both, I will reschedule them in the morning…WHY did I have to cancel them? Last Tuesday night, I started having Chest pains, yep, Very bad chest pain right under the left breast near the rib cage. Not like a heart attack but not normal either, I called my doctor, she had left for the day, I was going to wait it out til Thursday morning and see her then, but it was bringing me to tears and Chris said no. So off to the ER we went. NOT how I planned on spending my time, little did I know I was going to be there for SIX days. I was admitted on Wednesday night about 11pm and came home at 3pm Monday.

Atypical Chest pain, turns out it was a bowel obstruction and a Heart issue and probably a pulmonary issue too…goodness gracious, I did not see pulmonary I will follow up with them from the office (my PCP was actually the doctor I saw in the hospital, Thanking GOD, I got MY doctor, I love her to pieces.)

So…I get to the ER, I get an EKG immediately, get triaged, wait for a room in the cardiac wing, lalalala, good thing I wasn't having a heart attack, lol. They take me back, I had almost no wait for the doctor, he was a jerk, but I guess it comes with the territory, he just was not very thorough, He listened to my heart and lungs, but nothing else, did not check to see if it could be anything else, DID NOT touch me. I was hooked to a heart monitor (which went off everytime I dozed off (since my heart rate dropped too low)

They did a chest xray, chest CT, and Dopler ALL before I got pain meds of ANY kind. Then I got ONE dose of Morphine and Zofran, followed by a dose of toradol later. And NOTHING at all til I got moved (see why doc was a jerk) my doc took over my case, bless her soul, when she found out my pain meds were every 6 hours she said morphine every 3hours, and added in Lortab if needed, as well as Toradol 8 hours around the clock and Fentanyl patch, so my pain was VERY well managed from then on out, I think I needed two more doses of the morphine after the Fentanyl went on.

She ordered a Picc line for my CT of the abdomen, they were looking for what was causing what she now determined to be upper left quadrant pain (the GI's Physician Assistant was absolutely worthless (and if I get a bill from the GI doctor, they are getting turned in to medicare for Fraud) He didn't see me and she didn't help me, I was very angry, and my blood pressure showed it.

Dr. Beyers, the Cardiologist, at least recommended I follow up with Dr. Kutinsky his electrophysiologist and see if she cant help get my heart and brain on the same page. He referred to her is their electrical specialist, he said she could help even though I didn't show any signs of arythmias. I am not quite sure how but he said she specializes in dizziness and shortness of breath and lightheadedness, so she would be their goto person for that…Sounds fun.

So, I left the hospital, My period started, I don't know how long it will lasts, if it goes past Thursday, I get to talk to Dr. Masters about a hysterectomy, cause its too long, (which is ok by me, I want the bugger out, I cramped for 2 weeks before it started, then I get to talk to Dr. Dobrin about referrals to Pulmonology, cardiology, and I have my podiatry appointment, I need to make an appointment with a dentist too, oh and an appointment with Dr. Wille, MY gi doc, since what happened is we did 2 doses of Miralax, 2 doses of Colace, and nothing, so she decided it was Enema time (soap suds and I HATED it, it HURT) anyhow it WORKED, but I still NEVER want to do it again, but since it's the 3rd time I have dealt with major constipation and last time it was bad before but this time I had not been on pain meds so this time I really don't know.

I am glad to be home though. Sleep with my own stuff. Sounds and we will be doing our own errands. I missed being home.