So, I went to that appointment with the different doctor this morning. It went fairly well, I suppose. There was some good news: I'm 17 pounds lighter than I was 2 weeks ago!! Woot!!
Other than that, they still don;t really know what the problem is. The doctor suggested that perhaps it's a virus that has stuck around for a long time. The she suggested maybe I should increase my salt and caffeine intake...WOW!! Never heard a doctor suggest THAT one before, LMAO!! Apparently, she thinks that will help raise my blood pressure and as a result decrease the dizziness. I hate salt and all I drink is water really, but I guess a Coke a day won't hurt, and I'll eat some pretzels for the salt. We'll see what happens. She also wants me to do a tilt table test, for real this time, so I put in a call to schedule that and I'm waiting for a return call. I'm off work for at least another week.
After we came home, the doctor called and said that the results of the 24 hour Holter Monitor had just been faxed to her. She said that it looks like there are times where my heart skips a beat, so she referred my to a cardiologist and made an appointment for me - that will be tomorrow. The doctor says she doesn't think this is too serious, but she wants to have me see the cardiologist to make sure. I have to admit, this is scary.
That's all the news for today. I'm tired, so I'm going to lie down and read my book and munch on pretzels. I'll write more tomorrow evening after the appointment.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Welcome to JOKEwood Healthcare Systems....
I had an appointment with my doctor at 4:15 this afternoon. Or so I thought....
We got to the clinic and Jim signed me in while I took a seat (still feeling really dizzy when standing/walking). About 15 minutes later, we heard them call my name. But they weren't calling for me to go back, they were calling so the receptionists could talk to us. They proceeded to inform us that there was no appointment for me in their computer system, and it was the girl who had scheduled the appointment who was telling us this!
Kids in the waiting room were running all over screaming, my head was pounding. Then they say they'll see what they can do to try to get me in. I told them that I need to be seen, it's be over a week since I saw the doctor last, my symptoms are still persisting, I still haven't gotten t test results from my hospital stay on 5-10 through 5-12, and I turned in paperwork to the clinic last Wednesday that they assured me would be filled out by today since it is already past due to my employer. I also mentioned that if I don't have that paperwork turned in t my employer by tomorrow morning, I stand a chance of being fired. Let me see what I can do, the lady says, and then she disappears and never comes back.
Maybe she could tell just how livid I was and she was afraid...several other nurses stopped by before the head nurse finally came and told us that they can schedule me to see a DIFFERENT doctor from the clinic tomorrow morning. I asked how that's supposed to work, since my doctor as been the only one seeing me since 5-3 and she knows what's going on with me. They said, "We'll just have this doctor take fresh look at your case." Really.... Why then, could you not have scheduled me to see this other doctor sooner? Why did I have to wait a full week to see "my" doctor, only to find out no one ever put me in the system and now I have to see someone new anyway?
These people are running a circus in there. I don't think they know their heads from a hole in the ground. All I know for sure is that as soon as that ER doctor I saw at U of M returns from her two week vacation, I'm changing doctors. I'm sick of this, and getting stressed out like this sure isn't helping my situation any.
I also know that I am going to find out who I need to speak to in order to file a complaint, and I might even see about notifying someone at a higher level than just the clinic about this. This is no way to treat a person, especially someone who's been ill for three weeks and still doesn't know what's wrong with her.
I could just scream right now....AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!! I think I'm going to need to be committed to an insane asylum.
We got to the clinic and Jim signed me in while I took a seat (still feeling really dizzy when standing/walking). About 15 minutes later, we heard them call my name. But they weren't calling for me to go back, they were calling so the receptionists could talk to us. They proceeded to inform us that there was no appointment for me in their computer system, and it was the girl who had scheduled the appointment who was telling us this!
Kids in the waiting room were running all over screaming, my head was pounding. Then they say they'll see what they can do to try to get me in. I told them that I need to be seen, it's be over a week since I saw the doctor last, my symptoms are still persisting, I still haven't gotten t test results from my hospital stay on 5-10 through 5-12, and I turned in paperwork to the clinic last Wednesday that they assured me would be filled out by today since it is already past due to my employer. I also mentioned that if I don't have that paperwork turned in t my employer by tomorrow morning, I stand a chance of being fired. Let me see what I can do, the lady says, and then she disappears and never comes back.
Maybe she could tell just how livid I was and she was afraid...several other nurses stopped by before the head nurse finally came and told us that they can schedule me to see a DIFFERENT doctor from the clinic tomorrow morning. I asked how that's supposed to work, since my doctor as been the only one seeing me since 5-3 and she knows what's going on with me. They said, "We'll just have this doctor take fresh look at your case." Really.... Why then, could you not have scheduled me to see this other doctor sooner? Why did I have to wait a full week to see "my" doctor, only to find out no one ever put me in the system and now I have to see someone new anyway?
