The next step was dealing with the results of the referral.
It did not work out well.
Probably there isn't a problem with Beth Israel neurology in general.
The problem may only have affected uninsured patients referred by community health centers.
To the doctors' credit, the first thing they asked me was "Are you sure you want to be treated here? Do you want a referral to an MS Comprehensive Care Center?"
The reason I said "here" was because I knew how I could pay for it. I had a 60% discount from the financial assistance ofc and a job.
The doctor in charge of my case was a resident. This meant he was completely unreachable between appointments, which were 2 or 3 months apart. I could not reach the attending physician either. So I got no feedback at all about new symptoms or any other issues.
The bright spot was radiology. The radiology department was on the third floor of 10 Union Square East, also known as the Louis Armstrong wing. A wonderful picture of Satchmo when he was young and cute was prominently displayed by the elevator. I visited it twice every time I was there, which was twice for MRI's, and twice more for medical records, so I could go somewhere else. Even the medical records dept. of radiology was nicer than that of neurology.
I had a total of 2 neurology visits to Beth Israel. One in September 2010, the 2nd in December. The resident/attending pair from the first visit was apparently not available for the 2nd, so that time I saw a different duo.
In September they ordered a lumbar MRI. In December I found out it showed no lesions. In December they ordered a new brain MRI, which I had on January 5.
My next appointment was to be in February. I prepared to demand a contact person I could reach between visits. The stand I anticipated making was not to be. When my husband & I arrived, slides from my first brain MRI in tow so they could compare them with the new one, we were told my appointment had been cancelled.
That's when I resolved to switch where I was getting treatment. Enter the
NYU Comprehensive Multiple Sclerosis Care Center,Dr. Jonathan Howard, and the next chapter in my multiply scleroded life.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
an end in sight?
After the audiologist said I should see a neurologist, the next step was a referral to Beth Israel neurology. It took a long time to get the referral.
While I was waiting, my employer suggested I see his good friend the neurologist.
After I saw him he thought I should have an MRI right away. Then he wanted to see me in his office. When they do that, you think you're dying.
The good news was, I didn't have cancer or a brain tumor. I was so relieved to hear that, I forgot that there might be bad news.
The bad news was, my mri results looked like ms.
When I'd added the bowel & bladder problems to a webmd search for the balance problem, the results said something about ms. At that point I thought "that can't be right" and stopped reading.
But Dr. GoodFriendThe Neurologist turned out to be right. The quest to find out what the heck was wrong with me was over.
And he was much nicer than Dr. House.
While I was waiting, my employer suggested I see his good friend the neurologist.
After I saw him he thought I should have an MRI right away. Then he wanted to see me in his office. When they do that, you think you're dying.
The good news was, I didn't have cancer or a brain tumor. I was so relieved to hear that, I forgot that there might be bad news.
The bad news was, my mri results looked like ms.
When I'd added the bowel & bladder problems to a webmd search for the balance problem, the results said something about ms. At that point I thought "that can't be right" and stopped reading.
But Dr. GoodFriendThe Neurologist turned out to be right. The quest to find out what the heck was wrong with me was over.
And he was much nicer than Dr. House.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
a pause that depresses
I've come to the point in the narrative where I'm close to finding an answer.
Meanwhile the energy to tell this story is gone. I've spent a lot of time writing about stuff I usually don't write about, like disease. Not only do I not feel like writing it , I think "who the heck wants to read about this?"
Meanwhile the energy to tell this story is gone. I've spent a lot of time writing about stuff I usually don't write about, like disease. Not only do I not feel like writing it , I think "who the heck wants to read about this?"
Saturday, June 4, 2011
The audiologist.
I remember a long and difficult day trying to find Beth Israel audiology. It must have been still early spring. A cold, bright day.
I went from one location to another getting directions from various security guards only to be told Beth Israel had closed its audiology department.
Then, figuring there must be audiologists in private practice, I decided to find one on my own.
I could afford what he charged me.
He gave me a complete ENG/VNG workup, made me try to walk a straight line, cheerfully proclaimed my balance "wackadoodle" & sent a detailed report to my primary care doctor suggesting I see a neurologist.
I went from one location to another getting directions from various security guards only to be told Beth Israel had closed its audiology department.
Then, figuring there must be audiologists in private practice, I decided to find one on my own.
I could afford what he charged me.
He gave me a complete ENG/VNG workup, made me try to walk a straight line, cheerfully proclaimed my balance "wackadoodle" & sent a detailed report to my primary care doctor suggesting I see a neurologist.
Or maybe it's...
Tuesday, June 8, 2010 6:48 AM
Maybe tooth decay is what the balance problem & fatigue are all about...
The Daily Grind
In April 2010 I wrote:
I go to Key Food several times a week, but I'm still not prepared for what to eat. Then I think "I must not be doing it right. I don't know how to shop."
An example of "All or Nothing Thinking." I know something about how to shop.
Part of the problem is by the time I get there I'm tired & usually aching & am not thinking imaginatively.
That's the secret to food shopping, imagining the moment when you or others want something. What do they/you want? That's what you should get. I usually don't think past tonight's dinner.
Or past when I get home & get to sit down.
To quote Brent Spiner in Independence Day, "now comes the really icky part."
Diagnosis & treatment. How to pay for it when you don't have health insurance.
Hospitals employ financial counselors to deal with uninsured patients. Contrary to what seems to be a common belief, they don't throw you out to die in the street.
It's worse.
They make you document your financial situation by digging up all kinds of stuff you normally only have to think about at tax time.
Really icky.
In March 2010 I was looking for inner ear testing. My doctor, not liking to expose people to x-rays unnecessarily, tried treating the pain in my hip joints with an anti-inflammatory. It worked great for a while. Then the pain came back. She sent me for the x-ray, thinking arthritis. The x-ray came back negative. I didn't have arthritis.
That's when she started thinking inner ear.
Hospitals employ financial counselors to deal with uninsured patients. Contrary to what seems to be a common belief, they don't throw you out to die in the street.
It's worse.
They make you document your financial situation by digging up all kinds of stuff you normally only have to think about at tax time.
Really icky.
In March 2010 I was looking for inner ear testing. My doctor, not liking to expose people to x-rays unnecessarily, tried treating the pain in my hip joints with an anti-inflammatory. It worked great for a while. Then the pain came back. She sent me for the x-ray, thinking arthritis. The x-ray came back negative. I didn't have arthritis.
That's when she started thinking inner ear.
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