Matthew74
Stalwart
- Messages
- 597
- Reaction score
- 26
- Points
- 93
I finally got the tests I needed and, yup I was right. This isn't epilepsy related per se, but it's applicable.
For about 15 years I have had a problem with my back, and I also hurt my neck about two years ago. I saw two doctors about the back, had X-Rays taken, and both told me there was nothing wrong, or if there was, it wasn't serious. I knew better.
I finally got an appointment at the Mayo in Rochester. Before I even saw the doctor they scheduled an MRI and an X-Ray. It turns out my lowest disk is protruding and pressuring my spinal cord! On the MRI it was obvious. I also have arthritis in my lower back and in my neck. Apparently my cervical vertebrae are also sitting kind of funny. These things aren't terrible but I did a lot more than pull a muscle. I was hurt and there is something we can do about it. They are going to put me on some anti-inflammatory meds, and have me see a physical therapist. It won't fix everything, but hopefully I'll be stronger and have less pain.
As usual at the Mayo the testing they did was much better than any I had had before. They did an hour long MRI. They took a bunch of X-Ray films of me flexing forward and backward so that they could see how things were moving. My doctor was great.
When I saw the bulge in my disk, I was like, "Whoo-hoo!"
Lessons learned:
1. I should have gone to the doctor about both injuries right away.
2. When I knew that I had done real damage to my back I should have insisted on an MRI, and not taken "no" for an answer.
3. I should have gotten my second and third opinion immediately, instead of waiting years.
P.S. I hear all the time about "unnecessary testing", and I think it's a load of baloney. In my experience the more typical problem is that you can't get doctors to order tests, and they don't want to take the time to figure out what's wrong if it's not obvious. People say that it's too expensive. How expensive is seeing three doctors (five, including my GPs), having three x-rays, and finally the MRI that I should have had in the first place? How about being exposed to more X-Rays than were necessary? How about the pain, or the productivity I lost at work? My time lost going to three different hospitals? Or, my employer's own pain and time lost having to do my work for me, and the money he was supposed to be earning for his family? What about our customers? :razz2:
:yippee:
For about 15 years I have had a problem with my back, and I also hurt my neck about two years ago. I saw two doctors about the back, had X-Rays taken, and both told me there was nothing wrong, or if there was, it wasn't serious. I knew better.
I finally got an appointment at the Mayo in Rochester. Before I even saw the doctor they scheduled an MRI and an X-Ray. It turns out my lowest disk is protruding and pressuring my spinal cord! On the MRI it was obvious. I also have arthritis in my lower back and in my neck. Apparently my cervical vertebrae are also sitting kind of funny. These things aren't terrible but I did a lot more than pull a muscle. I was hurt and there is something we can do about it. They are going to put me on some anti-inflammatory meds, and have me see a physical therapist. It won't fix everything, but hopefully I'll be stronger and have less pain.
As usual at the Mayo the testing they did was much better than any I had had before. They did an hour long MRI. They took a bunch of X-Ray films of me flexing forward and backward so that they could see how things were moving. My doctor was great.
When I saw the bulge in my disk, I was like, "Whoo-hoo!"
Lessons learned:
1. I should have gone to the doctor about both injuries right away.
2. When I knew that I had done real damage to my back I should have insisted on an MRI, and not taken "no" for an answer.
3. I should have gotten my second and third opinion immediately, instead of waiting years.
P.S. I hear all the time about "unnecessary testing", and I think it's a load of baloney. In my experience the more typical problem is that you can't get doctors to order tests, and they don't want to take the time to figure out what's wrong if it's not obvious. People say that it's too expensive. How expensive is seeing three doctors (five, including my GPs), having three x-rays, and finally the MRI that I should have had in the first place? How about being exposed to more X-Rays than were necessary? How about the pain, or the productivity I lost at work? My time lost going to three different hospitals? Or, my employer's own pain and time lost having to do my work for me, and the money he was supposed to be earning for his family? What about our customers? :razz2:
:yippee: