Physiatrist

No, I didn't spell the subject line incorrectly. More on that in a bit.

I've continued trying various dosages of the Indomethacin and Gabapentin. They help but don't eradicate the headache pain. I take the Indomethacin at night, so if it makes me sleep it's not an issue. I take the Gabapentin a couple times during the day. It tends to make me somewhat dizzy, but usually it's not awful.

June 15th I'll be seeing a physiatrist. A physiatrist is an expert in diagnosing and treating pain...sounds like my kind of guy! A friend who works in health care suggested getting an orthopedist to check for spinal problems. When I called my ortho's office, they said I needed to see a physiatrist rather than an ortho. Thankfully, there's one in practice at the same medical group. So, spent time on the phone getting everything set up. I then got to go online and fill out the new patient info, medication info, and health history. Much better than filling it all out by hand in the doctor's office!

I know I haven't been doing many updates, but there just hasn't been much of a change. Trial & error on the meds just takes a while. Headache's been bad enough that I haven't gone to the last couple of Wizards matches. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it. :-(

No other news here. Still working out financing for possible purchase of home across the street. Should have an answer very soon and then we can start working on the price. :-) Sure hope it works out...moving across the street would be much simpler than moving anywhere else. The (foreclosed) home in which we're living has not sold and we just want to get out of here.

Hmmm, what's this drug do?

Sorry there haven't been updates lately, but not much has gone on. After using the Indomethacin for several days, I had to stop. Not only was it making me nauseous and that type of thing, it was making me sleep 18 - 24 hours/day (I had to force myself to stay awake longer than 30 minutes at a time). Not very functional. It did work very well. Headache was gone, I just wasn't awake to enjoy it. I stopped taking it and my sleep went back to my normal routine.

[And, yes, I was taking the Indomethacin with meals - if it had been just stomach issues I would have stayed on it.]

So, went to the neurologist again today. The Indomethacin does seem to have eliminated the frequent stabbing-type pain, as those have not returned. The main headache is now, for lack of a better word, fuzzier. The pain's there and so intense some days I can't follow a conversation. However, it's as if someone ground off the rough edges of the pain so it's hurts in a different way

We're now going to try taking a much lower dose of the Indomethacin (1/6 what I had taken before) and add in another drug, Gabapentin (generic for Neurontin). Neurontin has been shown to be effective for nerve pain, so I'm going to take Indomethacin at night and Neurontin in the morning and see what happens.

I have not ruled out going to Mayo Clinic, but would rather work with my current doctors until we hit a complete dead end. It seems like it's taking so long, but trying a drug to see if it works is just time-consuming and there's not much I can do to speed up the process.

That's all for now. After driving and interacting with others, the headache is getting worse again. I'll catch up with y'all later.

Current Medication Experiment

Well, it's definitely either black or white. However, it's white with a "but."

I started taking the Indomethacin last Thursday evening. By Friday afternoon that headache was 99% gone! Yay! I felt sooooo good. Bobby even told me to quit smiling, he wasn't used to it. However, by Saturday I had a headache again. It was nowhere near the intensity it had been before and the stabbing sensations were gone.

The headache has been slowly increasing in intensity, but it's much more localized and the stabbing feelings have not returned. However, the main problem has been some severe stomach upset, nausea and tiredness. I'll sleep for 12 hours, then be ready to go to sleep again a few hours later. It felt like a flu virus or something similar. However, in re-reading the info sheet that came with the medicine, I noticed that these symptoms were listed in the area for "If you have any of these symptoms, stop taking the NSAID and call your healthcare provider." So, I will NOT be taking the Indomethacin for the next couple of days. If the stomach issues and tiredness go away, then they were related to the drug. If they don't, then I managed to pick up a virus or something. I have not been running a fever. In fact, the highest my temp has been is 98.2 - most of the time my temp has been below 98, which is relatively normal for me.

So, I'm preparing for a return of massive headache pain, but hoping for a lack of stomach pains/sleepiness/nausea in the next couple of days. I really just don't feel very well right now.

