Tag: tests


Turn My Head with Talk of Summertime

17
August

I thought that I had a bruise on the corner of my eye Sunday night, until I found out that I had a stye coming up (the bruise was a shadow). I also have a sore developing on my eyebrow ridge. I haven’t had a stye in a long time, so I had forgotten how horrible these things feel.

I had tests scheduled at the ENT Monday morning. The audiologist decided to do a Dix-Hallpike test first. If it was negative, she would do the ECOG test. It was negative on the left side. On the right, my eyes had a nystagmus (involuntary jerking motion) and I got dizzy. So…I get to have a CRP (canalith repositioning procedure) to treat that. I’m really not looking forward to that because the positioning for this test was painful enough for my neck.)

On Monday afternoon, I saw the neurosurgeon. Fortunately, he said the problem wasn’t serious. He said it was just a strain. He wants me to do physical therapy, which I will schedule after I go to the cardiologist tomorrow. I don’t know if the therapy will help. My neck has never been strong. (Part of the reason I had to quit gymnastics as a kid was that they noticed that my neck was extremely weak.) I hope it will help, though.

After I got home yesterday, I ended up falling asleep. At first, it was for about 2 hours. I took some medicine, which kept me asleep for another 10 hours. I ended up taking medicine again when I woke up, which kept me asleep for another 12 hours. So, I was asleep in a medicine-induced nap for around 24 hours. I needed to rest that long since I had been up for what seemed like forever.

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Ooh! Shocky!

20
June

Back in May, I mentioned that my neurologist (well, his Nurse Practitioner) scheduled me for a bunch of blood tests and 2 nerve studies (an EMG and NCS). I had the blood tests this last week, which left me feeling more like crap than I already did. Tomorrow, I get to have the nerve studies.

I’m not really looking forward to this. I really want to know what’s wrong, but I just wish that there were some Star Trek way of testing where they could tell by waving something over me. That way I wouldn’t have to do the whole torture test thing.

I know this probably sounds a bit twisted, but I do want them to find something in all of these studies, whether it’s the blood work or the nerve tests. I don’t actually want to feel bad, but I want to have a reason to feel bad. I don’t want it to be like with the fibromyalgia, where I went through all the tests and stuff and find out that it’s something that couldn’t be found on tests. (Side note to not wanting it to be like FM: I also don’t want something to be wrong, but have doctors treat me like it’s nothing because they can’t prove it exists.) When it comes down to it, I don’t want to be sick for attention, meds (esp. since I can’t take them), or anything like that. I just want to have a legitimate reason for why I always feel like crap so that I don’t feel like I’m becoming a malingerer.

I also get to see the actual neurologist tomorrow, which should be good. I guess he gets to explain to me why it’s either all in my head or not, which would kind of be his job anyway.

I am exhausted. I really wanted to do some stuff, but I think I may just curl up and conk out.

2 comments » | General, Mental Health, Sickness and Health

Only a Test

20
May

I got back from my neurologist appointment. I didn’t actually get to see the neurologist. Instead, I saw his Nurse Practitioner. She decided that the headaches were probably tension, so I have to take a special muscle relaxant. I also had a bunch of tests scheduled, which she marked as “routine”. Given the number, and the usage for some, that marking was kind of worrisome. Oh, and I found out that I have degenerative arthritis in my lower spine that was confirmed on the MRI from last year.