These people are running a circus in there. I don't think they know their heads from a hole in the ground. All I know for sure is that as soon as that ER doctor I saw at U of M returns from her two week vacation, I'm changing doctors. I'm sick of this, and getting stressed out like this sure isn't helping my situation any.
I also know that I am going to find out who I need to speak to in order to file a complaint, and I might even see about notifying someone at a higher level than just the clinic about this. This is no way to treat a person, especially someone who's been ill for three weeks and still doesn't know what's wrong with her.
I could just scream right now....AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!! I think I'm going to need to be committed to an insane asylum.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Second Opinion
As you all know, I haven't been getting any answers from my doctors as to what's making me sick. Yesterday I had an appointment with my doctor. I was SOO short of breath I felt like I was going to pass out just from walking about 20 feet. They got me a wheelchair and wheeled me the rest of the way to the examination room. Normally, my breathing slows back down once I'm sitting or laying, but it took a while this time. There were about 5 nurses and 2 doctors swarming around me checking me out, and everything went back to normal eventually.
Sometime after my doctor came in to start talking to me, my face started feeling really numb and tingly - it was scary. She put a wet paper towel on my face and it went back to normal after about 10-15 minutes. She never did say what may have caused that feeling though.
Later that evening I decided that I was fed up with not knowing anything and that I was also growing more concerned about the worsening of my symptoms. So I called Jim and asked him if he would take me to a different ER after he got off work - he agreed that we should go in somewhere else.
When Jim got off work he took me to St. Joe's, the hospital that I wanted to go to, even though he doesn't like it. When I was taken back to see the triage nurse, she was extremely rude with me. She told me, "I can tell you right now that you're making yourself sick breathing that way - you've just got anxiety." And she said it in a very rude manner - I wanted to smack her. When she was done making me feel like I was worthless, I told Jim that I wanted to leave and what she had said.
He and Barb (my best friend, who had come up to the ER to wait with us and be there for me) both said that we should go to U of M instead of just giving up and going home like I was ready to do. So we went to U of M. Erica (my other best friend) was there waiting for us before we even got there. I felt really bad because I knew there was nothing Barb or Erica could do for me and that they couldn't really visit with me in the ER, but at the same time I was thankful to have their love and support.
The ER department at U of M was MUCH better than St. Joe's. They seemed genuinely concerned about my well being. After they finally got all of the records from Oakwood, they reviewed them and came in to talk to me. By this time they had already given me medicine for nausea, so I was pretty much out of it, I could barely hold my eyes open to talk to the doctor. So she talked to Jim instead.
She explained to him that they felt Oakwood had run the same tests that they would have started with and asked that we relay the results of the tests to her after they were received. She also explained that because my vital signs were okay and because Oakwood had already run the preliminary tests needed, they couldn't admit me to the hospital because my insurance wouldn't cover the same tests twice so close together. After this discussion, the released me and Jim took me home.
I don't really remember the trip home at all, but I know it was about 5 am when we left the ER, so it was probably 5:30 when we got home. I slept like a zombie until around 3:30 this afternoon, and I still feel like I could sleep for 4 days straight, but I forced my self to get up for a while.
It's good to know that U of M agrees with the steps that Oakwood has taken...I was starting to think that Oakwood wasn't helping me at all. So it's back to the waiting game. I'll post again when I hear some results from some of the tests that have been run so far.
Sometime after my doctor came in to start talking to me, my face started feeling really numb and tingly - it was scary. She put a wet paper towel on my face and it went back to normal after about 10-15 minutes. She never did say what may have caused that feeling though.
Later that evening I decided that I was fed up with not knowing anything and that I was also growing more concerned about the worsening of my symptoms. So I called Jim and asked him if he would take me to a different ER after he got off work - he agreed that we should go in somewhere else.
When Jim got off work he took me to St. Joe's, the hospital that I wanted to go to, even though he doesn't like it. When I was taken back to see the triage nurse, she was extremely rude with me. She told me, "I can tell you right now that you're making yourself sick breathing that way - you've just got anxiety." And she said it in a very rude manner - I wanted to smack her. When she was done making me feel like I was worthless, I told Jim that I wanted to leave and what she had said.
He and Barb (my best friend, who had come up to the ER to wait with us and be there for me) both said that we should go to U of M instead of just giving up and going home like I was ready to do. So we went to U of M. Erica (my other best friend) was there waiting for us before we even got there. I felt really bad because I knew there was nothing Barb or Erica could do for me and that they couldn't really visit with me in the ER, but at the same time I was thankful to have their love and support.