I'll update when I have some kind of answer.

Yet Another Medication To Try

Well, I went and hung out with my neurologist again today. After having me describe my headache in detail again and looking through my chart again, he decided it sounded enough like something called a "Sjaastad headache" to try the only diagnostic tool for that type of headache. Oddly, the only way to determine if a headache is of this type is to take a specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called Indomethacin. Other NSAIDs like Celebrex, Motrin, Naprosyn and similar items have no effect. Only Indomethacin. If the headache responds, then it's a Sjaastad headache. Apparently, the effect (if there is one) will be fairly quick and decisive. A black or white difference, no grey area. By next week, I will notice a dramatic lessening of the headache or I won't. There won't be any of the "well, it might be a little better" type of feeling. I'm to call his nurse next week (he won't be there) and let her know if the Indomethacin worked. He has prescribed a large daily dosage so I can find out very quickly if it's working. He did say if side effects (nausea, constipation or diarrhea, upset stomach kind of thing) are too much, to cut down the dosage. I have 90 pills...and they should be gone in 2 weeks! If it works, I can refill it. If it doesn't, then it makes no difference. If it works, the longer-term dosage would be lower. I don't know how long I could/would stay on it. (Note: I'm allergic to Naprosyn, one of the other types of NSAIDs, so I guess I'd better be extra vigilant looking for reactions to this one).

If the drug does NOT work, he said we will treat it as an "atypical migraine" and see if it responds. I have no idea what that would be. I take it one step at a time.

What we do if it works but I'm allergic to it is anyone's guess. Naprosyn gave me terrible hives and it is the only drug to which I am allergic as far as I know. None of the other NSAIDs I've taken have caused any allergic reaction.

I looked up a little bit about this Sjaastad headache thing and it appears to also be called a "hemicrania continua" (some guy named Sjaastad was the first to write about it so his name is stuck on it). The description of it is about 90% dead on with what I'm experiencing, but descriptions of other diseases/syndromes have also been 90% dead on only to be ruled out. At this point, I definitely do not get my hopes up.

I dropped off the prescription at the drug store on my way home from my appointment. An hour later we went and picked up the pills (large pretty blue ones!) on our way to the Wizards v Red Bull NY soccer match. Sure is convenient that the drug store is right on our way to almost everywhere.

I took my first dose at the stadium. It does not work instantaneously, I did discover that much. And the headache's bad enough to where I could not stay in the stadium for the entire match. Way too much noise and stimuli for me to handle. I went and laid down in the car about the 65th minute. For those who don't know, there are 90 minutes in a match. At least my boys in blue won 1-0...by they played like shite. Oh, well. A win is a win and we'll take it.

I'll let y'all know how this drug works. Fingers crossed and prayers going for me, please!

Well, That Didn't Work

Ok, the great Prednisone/Topamax experiments did not work.

While taking the Prednisone, it seemed the headaches were slightly less severe, but it was such a slight difference I think it was more hope than actuality. Darn.

As for the Topamax, it may eventually have been able to help me. However, by the time I was up to 4 pills/night (total of 200 mg), the side effects were too much too take. I was so loopy that I almost felt drunk (without the fun of tequila!) and had an even more difficult time concentrating on such hard items as, um, sitcoms or conversations with Bobby. So, Bobby and I made a decision to wean me back off the Topamax. At 3 pills/night the side effects are manageable, but they don't seem to stop the headache, so what's the point?

As for the headache, the base pain level (the constant pain that's always there) is moved up from a level 5/6 to a 6/7. What used to be occasional stabbing points of pain have now evolved into the feeling of 4-legged animals (ranging from goats to Clydesdales to elephants) tap-dancing on my head without any prior notice. And, yes, they are wearing the metal taps on their feet. All four of their feet. And sometimes they are not dancing solo. And they are definitely not light on their feet.

So, I'm going back to the neurologist tomorrow (Thursday). I want to go over everything with him and see if there are some other tests/procedures we can try or even if it might be beneficial to redo some now that it's been a few months. I will let y'all know what we figure out.

