Casey's Liver. (And a little about me).

Another collective rant...

Good Morning all;

I have been away again, so you best grab a cup of coffee. hehehe

First- most importantly, Casey is OK-

** If you missed the update in my comments section in my previous blog,  we still do not have a definitive diagnosis- We do know that the CAT Scan showed more than a few 'growths' on her liver.

Once admitted, Casey was sent to the oncology floor. 

The hospital employs "hospitalists". 

Medicinenet.com defines a hospitalist as "the physician that organizes the communication between different doctors caring for a patient, and to serve as the point of contact for other doctors and nurses for questions, updates, and delineating a comprehensive plan of care. They are able to track test results and order necessary follow-up tests promptly.

One thing this hospitalist mentioned, beside the bad stuff, was "fatty liver"

This is what I read up on and learned:

• "occurring in people who are overweight or obese"
• "Only a liver biopsy can establish a definite diagnosis and determine the severity of the condition."

This hospitalist dude ordered an ultrasound...

Casey questioned WHY they would do an ultrasound when this had already been confirmed by the scan? (A very good question too).

She also questioned WHY it took over 14 hours to schedule an ultrasound that takes about 5 minutes? (Another great question).

As I told you, Casey did leave the hospital. 

"A-M-A", (against medical advice), late that same afternoon when this hospitalist doctor there told her that he would NOT work with Minnesota on her case.  

WTF?!

NOT working with the doctors who are familiar with her medical history??? 

NOT even taking 5 effing minutes to ask them for pertinent information (that he might well "need" to know)? 

Not to mention that he would NOT even contact them!

He flat out told her, "I'm a doctor. I will not call anyone else. It is my own policy not to confer with anyone else."

The pompous bastard apparently forgot who works for whom! 

How dare he?!?

Casey shot back, "You are just a hospitalist. You are not my doctor. I am leaving, and I will drive to Minnesota if I have to."

With that, he was completely irate! She did not mean to anger him further- But like any one else on earth, and in almost any given situation, people respond IN KIND.

Casey is no different!

_________________________________

As for me, there is a whole slew of crap going on.

In May I had an eye exam...

When he did the cursory peek he told me that I have some cataracts...

They were nothing for me to worry about; (maybe in 10 years or so).

THEN, he did the eye exam itself.

OK, they were worse than he'd originally thought- (Perhaps I had more like 5 years).

He then thought to put me in front of a machine that actually takes a picture of the inside of your eye. I have forgotten what it is called, but it was VERY bright.

Afterward, he stared at the 'picture' then then spoke again. "Anne, I am going to prescribe you some new glasses for now. They should help you to see a little better. Let me know in a few months if you still cannot see any better. Your cataracts are much more advanced than I had originally seen."

Damn! How did I go from having 1o years to see decent, to having just a few months? (And that, only *if* the new glasses did the trick)...

But they did! And for the rest of May, and the month of June- 

But then I woke up one day, and it was July...

Lord almighty, when he's right he's right. 

As of now, I can barely see the printed page, let alone to type. If you are not making your blogs bigger then I have an awful problem reading them. I check pictures (that won't enlarge), with a magnifying glass.

I wish I could talk to my computer and it would type everything I say; -cusswords and all. hehehe

With my elbows and shoulders hurting so badly I can barely type. (I have been writing this, on and off, since about 8 this morning). My fingers sort of do not cooperate with my brain, which is still mostly working.

I make all of my screens extra larg- Sometimes I read faster than I can scroll. hehehe  

Hey, it works; but my eyes tire so quickly.

Or maybe that's just me?!?
For the last 3 nights I have barely slept a wink. More like extended naps. (About 2 hours each night). I do nap sometimes during the day, but am not real good at that. But I enjoy the heck out of shutting my eyes and trying to hypnotize myself to sleep/nap. 

Don't laugh! It's fun; and mostly it works. (Just not for the past 3 nights).  hehehe

Hell, I should probably post a whole bunch of things I can do because the list my own doctors tell me not to do keeps on growing and growing. And I am more than tired of it all.

Someone asked me a while back how did I manage to keep going and not throw in the towel and say 'adios'.