Blood Tests Ordered

  • ACTH – Adrenocorticotropic Hormone – To help diagnose adrenal and pituitary diseases such as Cushing’s syndrome, Cushing’s disease, Addison’s disease, adrenal tumors, and pituitary tumors
  • CBC w. differential – Complete Blood Count -To determine general health status and to screen for and monitor a variety of disorders, such as anemia
  • CMP – Comprehensive Metabolic Panel – The Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) is a frequently ordered panel of tests that gives your doctor important information about the current status of your kidneys, liver, and electrolyte and acid/base balance as well as of your blood sugar and blood proteins. Abnormal results, and especially combinations of abnormal results, can indicate a problem that needs to be addressed.
  • Copper Level – To measure the amount of copper in the blood, urine, or liver; to help diagnose and monitor Wilson’s disease; sometimes to identify copper deficiencies and excesses
  • Cortisol – To help diagnose Cushing’s syndrome or Addison’s disease
  • Folate – To help diagnose the cause of anemia or neuropathy (nerve damage); to evaluate nutritional status in some patients; to monitor effectiveness of treatment for B12 or folate deficiency
  • Hemoglobin A-1-C – To monitor a person’s diabetes and to aid in treatment decisions; to screen for and/or diagnose diabetes and prediabetes
  • Homocysteine – To determine if you are folate-deficient or B12-deficient; to help diagnose a rare inherited disorder called homocystinurina; to determine if you are at increased risk of heart attack or stroke
  • Motor/Sensory Neuro Eval
  • Parathyroid – To determine whether PTH levels are responding normally to changes in blood calcium levels; to distinguish the cause of calcium imbalances; to evaluate parathyroid function; during surgery for hyperparathyroidism, to confirm removal of the gland(s) causing the problem
  • Rheumatoid Factor – To help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Sjögren’s syndrome
  • Sed Rate – Sedimentation Rate – To determine the presence of one or more types of conditions, including infections, tumors, inflammation, and those leading to the breakdown or decreased function of tissue or organs (degenerative), and/or to monitor the progress of disease or effect of therapy
  • TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone – To screen for and help diagnose thyroid disorders; to monitor treatment of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism
  • T4, Free – Thyroxine – To help evaluate thyroid gland function; to help diagnose hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism; to screen for hypothyroidism in newborns
  • Vitamin B-6 – To determine B-6 deficiency.
  • Vitamin B-1 – To determine Thiamine deficiency
  • Vitamin B-12 – To help diagnose the cause of anemia or neuropathy (nerve damage); to evaluate nutritional status in some patients; to monitor effectiveness of treatment for B12 or folate deficiency
  • Vitamin D 25 – To determine if you have a vitamin D deficiency; to determine if your vitamin D supplementation level is appropriate, if you are receiving vitamin D therapy
  • ANCA – Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody test – This test is highly specific for certain autoimmune diseases affecting blood vessels (Churg-Strauss Syndrome, Microscopic Polyangiitis and Wegener’s Granulomatosis).
  • SPEP – Serum Protein Electrophoresis – To help diagnose and monitor multiple myeloma and a variety of other conditions that affect protein absorption, production, and loss as seen in severe organ disease and altered nutritional states
  • SSA – To help diagnose and distinguish between autoimmune disorders (Sjögren’s)
  • SSB AB – To help diagnose and distinguish between autoimmune disorders (Sjögren’s)
  • Zinc – To help diagnose Zinc deficiency
  • Vitamin E – Deficiency leads to edema, hemolytic anemia.
  • Triglycerides – To assess the risk of developing heart disease

Other tests

  • Nerve Conduction Study – A nerve conduction study (NCS) is a test commonly used to evaluate the function, especially the ability of electrical conduction, of the motor and sensory nerves of the human body.
  • Electromyogram – EMG is used as a diagnostics tool for identifying neuromuscular diseases, assessing low-back pain, kinesiology, and disorders of motor control.

4 comments » | Sickness and Health

Stuck Some Forceps Up Her Nose, and Got $215

27
April

I got my CMS (Medicare Summary Notice) for the period of February to the first week in April. This was, of course, over the time period when I had my nose surgery. I always go over the notice (’cause I’m geeky like that) and I was seeing how much everything costs. I saw the costs for each sinus, my septoplasty, and then…brain surgery. What? Um, excuse me? BRAIN SURGERY? I think it may have just been a thing where they had to charge for the guided imagery, but it was still a bit odd to look and see brain surgery. (BTW – Brain surgery is $550, whereas the endoscopy is almost $8000. And of the over $8000 that was charged, Medicare paid $927.)