Oh, I did act like a somewhat normal human being over the weekend. We did have a couple people over for a "test run" of Soccer Saturday for the first time in a long time. It went ok, though I did have to basically check out of the conversation after a fairly short time, and there was no way I could actually keep up with the 2 or 3 games on the televisions at the same time. That ability is definitely beyond me at this point in time. Oh, well.

Nothing to Worry About

Just a quick note to let you know the mammogram confirmed my doctor's supposition - nothing to worry about. The lump is just some kind of normal breast tissue lump, not even a cyst! My guess is that 30 or so years of wearing underwire bras forced some of that tissue to just reorganize itself. ;-)

The full report will, of course, be sent to my doctor, but I can't imagine it's going to contain much more information than what I was told. And, wonder of wonders, I had the mammogram, ultrasound and results all in under an hour! I had forgotten there were actually some medical things that got answered that quickly!

I started taking the Prednisone yesterday and upped the dosage of Topamax, too. No change yet. I'll keep y'all informed of any changes. Changes or not, I'll be calling my doctor next week to let him know what's going on and to determine our next step, per his directions.

Latest Doctor Visit - Part 2

Ok, this is proof I truly have bad headaches and am not fully functional...

After all the headache discussion, there was actually a second part to my doctor visit Tuesday. Joy of joys, on Sunday night, I had noticed I had a rather large lump in my left breast. Oh, goody. It's on the underside, just above the underwire area in my bra, in an area where I would notice it if it had been there very long, even without my regular breast exams. My first thought was, "Great. Something else to deal with." My next thought was, "Oh, geez, I'm gonna have to get a mammogram. I hate those things." I missed getting mine last year, so I knew that was definitely going to be the first step once I told my doctor.

Anyway, sure enough, my doctor checked the lump and said it felt glandular and told me to get a mammogram and an ultrasound to find out what's going on. He's fairly certain it's some kind of cyst, so we're going to go with his 30+ years of experience/intuition while awaiting the results. The mammogram and ultrasound are scheduled for noon on Wednesday, so at least I'll have answers quickly on this one. I know I'll get yelled at for not telling people about this, but I really don't think it's going to be anything to cause concern.

Latest Doctor Visit

Hurray! Got my first long-term disability check from the insurance company yesterday. Feels much better to have that money in the bank and know we can pay rent and eat and all that jazz. And, apparently, since it's insurance payments and I paid the premiums myself (not paid by the company I worked for), it's apparently tax-free. :-) I think I just got a raise! The best part is the approval of this means I'm eligible for continued health benefits at the same rate I was paying previously, rather than having to pay the full cost myself. The first check I wrote was for next month's health insurance premiums.

I went to see my doctor today. We're going to see if Prednisone helps with the headaches as the one thing that's been consistent throughout all the tests are two indicators of some type of inflammation in my system. Unfortunately, we don't know where the inflammation is, though I did give the doctor a laugh.
Doctor: "There's definitely some type of inflammation in your system."
Me; "That's it! I'm not fat, I'm inflamed!!!!"
Doctor: [laughing too hard to respond]
So, started on the Prednisone this afternoon and should know by Thursday if it is going to help.

Also, the Topamax has not been helping, even at 2 pills/night. He told me to try 3 pills/night and 4 pills/night starting on Saturday if it's still not working (and the Prednisone isn't working, either, by that time). It's another of those trial-and-error things.

At least the depression is back under control since I've returned to my normal dosage of Zoloft. Life is much better on this dosage!

Many people have been offering suggestions to me and I discussed a couple of them with my doctor. The first one we discussed was the usefulness of me visiting a chiropractor. My doctor shook his head so hard I thought it was going to fly off his neck! He explained that, in reality, any GOOD chiropractor would listen to my entire health history and then refuse to do anything (too many unknowns along with the "knowns"). He said the problem would come when a chiropractor did not really pay attention to my health history or did not ask all the proper questions and/or follow up on the answers. So, I will not be going to a chiropractor any time in the near future.