The ER department at U of M was MUCH better than St. Joe's. They seemed genuinely concerned about my well being. After they finally got all of the records from Oakwood, they reviewed them and came in to talk to me. By this time they had already given me medicine for nausea, so I was pretty much out of it, I could barely hold my eyes open to talk to the doctor. So she talked to Jim instead.
She explained to him that they felt Oakwood had run the same tests that they would have started with and asked that we relay the results of the tests to her after they were received. She also explained that because my vital signs were okay and because Oakwood had already run the preliminary tests needed, they couldn't admit me to the hospital because my insurance wouldn't cover the same tests twice so close together. After this discussion, the released me and Jim took me home.
I don't really remember the trip home at all, but I know it was about 5 am when we left the ER, so it was probably 5:30 when we got home. I slept like a zombie until around 3:30 this afternoon, and I still feel like I could sleep for 4 days straight, but I forced my self to get up for a while.
It's good to know that U of M agrees with the steps that Oakwood has taken...I was starting to think that Oakwood wasn't helping me at all. So it's back to the waiting game. I'll post again when I hear some results from some of the tests that have been run so far.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Heart Monitor
I just got back from the hospital and I have a heart monitor on now that I have to wear for 24 hours.
Man were they mad in the cardiology department.....for one thing, I should have had an appointment rather than the hospital telling me to come in whenever I felt like it Monday. For two, they should have put the monitor on me before I left Saturday instead of telling me there were none available when there were. For three, the EKG tech said they never should have released me with how bad I looked and how I was walking and out of breath. She was SOOO mad. She took down the names of the doctors and nurses that released me Saturday and she said she's going to have it investigated.
Jim says he's calling MCare to have me added to his insurance (we chose mine after the wedding because it's cheaper and I'd never had any problems with the associated doctors before) so he can take me out to U of M and get some additional opinions and hopefully some answers.
This is getting ridiculous.
Man were they mad in the cardiology department.....for one thing, I should have had an appointment rather than the hospital telling me to come in whenever I felt like it Monday. For two, they should have put the monitor on me before I left Saturday instead of telling me there were none available when there were. For three, the EKG tech said they never should have released me with how bad I looked and how I was walking and out of breath. She was SOOO mad. She took down the names of the doctors and nurses that released me Saturday and she said she's going to have it investigated.
Jim says he's calling MCare to have me added to his insurance (we chose mine after the wedding because it's cheaper and I'd never had any problems with the associated doctors before) so he can take me out to U of M and get some additional opinions and hopefully some answers.
This is getting ridiculous.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Home Sweet Home
Well, the doctors still don't have any idea what's wrong with me, but they sent me home yesterday evening anyway. I guess I was just wasting space in their eyes since I'm not critically ill.
Tomorrow I have to go back to the hospital and they're going to put me on a heart monitor to wear at home for 24 hours - they think I may be having irregular heart beats when I stand, causing my blood pressure to change and me to then feel dizzy. After that's done they also want to have me do a Tilt Table test. The doctor asked if I'd ever heard of that before and I said "Yeah, I saw it on House once." She started laughing and said that was probably the worst example possible - it would be nothing like that.
It's nice to be home instead of being in that dumpy hospital room with the mean night nurse who didn't know how to start an IV. Yet at the same time, I'm going stir crazy here at home. There's so much stuff I want to do that I can't. I REALLY want to get outside and plant my flowers for this year, but I can't do that. I get worn out just going out to the backyard to sit on the swing for a while! And today I fell in my bedroom - I didn't get hurt, but it scared Jim pretty badly. He hates going to work at night an leaving me alone. I'm so thankful that I have such a wonderful, caring husband!
Okay - I need to get off here. I'll let you know when I know more. Hope all is well with all of you!!
Tomorrow I have to go back to the hospital and they're going to put me on a heart monitor to wear at home for 24 hours - they think I may be having irregular heart beats when I stand, causing my blood pressure to change and me to then feel dizzy. After that's done they also want to have me do a Tilt Table test. The doctor asked if I'd ever heard of that before and I said "Yeah, I saw it on House once." She started laughing and said that was probably the worst example possible - it would be nothing like that.
It's nice to be home instead of being in that dumpy hospital room with the mean night nurse who didn't know how to start an IV. Yet at the same time, I'm going stir crazy here at home. There's so much stuff I want to do that I can't. I REALLY want to get outside and plant my flowers for this year, but I can't do that. I get worn out just going out to the backyard to sit on the swing for a while! And today I fell in my bedroom - I didn't get hurt, but it scared Jim pretty badly. He hates going to work at night an leaving me alone. I'm so thankful that I have such a wonderful, caring husband!
Okay - I need to get off here. I'll let you know when I know more. Hope all is well with all of you!!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Hospital
Well, the doctors still don't have any idea what's wrong with me, so today they decided that running the tests would go a lot more quickly if they put me in the hospital.