I looked a little further and saw the charge for the removal of the splints, which was basically splints/gauze packed in my nose. They charged $400, and got: $215.06. Apparently, it is more costly percentage-wise to stick nasal forceps up someone’s nose to pull 3 packings out, and then spray 2 squirts of Afrin up that same nose. :/

I noticed something missing from the whole thing…actually, 2 things: the hospital’s bill and the anesthesiology bill. These should be fun bills. The hospital bill will probably be quite a bit more, and the other will definitely be high (likely also higher than the surgeon’s bill.)

Oh, it had a bill on there from the pathologist for the tests on the contents. (Gross, I know.) There was a bill for 1 regular pathology report, as well as a decalcification, which I am guessing is the osteoma (bone tumor) that was in one sinus cavity.

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Within Normal Limits

11
September

What doctor came up with the phrase “within normal limits” to describe medical test results? I would really like to sit down with this person and ask a very important question: what does that even mean? I know it means exactly what it says…a test result falls between the high and low values for what is considered normal. It can be anywhere in that area. Well, how is it supposed to make me feel better?

Am I supposed to be cheerful that a couple of months ago my neck MRI, which was done to find the cause of myelopathy (possible spinal cord injury) was within normal limits? I still don’t have proper reflexes. I still don’t feel things the same on both sides of my body. Apparently, though, my senses are just fine.

Am I supposed to be happy that the MRI done on my spine (to find the cause of paralysis and severe back pain) on the 31st was within normal limits? Does that take away the paralysis I go through in the morning? Does it give me a pain-free day with my back?

Or how about the MRI and EEG that I had last December to find out what causes the flailing arms? It came back normal. If it’s so normal, then why has the problem occurred consistently since I was a small child? What causes it?

Why do doctors feel that once a result comes back with the notes “within normal limits” that they no longer have to look into what might be causing it? I would think if the symptoms went away, then yes, alternating the course of diagnosis is probably a fine thing to do. However, when someone is still experiencing the problems that brought on the diagnostic test, then something needs to occur so that they can find the root cause of the issue.

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The Blood Nazi Strikes Again

15
July

I had to have blood drawn today for my six month check up. Needless to say, it was a bit of a bad time for all. As has “previously been reported” in this blog, I am a very hard stick. Well, apparently, that was putting it lightly today when two lab techs and the nurse that I’ve had since I was a baby almost gave up their careers trying to find a vein from which to take the blood. They tried tourniquets. They tried slapping, which, by the way, I am opposed to having done to me. (If you think that slapping me is actually going to work, let me point out that it does not. It actually makes it harder because my veins then KNOW you’re coming with a needle and hide completely.) When they got out the blood pressure cuff, though, it worked enough that they got almost 3 half vials of blood. May not seem like much, but sometimes they only get 1/4 of one and only get to order 1 or 2 tests. (Today’s tests: Insulin, Lipid Profile, CMP, T4, TSH, and some other thyroid test.)

Note that like previous “blood nazi” posts, this has nothing to do with actual Nazi (as in Hitler) beliefs, but a play on the episode of Seinfeld where there was a soup nazi.

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Long Time, No See

6
December

I’m not dead. I haven’t gone through any of my moderated messages (all 1370 of them) yet, but I’m sure that someone asked if I was okay. The truth is that I don’t know. This past month has been hectic, but I’ve survived, which I guess is a good thing.

Do you remember how I had to go on Inderal to reduce my tremors caused by Lithium? Well, since Inderal is a blood pressure medication and my blood pressure tends to run on the low end of normal, which is a weird thing for a “fat girl”, the Inderal was causing me to feel faint and to almost fall several times a day. I cut down to one pill at night. Well, since I cut that down, the 1200 mg of Lithium started doing a number on my tremors. I couldn’t handle money or anything valuable. I could punch in my PIN number or sign my own name. My mom and I decided that it was time that I lower my Lithium dosage until it’s time for me to go see my psychiatrist. It’s kind of working. I still shake, and now I’m more depressed.

