- Heard some med students talking...funniest conversation ever. "Hey, dude. So you going for the Guggenheim?" "Nah, man. My girlfriend at Stanford's sure to get it." "Wow, great school." "Dude. Psh. We're at Mayo." ...and then a bunch of gibberish about epidemiology. haaa haha
- Why is it called a Clinic? It's humongous! Mom has suggested a new name: Mayo Taj Mahal. Seriously, it's like a hotel.
- Since doctor-visits in October, I've somehow grown two inches taller!
- RHR 102 bpm, blood pressure 108/73, later 100/53
- Received files sent over from McKinley (U of I health center) -- um, I guess I had borderline high cholesterol and nobody told me. This seems especially strange b/c I eat really well. =/
All right, more serious stuff:
- First doc (our go-to guy) seemed lazy at best. Used these strangle-inspiring lines like, "You know, college is a big transition for everyone." Oh. My. Lord. I've been out of school for four months. I'm *incapacitated.* I'm not just some whiny kid! I started getting upset, and he pretty much dismissed me as hysterical. Mom called him out on that, and he backed off. Good grief. At least he ordered a bunch of tests and consultations.
- Took 5 vials of blood for testing, was really hard to fast from 6pm to 10am. Got really light-headed and punchy. A nurse called for "Howard Johnson" and my mom and I cracked up. Oh HoJo. We knew you well.
- ECG (aka EKG) went okay. I've done several of these before, but this was the first time I felt the current in a few places. My face got really warm, worse palpitations.
- Chest x-ray and hip x-ray took only a couple minutes apiece -- my favorite! Both looked normal as far as I could tell from the monitor in the room, but I'm no doctor.
- Echocardiogram was SOOO cool. I got to watch the ultrasound. Man. Even if it's needlessly hyperactive, my heart is really awesome. :) Heart rate started at 102 bpm, up to 117, finished at 91. Bonus: math and graphing in action! The technician measured the highs and lows of my HR, the area of the curve, and compared it to the size of the different chambers. We should get results when we talk to the cardiologist tomorrow afternoon.
- My patient number is almost exactly my cell phone number backwards. sweet.
Busy, busy day! Pretty much wiped out. Tomorrow: Autonomic Reflex Testing (POTS, etc.), Endocrine Test / Cortrosyn Challenge, and a cardio consult. Thank you everyone for your messages and prayers.
Howard Johnson!!
emma
Posts
Thanks so much for the update, it is so good to hear from you and to know what is going on!
ReplyDeleteYour go-to-guy reminds me of my doctor when I had a bone tumor in my spine, later found out that it is in fact a very painful tumor, they say its like dying of bone cancer and then some. Anyway, I was trying to tell my doctor how painful it was, he said that I was overly emotional due to the pregnancy and that my back would feel better once I had the baby. I said no, its very high up on my spine, I had a baby before, this is different. He said go home and settle down and stop being so emotional. I was not happy when I left his office, I wanted and needed real help. O.K. Doc you have an osteoid osteoma and I'll tell you you are fine and don't get emotional. These doctors need to have faith and believe what we tell them, most of us are not hypochondriacs or whatever they think. You really need an advocate. I'm so glad your parents have been going to your various appointments.
I love all the detail on your tests. Thanks so much for taking the time and energy to write all the blogs. I hope you put it all into a book one day or write a book on any subject, as you are a fantastic writer!
Hey emma, I'm Colin Funk's sister and I just found your blog. It's amazing how positive you are, you really are a fighter. I'll be keeping you in my prayers.
ReplyDeletePatty reminded me of my dad's doctor from like 4 years ago. Remember the one who said he had osteoporosis and told him he was a hypochondriac for calling him so much about his back pain (and tingling extremities...dumb-butt)? Yeah, apparently some doctors think it's okay to wait until some important bone like your vertebrae collapses from metastatic cancer before you take action and check something out. Most people know when something is seriously wrong, and doctors should take heed of this and give some respect to their patients. Seriously, just because we don't have medical degrees does not mean we are complete idiots! Anyways, I'm done rambling now. I hope that doctor treats you better in the future.
ReplyDeleteIf Mayo finds what is wrong we are going to celebrate with some bubbly! (Sparkling cider, of course)
Hugs and love,
Laura
Not only have your posts been a sobering testimony to the state of compassionate health care, they've also made me stop and think how I treat others in my daily life. Do I blow people off? Am I insensitive? Do I take even just a few minutes to listen? I know you'd rather have it be otherwise, Emma, but even in the midst of your illness, you're a powerful witness. Thank you.
ReplyDelete"HoJo"?? lol
ReplyDeleteDang insensitive doctors. I hope the go-to guy gets better, or maybe you can get a new go-to guy.
Maybe you've gotten taller because you've spent so much time in a horizontal position; gravity hasn't been compressing you.
I hope you get enough rest between these tests; don't wear yourself out!
Thank you for continuing these blog posts while you are up there. We are in FL right now and are still checking your posts every day (we are a day late because of travelling yesterday). We are very hopeful that these tests will show something soon so you can get on the right course of treatment. I can tell you from experience - when dealing with these doctors, they may know medicine, but you know your body and your mom knows her daughter. Stick to your guns!
ReplyDelete