I then asked about going to the Mayo Clinic. My doctor said, "I hate to bring up the practical issues, but would your insurance cover it?" When I explained that I would verify coverage before going, he stated that it might be worth the trip. However, he would like to discover if there's a way to find out if they would accept the results of all the MRIs/CT scans already done rather than redo all those expensive tests. New additional tests would make sense, obviously. He said that the doctors there are really good, but just because you hear all these wonderful stories does not mean every single person who goes to the Mayo Clinic is able to find answers. I would need to be prepared to come away with no more answers than I have now. If I decide to go, he would be willing to help me with whatever I would need. I think I will hold off on that decision for now.

The headaches have been really bad the last week or so. I really hope the Prednisone helps. I've felt like there's an elephant standing on my head most of the time recently and there have been times when a horse has kicked me just under that elephant's foot. I am sleeping pretty well most nights now, though I am still awakened by the headache frequently during the night...I rarely go to bed before 1:30 a.m., though.

No other news from here. Hope everyone is doing well!

Long Term Disability Approved!

Hallelujah! I got a call from the insurance company today to let me know my long term disability claim was approved. That takes some stress away, let me tell you. Since I'm still without a diagnosis, it's approved through June. If I'm still not working then, there will be more paperwork and stuff to complete. I would also be required to apply for Social Security Disability at that time. I may go ahead and get the forms and stuff for that as it may take me that long to complete them! I hope I'm working by then, but at this point I really don't know.

I'm still waiting to see if the Topamax helps with the headache. I'll be upping the dosage tonight.

Thanks for all the prayers and good thoughts....keep 'em up!

Patience, patience!

Apparently, teaching patience is one of the insurance company's tenets. Even though my doctor faxed everything they needed last Wednesday (for the second time), the paperwork was just submitted for approval today! So, it will probably be Thursday before I find out whether or not I will have any income. As if I was not already stressed enough. I just hope it is approved - not only for the money but so I will be able to continue my health insurance at the same rate I had been paying. Good thing my doctor and I had decided to move my antidepressant dosage back up!

Topamax may or may not be helping yet. The headache was really bad the last few days, but it is less awful today. I also experienced some of Topamax's side effects (dizziness, lightheadedness) yesterday. However, the headache's intensity changes frequently and I've been dizzy before, so I am not sure it is all due to Topamax. Another day or so at this dose and if I don't see concrete changes, I'll increase the dosage and hope for the best.

The stress of all this is really getting to both Bobby and me. There are things we would like to do, but we do not want to spend the $$ until we know what is going on with my disability. So, we're just staying home and eating at home a lot. This wouldn't be so bad if I was able to cook, but when the headache's bad or I'm really dizzy, I do not trust myself in the kitchen. Bobby's been great, cooking what he can, but his repertoire is even more limited than mine! Kind of ironic, we sit around watching all these cooking shows on television, eating our bagged/boxed/frozen/prepared meals. ;-) It gives us a laugh, anyway!

Once I have an answer from insurance or some medical breakthrough, I will let y'all know.

Ow

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow...

'Nuff said.

No word on anything else right now.

General Update

I went to my primary care doc today. I'll tell what we discussed/did after I summarize what's been going on.

