Category: Hospital

Angiogram Scheduled

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I was called and told my 2-year angiogram is schedule for next Friday at 10:00 at Maine Medical.

I’m still not sure why I had to have the MRI, but I guess I’ll find out. I don’t know who is going to do the procedure which is making me a tad apprehensive. I knew that Dr. Kwan had saved my life and I felt great comfort in knowing he was going my 6-month angiogram. He also had a nice bedside manner and ease about him.

I’m also concerned about getting my point across about the difficulty Dr. Kwan had in using the angio-seal the last time. I’m not sure he mentioned it in his notes. I hope he did. I’ll continue to mention it and hope they either don’t try it again, or they’ll use a new incision. Dr. Kwan felt I had a lot of scar tissue in the one they used.

So, I’ll be getting final catalog files together next week and waiting all week for this angiogram. So much for a restful week!

What’s Next

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I’ve been too busy and tired to post again, but better late than never if anyone out there is still reading this.

I had my appointment with Dr. D’Angelo a couple of weeks ago. I had all my questions ready to go and written down and I even tasked Dave with taking notes because my hand writing is so horrible, I didn’t want to miss anything.

We no sooner go into the appointment, when the Dr. got a phone call and cut our appointment very short. He was on-call and there was an emergency, so I certainly don’t expect him to drop everything for me and I completely understand that, but after driving all the way down there, I did feel a tad slighted. Not his fault, but still very disappointing. I wasn’t able to ask any of my questions.

He did shed a little light on where Dr. Kwan is and that they’re searching for a replacement, but that going to Boston to have any serious procedure isn’t a bad thing. He claimed he DID remember me, but I doubt it. LOL He’s seen so many people since then I highly doubt he’d remember little ‘ol me.

I took all of my Angiogram, MRI and CT scans on disk with me, but he said he needed to see more recent images, so I was told he wanted to me to have an MRA. Which is an MRI, but with contrast. His office called a week later and this coming Tuesday I’ll be going down to Maine Med for my MRA.

However, when pre-registration and radiology called tonight, they said it was for an MRI, so I need to call the Dr’s office back tomorrow to make sure everyone is on the same page on what it supposed to be done.

I’m obviously hoping everything looks good, but I’m hoping I get another opportunity to speak to Dr. D’Angelo and ask those questions I’ve been wanting answers to. With no one treating me locally anymore for my neuro issues, I’m feeling a tad lost and abandoned. I had high hopes for this one appointment with him, only to be in his office less than 10 minutes. Again…I know that wasn’t his fault.

As the 2nd anniversary of my annie creeps up, again, I’m recalling this time of year in 2006 still. I wonder how many years this will go on? It’s odd.

I’m feeling relatively good, so I’m having good thoughts about the MRA/MRI. And I’m hoping they’ll let me know the results sooner rather than later so I don’t have to wait it out.

Dr. Kwan Be Gone

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I received a disturbing email from my friend, and fellow annie survivor, Julie, about the miracle man who performed our coiling procedures.

Apparently, he is no longer at Maine Med, or moved to Mass General, or was fired…..we don’t know yet. I dread finding another Dr. I’m so tired of having to go through my history with so many doctors and I trusted Dr. Kwan very much.

I asked Julie to let me know when she found out more.

Handwriting

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Now, it is no secret to those who know me, that my handwriting never was pristine, but after my annie rupturing and coiling, it is worse. Taking a quick note requires a team of archeological scientists to come in and make sense of it. I have to be very deliberate if I expect anyone else to read it. However, it WAS even worse at one point!

Dave’s sister had given me a note pad in the hospital, along with some other goodies, and while cleaning up some papers around my desk today, I just discovered some notes I had taken while in the hospital. Wow, was my handwriting REALLY bad at that time. I’m amazed I can even read them.

I obviously had intentions of recording the events in a blog or journal of some sorts in the future as I discovered one notation entitled:

”You know you’re in the hospital when…:”

  • Jello is the meal you most look forward to.
  • When you can easily share ANY bodily functions with complete strangers.
  • Having hairy legs, hairy armpits, but a clean face is considered a “wash-up”. (At least I think that’s what I wrote. LOL)
  • Two weeks seem like four LONG days. (I’m still not sure what that one means. Hey, I was heavily drugged.)

There were also other scribblings.  I think I started to write some things down after seeing the Dr’s because they’d always come in so early in the morning, I’d never remember what they said by the end of the day. I was also writing down terms to look up online later to make sure I knew what people were talking about.

And I recall the occupational therapist coming in and asking me to write some things and that was rough to remember how to write that first time. I had to write my address…I think. I can’t quite recall.

Anyway..my handwriting still isn’t good, but at least it’s better than it was when I was in the hospital. LOL