My Diagnonsense
Oct. 4th, 2006 11:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thessalianSo the basic situation is this: Dr Bez doesn't think it's an infection per se; apparently the results of my last set of bloods are not clinically significant and they were just something the other doctor brought up as something to say. Everything else is clear for the time being, so infection - and thus a quick fix via antibiotics - is out. Still, it was ever so helpful to have him go through the blood test results step-by-step and not treat me like an idiot. Of course, he knows my job history and therefore understands that I am not one to be fazed by medical terminology.
However, we are getting somewhere. Recent symptom developments have brought him to a slightly more fruitful-looking (if slightly more worrying) line of diagnostics on the premise of inflammatory bowel disease. So I'm getting a gastroenterology referral and have to hand in a stool sample and ... well, generally mess about. And of course, still off work with instructions to tell my boss "I'm sorry, I can't tell you how long I'm going to be away because the doctor doesn't know; I'll keep you informed." I'm to mention that it might be Crohn's Disease, which apparently ought to shut him up. We're kind of hopeful that it's giardiasis, though, because that's easy to treat and can be diagnosed in a few days rather than having to wait for two months for a gastro appointment. And yes, that is with 'Urgent' written as the priority. Gods bless the NHS.
In the interim, I asked him what I could do regarding anti-inflammatories, as my right knee and sinuses suffer abominably when the weather starts getting colder and the not being on ibuprofen has made life difficult. He asked me if there had been any improvement in the symptoms after having been off the ibuprofen for a month and I said no, so he told me, "Screw it; go back on the ibuprofen because it obviously isn't that". He's also taking me off the Lansoprazole as that isn't helping either and the side effects are only adding to part of the existing problem. And he lauded my decision to start taking multivitamins on the grounds that I'm probably not getting a lot of benefit from what food I am managing at this juncture.
In short, at least I have a clearer picture of what the fuck is going on with me right now, which is useful. Now I have to spend the best part of the afternoon on the phone to the Royal Free, who will probably be able to fit me in for an 'urgent' gastro appointment in 60 days rather than the 77 days offered by Barnet. Of course, this may be difficult as a lot of times these people need a referral letter before they can do anything (so sayeth the woman who had to deal with this shit all the time at Barts) so ringing today is probably not going to yield me any results, but I can try. Then I'm supposed to ring Microbiology at Barnet and work out if I can deliver the stool sample (which is supposed to be as fresh as possible on receipt and can I just say EW?) direct to the lab instead of to the surgery. I really don't want to do that, but ... argh. Gastroenterological disorders are so damn embarrassing.
However, we are getting somewhere. Recent symptom developments have brought him to a slightly more fruitful-looking (if slightly more worrying) line of diagnostics on the premise of inflammatory bowel disease. So I'm getting a gastroenterology referral and have to hand in a stool sample and ... well, generally mess about. And of course, still off work with instructions to tell my boss "I'm sorry, I can't tell you how long I'm going to be away because the doctor doesn't know; I'll keep you informed." I'm to mention that it might be Crohn's Disease, which apparently ought to shut him up. We're kind of hopeful that it's giardiasis, though, because that's easy to treat and can be diagnosed in a few days rather than having to wait for two months for a gastro appointment. And yes, that is with 'Urgent' written as the priority. Gods bless the NHS.
In the interim, I asked him what I could do regarding anti-inflammatories, as my right knee and sinuses suffer abominably when the weather starts getting colder and the not being on ibuprofen has made life difficult. He asked me if there had been any improvement in the symptoms after having been off the ibuprofen for a month and I said no, so he told me, "Screw it; go back on the ibuprofen because it obviously isn't that". He's also taking me off the Lansoprazole as that isn't helping either and the side effects are only adding to part of the existing problem. And he lauded my decision to start taking multivitamins on the grounds that I'm probably not getting a lot of benefit from what food I am managing at this juncture.
In short, at least I have a clearer picture of what the fuck is going on with me right now, which is useful. Now I have to spend the best part of the afternoon on the phone to the Royal Free, who will probably be able to fit me in for an 'urgent' gastro appointment in 60 days rather than the 77 days offered by Barnet. Of course, this may be difficult as a lot of times these people need a referral letter before they can do anything (so sayeth the woman who had to deal with this shit all the time at Barts) so ringing today is probably not going to yield me any results, but I can try. Then I'm supposed to ring Microbiology at Barnet and work out if I can deliver the stool sample (which is supposed to be as fresh as possible on receipt and can I just say EW?) direct to the lab instead of to the surgery. I really don't want to do that, but ... argh. Gastroenterological disorders are so damn embarrassing.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
I know a lot of people with Crohn's
Date: 2006-10-04 11:20 pm (UTC)They ARE embarrassing! I never know how to explain why I use so damn much toilet paper...
HUGS and get well!