I just got to my room about an hour and a half ago. The best part is that they have wireless Internet access and I have the laptop with me. So even though I don't feel like doing a lot of typing, I can still check my e-mails and play some games to help pass the time.
Hopefully they'll figure out what's wrong with me soon! My thanks to everyone for the well wishes and prayers!!
I just got to my room about an hour and a half ago. The best part is that they have wireless Internet access and I have the laptop with me. So even though I don't feel like doing a lot of typing, I can still check my e-mails and play some games to help pass the time.
Hopefully they'll figure out what's wrong with me soon! My thanks to everyone for the well wishes and prayers!!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Request for more writing
So, Melanie has commented that it's time for me to write some more. I couldn't agree more, I still have a lot left to write about. However, I want to first start by explaining why I haven't been writing.
To start with, the first few week days of every month are hogged by my job. This is the time when we close the books, and doing so usually consists of a 50-60 hour work week. So I usually don't feel up to doing anything but going straight to bed during this week.
To top that off, I became ill Wednesday. While I was at work, I started feeling extremely hot, weak and dizzy. I went to the nurses station and she took my temperature - no fever. So why was I so uncontrollably hot??? I wound up leaving work "early", after 9 hours rather than 12, and going to urgent care. A co-worker had to drive me because I was too dizzy.
The doctors at urgent care couldn't figure out what was wrong with me either. They verified that my temperature wasn't elevated, my blood sugar level was good, and my blood pressure wasn't too bad (it was elevated, but most likely a result of my severe discomfort), and I'm not pregnant. So they wrote me a script for an anti-dizziness medicine and told me to stay home from work the next day and follow up with my family doctor.
Stay home from work?!? During month end close?? Are they crazy??? I thought for sure that my boss would have a fit. But he didn't - he told me to do what I needed in order to get myself back to a healthy state. WOW!! That's the first boss I've ever had there who said something humane like that!!!
Thursday I went to my family doctor - again it was determined that my vital signs were normal. She then told me that she wanted to run a battery of blood tests and for me to stay home from work for the next week and follow up with her again next Thursday. So that's what I'm doing.
I'm patiently waiting to hear the results of the blood tests, and if they don't show anything unusual, I'm going to request an MRI. I have plenty of TIME to write now, but I'm not really feeling up to sitting up and writing too much. We rented a bunch of movies and got me some books and a word search magazine to keep me busy. I'm going crazy wanting to go outside, so Jim just went to the store and bought me one of those swing/hammock things to put in the backyard - I think some fresh air will do me some good! But I can't move around too much, I have to hold on to Jim or the furniture or the walls when I walk through the house or I topple over like a new born fawn (ie - Bambi at the beginning of the movie).
Well, there you have it - I'll write more when I'm either feeling better or I know more about why I feel this way!!
To start with, the first few week days of every month are hogged by my job. This is the time when we close the books, and doing so usually consists of a 50-60 hour work week. So I usually don't feel up to doing anything but going straight to bed during this week.
To top that off, I became ill Wednesday. While I was at work, I started feeling extremely hot, weak and dizzy. I went to the nurses station and she took my temperature - no fever. So why was I so uncontrollably hot??? I wound up leaving work "early", after 9 hours rather than 12, and going to urgent care. A co-worker had to drive me because I was too dizzy.
The doctors at urgent care couldn't figure out what was wrong with me either. They verified that my temperature wasn't elevated, my blood sugar level was good, and my blood pressure wasn't too bad (it was elevated, but most likely a result of my severe discomfort), and I'm not pregnant. So they wrote me a script for an anti-dizziness medicine and told me to stay home from work the next day and follow up with my family doctor.
Stay home from work?!? During month end close?? Are they crazy??? I thought for sure that my boss would have a fit. But he didn't - he told me to do what I needed in order to get myself back to a healthy state. WOW!! That's the first boss I've ever had there who said something humane like that!!!
Thursday I went to my family doctor - again it was determined that my vital signs were normal. She then told me that she wanted to run a battery of blood tests and for me to stay home from work for the next week and follow up with her again next Thursday. So that's what I'm doing.
I'm patiently waiting to hear the results of the blood tests, and if they don't show anything unusual, I'm going to request an MRI. I have plenty of TIME to write now, but I'm not really feeling up to sitting up and writing too much. We rented a bunch of movies and got me some books and a word search magazine to keep me busy. I'm going crazy wanting to go outside, so Jim just went to the store and bought me one of those swing/hammock things to put in the backyard - I think some fresh air will do me some good! But I can't move around too much, I have to hold on to Jim or the furniture or the walls when I walk through the house or I topple over like a new born fawn (ie - Bambi at the beginning of the movie).
Well, there you have it - I'll write more when I'm either feeling better or I know more about why I feel this way!!
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