• The endocrinologist wanted me to wean off Zoloft and try Pristiq, thinking Zoloft may be causing symptoms. However, I am having difficulty slowing/stopping Zoloft. I mean, I take an anti-depressant for a reason! My attitude, appetite and sleep were all being affected, not to mention the bouts of crying (including in my doctor's office today).
• I've had CT scans of my head, chest, abdomen and pelvis. I've had an MRI of my head, as well. The only abnormal findings were that my spleen and left adrenal gland were both slightly enlarged. All tests have shown that there is nothing inherently "wrong" with these organs. I am to have another CT scan in 6 months to make sure the adrenal gland is not getting any larger, but it is most likely just some kind of fatty deposit on the gland.
• I have had all kinds of blood and urine tests. Everything which has been tested has come back "normal" - and we all know I am NOT normal. :-)
• The headache has been practically non-stop since early December and I have not worked since December 5. No drug I have tried has done anything to lessen the headache pain. Sometimes it is drastically affected by noise levels or over stimulation, but other days the intensity does not change no matter what is happening around me.
• My short-term disability ended March 19. No decision has been made by the insurance company regarding my long-term disability claim. I officially have no job now and only the approval of my long-term claim will allow me to continue my health insurance at the same amount I had been paying. Otherwise, I have no insurance after April (unless I use COBRA and pay the entire amount). [Note: 3 boxes containing the personal contents of my cubicle/desk were delivered on Monday, so the "not working" is very real.] This, of course, will make it nearly impossible for Bobby and I to pay monthly bills. We're ok for April, but beyond that it is hard to say.

Now, here is what happened at the doctor's office today:

• Due to the very obvious emotional and physical effects of reducing the Zoloft dose, the doctor said not to try and make a switch right now. He said the odds of Zoloft causing problems after this amount of time were pretty slim and were definitely outweighed by the negative consequences of trying to switch anti-depressant types at this time. So, I'm going to work my way back up to my regular Zoloft dose. This should definitely help my coping abilities.
• My doctor agreed with the plan to have the adrenal gland checked in a few months. Since all the other tests are normal, he does not think there is a reason to pursue anything else at this time.
• My doctor also reassured me that he believes this is a real, physical problem for me. It is not psychological or something else. He has been my doctor for a long time and knows that if I have pain, it is real. He told that if I feel lost/hopeless or like I am losing my mind, to remember that I am not imagining all this.
• He wants me to try taking Topomax to help with the headache. However, he wants me to check with the neurologist first to make sure there is no contraindication about the drug. Topomax is an anti-seizure drug, but has also shown to help with headache pain. I have the prescription, along with a card to make it only $5/month prescription (otherwise it is a lot more). Once I hear back from the neurologist, I will get it filled.
• The nurse had told me when I got there that the disability forms/medical records had been faxed to the insurance company. However, when I told the doctor a decision had not yet been made, he took me to his office and called the insurance company. There was no indication in their file that the fax had been received. They asked if the doctor could send the fax again. This time, use a different fax number and break the fax down into several smaller faxes (it was 35 or so pages). The insurance rep said that, once the records are received, it should only be a day or two for a decision. My doctor asked if calling/checking on Friday would be appropriate. He was told that was reasonable. So, the nurse was re-faxing the paperwork when I left and the doctor told me to check the status Friday and to call and let him know if there was no decision yet. He will call the insurance company again, if need be. Now, I just have to hope it is approved! It will pay me 60% of my salary as well as continue my eligibility to some benefits for up to 30 months (which I hope I do not need). Then, once this issue is resolved, I'll just need to find a new job. No problem, right?

The endocrinologist's nurse just called with my latest blood test result. Once again, I'm "normal"! This was the estrogen level check to see if, perhaps, I was entering menopause. Apparently I'm not. Gee, does that mean I'm NOT as old I feel right now?

Thank you to all of you for your thoughts, prayers and offers of assistance. They are all appreciated. Please continue to keep me in your prayers...they're all I have right now. I don't currently have plans for more tests, but once the depression is stabilized again, I'll work with my doctor to figure out what else can be done.

One test result

Just got a call from the hematologist/oncologist about my results on the serotonin level blood test. Of course, the level is normal. What a surprise. He's out of ideas right now as far as other things to test/check. His nurse said, "You're a mystery!" Now, as much as I enjoy mysteries, I am NOT enjoying being one!

Still waiting for return call from endocrinologist about estrogen level blood test.

I'm also going to go see my primary doctor sometime this week and go over all this stuff with him. Perhaps he/I/we can figure out something to do/check/test if we look at everything all at once.

I'm almost out of ideas. Note the "almost" - I have come up with another possibility while searching desperately for answers on the Internet. [By the way, it's hard to do complicated research when you can only keep at it for 15 - 20 minutes at a time! I end up having to take breaks more often than I can do heavy research. Oh, well.]