Speaking of being depressed, which is something my Art of Interviewing doesn’t really understand, I’ve spent a lot of time sleeping and not wanting to stop sleeping. I’ve just been trying to avoid reality and pain and stress. It didn’t work, but I feel a little better rested than I have in a while. That doesn’t mean that once I finish this entry that I won’t go get on the couch and go back to sleep. Actually, I can’t go back to sleep today. I have my last final and my last speech to prepare for for tomorrow. Bleh.

I also need to type up a letter saying how bad my Art of Interviewing teacher has been. I have to remember how she had a “strict dress code” that only applied to people who weren’t a part of her clique. I have to remember the extreme favoritism that she showed towards said clique. I have to remember that the woman who said she didn’t cuss anymore used several profane words when yelling at us over a test that a lot of us failed, except members of said clique. I have to remember when she said that being gay was wrong. I have to type up how she wanted verbatim answers when she said she didn’t want them, and then turned around and told us that she wanted us to answer the questions verbatim. I have to remember how she picked on certain students. I have to remember that when she was giving our Chapter 11 test that she hadn’t even read the chapter. I have to remember that she changed Jenny’s and my interview appointment time without telling us. I also have to remember that she said she was too busy to make it up, and then on Friday, I saw her eating candy upstairs with nothing to do. Basically, it’s going to be a long letter. I just don’t know how to put it all together.

The test that most people failed in AoI was one that I got a 36.5, despite studying a lot for it. This leads to the teacher saying that if we failed we didn’t study. Then, I turned around and made an 81 and 82 on the next two tests. I think I got a 100 on the last test we took. I’m not stupid and I am studying. The only big difference between those tests and the ones I failed were that they were basically over 1 chapter at a time, instead of 2-3.

Another school related thing–I got a roommate. She seems nice, but I was quite shocked that she came into my room mid-semester, no past mid-semester. The dorm counselors thought that I would automatically be okay with it. But how can you be okay with something you didn’t know was going to happen so soon? How can you just smile and say that’s great? I’m having to get used to her stuff and her being there. Next semester she’ll have to get used to my being there more, since I’ll be staying over Monday and Wednesday nights.

There has been some happy news. For the first time that I can remember, I bought a present for everyone who regularly spends Christmas with me. I also got gift cards to send to my cousins’ children on Daddy’s side of the family. I hope everyone likes their presents. I’m having a hard time keeping my dad from knowing what he’s getting. He hates for his presents to be spoiled, so I have to bite my lip to keep from telling him.

There is other happy news on the Christmas shopping front. With my Pell Grant refund, I bought lots of stuff for a Salvation Army Angel. Her name is Lexus and she’s 6. Instead of filling the one small bag that the Salvation Army gives to adopters, my family filled 3 of those bags plus 4 pretty large garbage bags. I hope that she’s an only child because if she got a lot of stuff and a sibling didn’t get much, it wouldn’t be fair.

I checked my weight over Thanksgiving and I’d lost another 10 pounds. That means that I’ve lost a grand total of about 30 pounds since the end of September. Only 70 more to go. The weight loss has been pretty evident. I’ve had to retire three pairs of jeans because when I’m in them, they fall off or almost fall off. One of those not only almost fell off, it caused me to trip and fall while walking to class a couple of weeks ago. That wasn’t fun. The only bad part, other than the wet and grassy leg, was that my hip hurt for a few days.

I plan on checking my e-mail after I get my finals done. It’s going to be crazy since I haven’t checked it in a month. Not checking it for a half of a week leads to like 1000 new messages on my main account. Most of them are spam, though. Since I haven’t been on so long, I probably have lost a few of my fanlistings, but I’m not really concerned with that right now. I got on and approved the pending members. That took quite a while.

I need to make a Christmas theme for this site. I wanted to make one for Autumn and Thanksgiving, but I was too busy with school and too depressed. I should probably make a general winter theme as well. I better not start making a list of what themes I need to make because then I’ll end up with like 100 themes to do and I’ll get burnt out.

7 comments » | Alabama A&M, Fanlistings, Friends, Internet, Mental Health, Sickness and Health

     

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