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August 23, 2005

Episode # 4 Doctor Countdown Of :

AS THE TONSIL FALLS
Three down, two (maybe three) to go.
#5: Friday at 3:15. Neurologist # 1. From now on will be referred to as
"TheBrickWall."
TheBrickWall was 30 minutes late to my appoinment and when we finally got back
to his office he proceeded to pull every disease/condition known to man out of
his southern-most orifice to explain my symptoms as something OTHER than Chiari.
My migraines are "hormones", the normal-every-day headaches are "too much
OTC-medicine withdrawal", the numbness in my arms and hands is "carpal tunnel",
the eye-twitches and the ringing in my ears and hearing loss is "too much
aspirin", the stiff neck is from, of all things, "stress". And of course, my
mother, QueenB, had to add in the fact that the weight gain was just me being
l-a-z-y.
#4: Friday at 5:00. Chiropractor. From now on will be referred to as
"TheExplainer."
She compared my MRI films to the X-Rays she had taken and compared them slide by
slide. She explained which nerves attached where on the spine and why I was
feeling what I was feeling. She said I had a slight deterioration of my C3 and
C4 discs since my Chiari was blocking the movement of C1 and C2 which is what
"normal" people use to rotate their head from side to side, and that my body had
just naturally started using C3 and C4 for rotation. This can also explain
stiffness in the neck. When I sneeze, the rapid movement of my head forward
compresses the spinal cord and cerebellar tonsils together causing the numbness
in my arms. In a little over an hour, with charts and graphs, and with see-thru
pictures of my insides.. she disproved everything "TheBrickWall" had said.
***Commerical Break***
After the chiropractor we ate dinner at Cantina Laredo in Euless and then went
to my apartment. I packed a few things in a bag and we headed to "TheArmpitOfHell". We got
home about midnight. I went to bed, in MY bed, my waterbed and I slept better
that night than I have in months. My two puppies must have missed me because
they jumped up and slept on my bed at my feet. Zane, the one with more hair
eventually got down (that bed gets HOT) but he still stayed in my room and slept
on the floor right next to us, while Zack slept on my feet all night long.
Saturday, we woke up, ate lunch, watched Summer Magic, took a nap, watched
Frequency, (wiped the drool off my face), took another nap. About 3 my dad
finally got home from work and we ate salad and sandwiches and guess what... I
took another nap. About 8 when my dad went to bed, my mom and I got up, got
dressed and went to visit with my grandparents until after midnight. We took the
4 CDs worth of pictures that my cousin, OfficerB, had sent from the wedding and
my mother's laptop. My grandmother had been unable to attend the wedding and we
got to show her all the pictures.
Sunday, we woke up when my dad got home from work about 10 and ate breakfast. My
parents read the newspaper while I was a complete and total bum and played
Phlinx on Pogo. About 2 we got up and got ready, went back to my grandparents,
and ate birthday cake and visited until I had to leave for Dallas about 6pm. I
got back to my place about 8 and spent the evening cleaning my apartment and
doing laundry.
***Now Returning To Your Regularly Scheduled Program***
#3 Monday at 10:40 Neurosurgeon #1 From now on will be referred to as
"TheCuteOne."
Monday I went to work about 7:30 and left at 10:00. As I was driving to the
neurosurgeon's office, I passed an 18-wheeler on the side of the road that had a
cabin completely engulfed in flames and black smoke. I had been in the far right
lane when I saw it and moved over one. While said 18-wheeler was still in my
rearview mirror, it turned into a big ball of flames.
Parents hanging out in the gift shop at the hospital waiting for me, Sign in at
the doc's office, fill out forms, sign release forms since the damn HIPPA laws
and the dorks at the MRI place sent them the 1st report but not the 2nd, sit
down and wait..
and wait...
and ask what the hold up is... he's stuck in surgery, he will be back soon...
and wait...
About NOON, we finally got to see the neurosurgeon. And, like BerryGirl, my
surgeon is cute! He asks me about my migraines, my numbness, my symptoms, and
really listens to what I had to say. For once in this whole crazy shabang, I had
a doctor listening to ME! He pulls out the MRI (and the X-rays sent with me by
"TheExplainer") and shows the Chiari and starts drawing little happy faces and
lines on it. The fact that my Chiari is only 8mm was a good thing and he said
that it just didn't look like they were crowding each other that bad. It was
possible that the "hole" that the cerebellar tonsils fell in is bigger than
"bigger than normal."
He says that he wants me to go get a second opinion (maybe a third if 2nd
doesn't agree), but he just didn't think my condition was bad enough for surgery
at this time. He wants to talk to the other doctor if Mr.2ndOpinion thinks I
need surgery, and he wants to send me to a new neurologist to start a brand new
pain medication and treatment plan to see if we can treat my Chiari without a
knife and a zipper-scar.
After he talks to me "TheCuteOne" asks my parents if they have any questions. My
mother brings up the 2nd MRI that I had done last week and the absence of a
syrinx. He flat out tells us that had my 2nd MRI from Tuesday resulted positive,
and that I had a syrinx, then instead of pain medication and new doctors... that
our conversation today would have been more along the lines of hospital gowns,
designs shaved into the back of my head, and what color stitches I wanted in my
zipper.
He said that the Chiari surgeries were "FUN" and that you get to go in there and
see all kinds of neat stuff.. but he frankly didn't think I needed it yet. He's
a brain surgeon, he says he does necks and backs for "FUN." Then he seals the
deal by saying, in front of my parents, "if you were my daughter, I wouldn't do
surgery."
***PAUSING A MOMENT FOR STATION IDENTIFICATION***
After "TheCuteOne" gave me the name of a new neurologist, someone to replace
"TheBrickWall" and we headed to Blue Mesa Grill for lunch. While driving I
called and set up an appointment with Neurologist #2 on Tuesday, September 6th.
My adopted older sisters (the flower girls in my parent's wedding, the girls my
mother babysat and the two little girls my mother practiced raising before she
got me) Tracye and Tannah met us at the restaurant for a late birthday party.
We sat there for probably 3 hours talking and eating and enjoying being
together. The food was wonderful and Tannah brought me a chocolate and raspberry
cake. YUM!
After the party, I realized it was 3:30 and by the time I drove back to work I
would be there at most 35 minutes before I had to turn around and drive back
towards home and school and that it was just not worth it. Especially at $2.69+
a gallon.
I ended up cancelling my massage for today. I have missed way too much work in
the past three weeks and I was starting to get the feeling that I was on the
edge of losing my job. Even though, if they fired me for being sick and going to
the doctor that I would have legal boundaries to sue the pants off of them, I
didn't want to go down that road right now. I plan on rescheduling it later,
maybe the week between Summer and Fall quarter where I wont have so much going
on.
***OFF THE AIR, TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF***
AS THE TONSIL FALLS
STARING:
#2 Wednesday at 3:30 Neurosurgeon #2 Nickname to follow.
#1.5 ? at ? Neurosurgeon #3 (if needed)
#1 Tuesday, Sept 6 at 8:30 Neurologist #1 My New Drug Dealer.

Posted by FutureFoodTVStar at August 23, 2005 10:30 AM

Comments

Posted by: SoozieQ at August 23, 2005 04:15 PM

Posted by: Kami at August 23, 2005 08:17 PM

Posted by: Karagape at August 23, 2005 10:18 PM

Posted by: SillyNessa at August 24, 2005 10:45 AM

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