Still waiting for an answer as to whether or not I am going to receive long-term disability payments. Sure hope so, otherwise it's going to be difficult to pay for anything with no money. My case status is still officially "pending" at The Hartford.

Endocrinologist followup

Another day, another non-answer.

The free cortisol in the urine test was well within normal range. Cushing's can be cyclical, but the doctor did not seem concerned about an adrenal problem at this point. He said the lobular appearance of the adrenal gland, based on the size, is just a lumpy bit of fat. There's no reason to do anything about it unless it grows to larger than 4 cm (it's 1 cm now). At that point, ,it would need to be removed. I'm to get the abdominal CT scan done again in 6 months to see if it has changed in size.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we're once again at square one in finding out what's causing all these symptoms. This time, we're going to test some theories on two different fronts.

1

The majority of my symptoms could be explained by the onset of menopause. I had blood drawn for a test to check my estrogen level. (I could have sworn I had this test way back in November or December, but I'm not sure). If it's low, then I go on estrogen replacement stuff. (If these results come back normal, I'll probably talk with the doctor about doing another cortisol test).

2

The majority of my symptoms could also be explained as a possible side effect of my anti-depressant (Zoloft). Even though I've been on it for about 10 years, it could potentially be the culprit. I know that right after I started taking it I had night sweats, but it was only for a couple of weeks and then it went away. So, we're going to try another drug (Pristiq). Unfortunately, this will be a 4-5 week process. I have to wean off the Zoloft over the next couple of weeks, then start taking the Pristiq. I then would have to take Pristiq for 3 weeks or so to find out if it's working. The doctor said Pristiq works in essentially the same way, but is "cleaner" than Zoloft. Makes sense, since Pristiq is a much newer drug than Zoloft. I have 3 weeks worth of samples to test it out. He also gave me a prescription for it. If I try it and like it, I get the prescription filled. If it doesn't work or there's some other problem, then I just go back on the Zoloft. In addition to the samples, he also gave me a card to save money on my prescription co-pay if I do get it filled. I'm sure there's no generic for this drug yet, so I'll have to pay a much higher co-pay than I do currently. I figure it's worth a try. I know Bobby will let me know if there's a problem with the new drug. (Apparently I'm rather irritable, snappish and no fun when the anti-depressant isn't working!)

So, I'm back in the wait-and-see mode. I'll call his office next Monday if they haven't gotten back to me yet about the blood test results on the estrogen level.

As for how I'm doing, I'd have to say so-so. I am so tired of not having an answer, along with waiting to find out if my long-term disability insurance claim is being accepted, along with trying to figure out if we need to move next month. Good thing I'm on blood pressure meds....I'm sure it'd be soaring otherwise! I'd love to back to work, but when I try anything mentally taxing, I can't handle it. The fact that my sleep is all messed up really doesn't help anything. Sadly, I'm even getting used to very little or a whole lot of sleep, with rare nights of somewhat normal sleep. All of it's interrupted by headache pain, anyway.

I'd love to spend time with my friends and family, but it's difficult to make plans when I may end up with a headache so intense I can't do anything. Trust me, if there's anything someone can do for me, I'll let you know. Otherwise, I'll just stay holed up in the house. I did go to the Wizards season opener on Saturday, with earplugs. I love the drums, but my headache does not. (Oh, yeah, along with the usual drums from The Cauldron, the Marching Cobras were the half-time entertainment! Even more drums.) With the earplugs, it cut down most of the extreme noises, allowing me to concentrate on the game. Of course, even that type of concentration is affected. I lost track of the ball/player multiple times, but it was still better than watching it on television.

Call back from hematologist

He said he'd call me by Monday, but didn't call until today. He wants me to get a blood test to check my serotonin levels, to go along with the cortisol urine test already at the lab. I'll go by his office and pick up the order tomorrow and go get blood drawn. He spoke with the endocrinologist, who looked through the tests and found where a urine test had been done which would have included these levels, but the pH level noted on the results could have made the results less than accurate. The blood test will be more accurate, anyway.

