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Virgin Experience #3: Emergency Room and Follow-up Treatment
I’m in serious need of a rant. For those of you who are queasy about health-related issues, you don’t have to read this post. But I have to write it.
Sunday night, my husband took me to the emergency room. (He had to wait for me in the car for four hours due to virus restrictions.) I was in pain, and after taking tests (some very painful) and checking me over, they found nothing conclusive. So they suggested I consult with a gynecologist about a biopsy of the uterus. Yippee.
Meanwhile, I’m in consultation with my very knowledgeable nurse practitioner. She is suspicious after all the details I’ve given her (I don’t need to bore you with them), that I have interstitial cystitis. (If you want the gory details, you can go here.)
My last gynecologist closed up shop some months ago and I hadn’t yet set up with a new one. The emergency doctor gave me a referral. I learned, however, that since I will be a Medicare patient, I need a referral from my primary care practice, not an emergency doc. So the nurse practitioner faxed in the referral. But you see, that referral goes into “The System,” which has to chew on it and eventually attach it to my new account. It can take 48 hours to locate it. Normally, that’s not a big deal, but you can see that I have a sense of urgency (pun intended). I hope to learn that the referral has shown up this afternoon. But of course, that’s only for the consultation regarding a biopsy, which I hope will be a tele-med meeting.
Are you keeping up? Meanwhile I talked to a urologist doc who felt I needed a cystoscopy. (Oh boy, can’t wait.) But there was not an opening (pun intended again) until May 19. Well, I guess I will have to wait and hope there is a cancellation. Then I realized, wait, this is probably an elective procedure. They probably are assuming the lockdown will be canceled by May 1. Great.
So I’ve made a decision that I think even the gynecologist will agree with (and even if he doesn’t, too bad): I will wait for the cystoscopy and then decide if a biopsy is warranted. In consultation with all the relevant doctors, of course.
The irony of all this nonsense is that if I have that condition, there’s no real treatment or cure. Except that flare-ups can be food-related. People have found that coffee, chocolate, alcohol, and citrus can aggravate the condition. In some ways, that’s the worst part.
I take that back; I can work on my diet. The worst part is being in pain, unable to do anything about it, and waiting. Because we are all shut down.
I do know that many of you have medical conditions much, much worse than mine. And have long-term grievances with receiving medical treatment. But I’m spoiled. I have been blessed with good health. It just seems that when I turned 70, everything went to hell.
It’s life unfolding. I will get through it. And I will live.
Published in Healthcare
I was born with messed up kidney and bladder issues. It’s extremely painful and frustrating! You’re in my prayers and I hope you get some pain relief soon. I was put on a maintenance dose of my preferred pain med until I got it under control.
Hey, whatever quarter you think you’re in, go for overtime!!🙂
Triple OT!
Good attitude, but why limit yourself?🙂
See article on page #31
@susanquinn , I just deleted several paragraphs I had written about my personal experiences with interstitial cystitis. Please don’t worry until you receive a diagnosis. Even if you have it, there are medications and therapies that may be successful. My best friend had it for 2 years, woke up one day and it was gone! I’ll pray for you.
Thanks, @jeannebodine. I need all the encouragement people can offer, especially those who’ve been through it.
I’m almost sure I originally posted this just for Members, but maybe there’s some good information in here–and people can see the kind of encouragement that Ricochetti offer! I’ll leave it on the Main Feed, unless anyone objects to being here.
After 3 OTs, your a&* is really dragging.
Yes. My family specializes in overtime. I’m 65, and regularly say that I’ve got another four decades to go if I don’t want to let the side down. Great grandmother lived to 99. Uncle 102. Great Aunt 103. Aunt still living who’ll be 97 in July. Mr. She is fond of saying that my family are the original Dúnedain. (Lord of the Rings reference, of a race of men know for their long life spans.) I guess we’ll see. Fingers crossed.
For some reason, the toughest birthday for me was when I turned 35. Not 40. Not 65. I’m not sure why, except a lot of polls and surveys are divided up by age, and seem to have 19-34 in the first group, and the second group starts at 35. Maybe that was it. I don’t know.
Some people just have to show off!!!
LOL. I dunno. When I read some of the comments on this post, about how things will disintegrate in four or five more years, it seems to me I’ll be in a bad way for a long time, if the actuarial tables do hold up . . .
Both of my parents died at age 92 and that was after half a lifetime of smoking. Of course they were in awful physical condition. I’ve never smoked (anything and I’m from the flower child generation) so I’m hopeful for a more pleasant final twenty years than they had. Going to get myself to some PT after this isolation is over and try to save my back.
Heh, same thing happened to me at age 36, I had a real mid-life crisis. Strange.
Very interesting article, and I’d like to print it out and study it. However, my printers are out of order. I’ve been a lot more fortunate than the case study. As long as I stay on my diet, I don’t get migraines. I’ve one that one time with the bladder problem. I’ve been on my died since about 1984. None of my children, or grandchildren who suffer migraines will even try the diet. Their choice. My allergist was Dr. Stephen M. Nagy, Jr. of Sacramento.
Give Dr. Thomas Levy’s book on Magnesium a try. It may help convince them there’s more support for your approach than they think.
God bless you! Hope they get to fixing you up soon – this awful virus is messing up more than just the toilet paper aisle! You shouldn’t have to wait that long. Thanks to Key for some good suggestions.
Update: this time did telemed with primary doc, just for another perspective. Another antibiotic, and a painkiller. Temporary relief is in sight! (Mentioned his trying to twist the arm of the urologist, but he didn’t comment.)
Sorry so late getting back to you, my mouse went out, so had to have somebody go to the store and get me a new one, and a new keyboard. I will get that book and read it. Migraines have been a problem for all my maternal family. One of my cousins is married to a Dr. who thinks the diet is nonsense. However it has worked for me for over 25 years. My father had celiac, but no known other relatives as he was adopted. My older daughter, 2 of her children are also celiac, don’t know yet about the great grandchildren. All three of them with serious immune problems, refuse to try the diet. My younger daughter with MS along with blazing migraines. All of them ignore me. So be it.
https://www.hippocraticpost.com/infection-disease/aluminium-and-multiple-sclerosis/
I can’t seem to find a source of this water in the USA, and can’t afford to have it shipped from UK even if they are a non-profit company. Any ideas?
Yes. Buy Fiji water.
Okay, thank you.
There’s a graphic somewhere that shows 3 brands that are suitable: Fiji water is one of them.