I'm not really sure- Just that maybe I don't have that gene, or whatever. 

Besides, I'm as gutless as all get-out. hehehe

Not sure if I would ever be able to do that to Casey-(or Punk for that matter).
Might be a different story if I was worse.

Oh wait.

I had to be tested for a few things- Autoimmune disorders, and an h~Pylori test to see if my ulcer came back. I have been asking for 6+ years to have this test (re)done, and doctors have refused.
They want to do an EGD. 

Finally, tired of all the nastier symptoms, I sort of demanded the test. She was upset and said I still had to have an EGD.

"No. Not yet. Let's see when my h~Pylori, comes back. If it is negative, I will talk about having this EGD done. If it is positive then I will need to be treated for that first; and see if my symptoms go away."

(She too, had almost forgotten that she works for me; and not the other way around).

Please do not misunderstand.  I honestly DO admire and respect (most) doctors and nurses... until they give me a reason not to anyway.

Having had Casey sick now for almost 8 years, it still throws me to see people (drs, nurses, ANYone) treating her like a dumb sockpuppet. We have had such an extensive education. And no, I am not even remotely comparing myself to a dr.  It's just that when things are done out of order, I reserve my INFORMED right to question it. 

In this specific case, and instead of eliminating the symptoms in a fairly cost effective way, they want to jump to the very expense (and invasive) things... Makes no sense to me.

They wonder why my blood pressure is whacked???  (Really)???

When all was said and done my h~Pylori test came back positive.  Shocker, no?

***sigh***

The autoimmune test results came back too

2 were plainly negative, and 2 came back highly "suspect" (questionable). 

Again I must ask myself if these are things I wish to worry over, or if these are things I can live happily on the side of basic ignorance. 

Remember that our bodies are quite well~functioning machines (for the most part).

Aside from pancreatitis, major coronaries, cancer, and bacterial infections (to name a few) our bodies can/DO heal themselves well. One only needs to take care- And always MAKE time for ones-self. That is the ultimate thing.  Guilty as charged, it is also what I failed to do, for too many years. 

I will not make that mistake again.

It's actually a very simple, and basic, concept- If you are thinking you need a break, you DO! Pull over from life for a while, smile, then relax for at least 20 minutes.  Eyes closed and add earplugs if at all possible); no thoughts, (only quiet and comforting ones), and no other minor responsibilities. That time, that responsibility is ONLY for yourself.

If you don't take care of you then who will?

Besides, you do NOT want to end up like me- In a body that had been neglected for 3 decades.  I tried not to be selfish too- It didn't do me any good.  And I don't mean that manicures are more important than meals. It's OK to relax. Really.

There is a reason for everything- And I didn't listen to my back; blaming it on my arthritis. When I was 35 my doctor wanted me o have a scan of my back. I wonder now what may have been revealed? Then again, I didn't listen to that nag on my shoulder that kept telling me to go IN. 

I do have a few other things going on- None so important as my vision though. I know already that I will need the cataract surgeries- and picture myself with a patch on my eye, a brace on my back, and a broken front tooth. I will be ready for Halloween, that's for sure. 

I broke that one about a month or so ago. Went in to the dentist- and he needs to refer me out, as I need more work than they are capable of doing at the clinic. 

Fine by me.

They said they would make that appointment with an oral surgeon. That they will call me when it is all set up.

A few days later they have mailed me a 7-page letter. I rip it open to find out when this appointment is- To realize that it only has the names and phone numbers of dentists in Wisconsin that will do magic on my mouth.

I call the ones that are close- enough. Those that I know I will be able to drive to. 

My back just doesn't like long trips. 

Lo and behold, no one is taking new patients.  

No wonder they mailed me that list!  Mad about that too. hehehe

So here I sit...

It's OK- (It has to be, right)? And really only hurts every now and then- 

But once again I know I should have made the time (and literally begged) when I knew that my insurances would cover it all being done at a hospital. 

I'd best close- I have rambled on enough for ages, and for all of you that don't post blogs anymore. I do hope you are all somehow still around?

May you all have a 'wunnaful' weekend!
My love to all.

XOXO,
Me