No other information. Just hanging out and hanging on, sometimes by the tip of my nails. Headache's the same. Of course. If I wait until I'm tired and take the Ambien, I do sleep longer and a little more deeply (though I still wake up during the night). However, if I take it and just crawl in bed, it doesn't seem to help me fall asleep at all.

If/when I have more info, I'll pass it on.

Another day in paradise

It's now been 24+ hours with no sleep except for a 2-hour (or so) nap yesterday afternoon. I'm a little tired now, but I have no idea when I'll doze off...I was close to sleeping about 4 a.m. but never managed to actually fall asleep. I'm sure exhaustion will begin to set in soon, so I'm hoping I'll get at least a nap in this afternoon.

Nothing is going on. I haven't heard from any doctors. We have no idea what's going on with the foreclosure on this house. I feel like I'm treading water and barely keeping my head above water at this point. So many things I need to do, but I rarely can keep at anything longer than a few minutes at a time. I'm just totally frustrated. Over the last week, I've begun crying at random moments. I'm sure it's just the stress (and messed up sleeping pattern), but I'm tired of it. Bobby's not real fond of it, either. I just want an answer or answers or even a good guess at this point.

That's all I can handle for now. If I hear anything, I'll let you know.

Nothing going on

I just wanted to pop in and let everyone know that I still know nothing. I didn't go to sleep until about 3:30 this morning, but I stayed in bed until 11:00. I woke up repeatedly but just kept going back to sleep. I don't feel very rested, though. And, of course, the headache is still there. No other news.

Hematologist/Oncologist vist

I got back from my appointment with the hematologist dude a little bit ago. Nothing jumped out at him immediately, but he's going to coordinate with the endocrinologist to make sure they don't order duplicate urine/blood tests.

He doesn't see anything that suggests any type of malignancy or tumor, and the enlarged spleen may or may not mean something. He'll call me by Monday afternoon, after he's spoken with the endo guy and they've mapped out a game plan.

So, in a holding pattern again. When I know the plan, I'll clue y'all in.

Yet another doctor

Well, I didn't take the Ambien last night and I slept about 5 hours, which used to be a normal amount of sleep for me. I did wake up at least twice due to headache pain, but I got some sleep. I got the paperwork filled out for the long-term disability yesterday, even though it took me several hours and caused an even worse headache. Since my appointment with the hematologist is near where I work, I'll drop off the completed form when I'm over that direction. I'll be taking the physician's statement to my doctor today for him to complete and fax to the insurance company.

It's difficult to complete the paperwork when you don't even have a diagnosis, let alone an estimated "return to work date." Not to mention they want information on all the doctors seen for this condition, and only give you room to list one! Needless to say, I had an extensive attachment.

I'll try to update again after my appointment this afternoon.

So much for sleeping

Well, the Ambien worked great on Friday night. Saturday night, it took a while to fall asleep but at least I slept soundly. Sunday night it again took a while to fall asleep and I didn't sleep through the night. Last night, I took the pill at 10:15 pm, didn't go to bed until 11:30 pm and couldn't fall asleep at all. Shortly after midnight I got out of bed and returned to the living room where I finally dozed off in the recliner an hour or so later. I'll try the Ambien again tonight, but I don't know if it will do me any good. Drats. I enjoyed that nice sound sleep! It really would have been nice last night - the headache was awful (still is) - and a few hours of deep sleep would have been wonderful.

Meanwhile, I've started the 24-hour collection of urine. I'll take it to the lab tomorrow.

I am definitely not in a sociable mood today. The headache pain is very focused and very intense. I just wanted to get this note out to let people know I may not be responding to email or phone messages today. I have paperwork to complete that will require all my concentration in order to finish. Then I need to have my doctor finish the paperwork so I can get it turned in at work.

No, I'm not exactly feeling perky. I'm feeling desperate. I want an answer about something!

Later, all!