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maystoneLeft this morning in the dark to make my doctor's appointment in London. It was bitterly, bitterly cold, but I have to say that it was one stunning sunrise, too. I was wishing I had brought my camera, but in truth I wouldn't have had time to stop and take the pics anyway. Besides, the camera would have frozen.
Two hours later I pulled up at the hospital for what I thought was going to be a half hour stay at most. I'll just never learn, will I? The upshot is that the neurologist I talked with (Dr. Diosy) found nothing out of the ordinary at all with the MRIs I'd brought with me. It was a confusing conversation, because he had never examined me, just relied on the case work done by his resident the previous day. Consequently he was concentrating on the fact that I have a memory loss and confusion and the "foggy brain" syndrome, while I was there primarily because I keep losing my balance. Anyway, he declined to follow my case (no problem there) and referred me back to Dr. Mendonca, the neurologist in Kitchener. I really like Mendonca, so I didn't have a problem with that, but I came out of there feeling as if nothing had been accomplished other than my spending a lot of time commuting for the past two days.
He talked with Mendonca while I waited outside of his office, and Mendonca will be ordering an MRI of my neck and most probably a lumbar puncture, too. Eh, I suppose it was inevitable, and it will give us some valuable information. Time to just suck it up. The wait for the MRI could be up to two months, and in the meantime I get to see just how far this nonsense progresses. At this rate I expect that at the end of two months the guys around here will be hauling me around the place strapped to dolly like Hannibal Lector. Hopefully minus the face mask and the bright orange jumpsuit.
I was feeling down when I got home, but Dar put it in perspective for me. There's no brain inflammation, no tumor, nothing structurally wrong with my brain - and that means that it really could be the lupus causing all of these symptoms. Dr. Pope (rheumatologist) had said that it could be lupus cerebritis, which is a rare form of lupus, but she wanted to work the neuro angle first. That's the frustrating thing about autoimmune diseases; they're diagnosed by exclusion because there is rarely a definitive positive test for any of these conditions. And that takes time.
Then about two hours later Dar, with her mad diagnostic and search skills, finds what really could be the cause of my balance and neuropathy woes: Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy. (Say that three times fast, I dare you *g*) It's another rare condition, but the symptoms are spot on, and it has been known to show up with lupus and similar autoimmune diseases. She's going to run it by Mendonca, just to give him a head's up.
OK, I've been up for 20 hours now. This prednisone insomnia is killer, I'm telling you true. I should really just try to shut down. Wish me luck.
Oh, I know we keep saying this, but really - Satine looks to be in labor. Dar found her kushed with her hind legs out to the side instead of under her (Sign #1) and her vagina is elongated (Sign #2). If not tomorrow, then Sunday, but I'm betting on tomorrow. Which means I really need to get some sleep! To the Imovane! Awayyyyyy!
Two hours later I pulled up at the hospital for what I thought was going to be a half hour stay at most. I'll just never learn, will I? The upshot is that the neurologist I talked with (Dr. Diosy) found nothing out of the ordinary at all with the MRIs I'd brought with me. It was a confusing conversation, because he had never examined me, just relied on the case work done by his resident the previous day. Consequently he was concentrating on the fact that I have a memory loss and confusion and the "foggy brain" syndrome, while I was there primarily because I keep losing my balance. Anyway, he declined to follow my case (no problem there) and referred me back to Dr. Mendonca, the neurologist in Kitchener. I really like Mendonca, so I didn't have a problem with that, but I came out of there feeling as if nothing had been accomplished other than my spending a lot of time commuting for the past two days.
He talked with Mendonca while I waited outside of his office, and Mendonca will be ordering an MRI of my neck and most probably a lumbar puncture, too. Eh, I suppose it was inevitable, and it will give us some valuable information. Time to just suck it up. The wait for the MRI could be up to two months, and in the meantime I get to see just how far this nonsense progresses. At this rate I expect that at the end of two months the guys around here will be hauling me around the place strapped to dolly like Hannibal Lector. Hopefully minus the face mask and the bright orange jumpsuit.
I was feeling down when I got home, but Dar put it in perspective for me. There's no brain inflammation, no tumor, nothing structurally wrong with my brain - and that means that it really could be the lupus causing all of these symptoms. Dr. Pope (rheumatologist) had said that it could be lupus cerebritis, which is a rare form of lupus, but she wanted to work the neuro angle first. That's the frustrating thing about autoimmune diseases; they're diagnosed by exclusion because there is rarely a definitive positive test for any of these conditions. And that takes time.
Then about two hours later Dar, with her mad diagnostic and search skills, finds what really could be the cause of my balance and neuropathy woes: Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy. (Say that three times fast, I dare you *g*) It's another rare condition, but the symptoms are spot on, and it has been known to show up with lupus and similar autoimmune diseases. She's going to run it by Mendonca, just to give him a head's up.
OK, I've been up for 20 hours now. This prednisone insomnia is killer, I'm telling you true. I should really just try to shut down. Wish me luck.
Oh, I know we keep saying this, but really - Satine looks to be in labor. Dar found her kushed with her hind legs out to the side instead of under her (Sign #1) and her vagina is elongated (Sign #2). If not tomorrow, then Sunday, but I'm betting on tomorrow. Which means I really need to get some sleep! To the Imovane! Awayyyyyy!
