We have lift off!!
I received confirmation from Dr. Schrader that my scan results are great, cartilage looks good, and we are a GO for surgery!
I have to say, that it feels a little weird being so excited about the prospect of surgery, but knowing that the only thing standing in between me having the surgery or having to live with the pain for ...well, who knows when, was my cartilage.
When Dr. Schrader informed me that the cartilage was good, and that we are a GO for surgery...it was a great moment of relief.
So, now I can sit back and count down the days.
Schrader doesn't need to see me until a week before the surgery (26th September), so I guess I just relax, enjoy my summer, and post again when I have an update :)
-R
Monday, June 2, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
So an update from yesterday. Scan Day.
As planned we (me and hubby) showed up at Northside at 7.30am to get checked in and ready for the appointment at 8am. We sailed through main admissions, got my medical wristband and made our way down to the radiology department.
After filling out a number of forms (although not too many this time since I was already in their system from the botch-up before!) we proceeded to wait...
"Mrs Cain" the nice lady at the desk called....I made my way over..."Do you have a work order from your doctor for the MRI?", to which I replied "No". "Ok, no problem thanks".
I return to my waiting position.
A few minutes go by...
"Mrs Cain" she calls again. "when the phone on that desk rings, pick it up...it's the radiology technician and they want to speak with you".
Now, at this point I'm starting to feel a little 'oh no....not again...if this happens again, i'll' "RING RING" "RING RING"
'Hello Mrs. Cain, do you have a work order from your doctor for the MRI?"
"no"
"Hmm, well we have what we need for the Arthogram with Dr. Feiner, but nothing on the MRI"
"OK...well I was assured that all of this was taken care of"
"Do you have your doctors telephone number so that we can call him?"
"Yes, I'll get it, hold on"
"OK great, we'll give him a call now and get what we need to start"
"OK, thanks, bye"
10 minutes later 2 radiology guys show up, and I'm whisked away....
The rest is pretty much un-interesting.
My morning went like this:
MRI > CT Scan > Arthrogram > MRI > done.
We left at around 11.45 which didn't seem to bad, and once I finally got down there and into my non-slip socks, I went from one machine to another like clockwork.
What I will say is that Dr. Feiner was awesome... funny, upbeat and spoke to me the whole time throughout the arthogram, which I have to say was pretty uncomfortable. He also did a great job of explaining everthing, how it might feel when it's happening, what I might feel when it's done...Very strange sensations when the dye is going in, and of course that blasted 'bee sting' to start always seems to be the worst ever!
I left clutching my MRI charts, Dr Feiner is 'deconstructing' the other charts and sending them directly to Shrader, so I guess I should call his office or set up an appointment over the next week or so....
So, success!! we can all breathe a sigh of relief, and move to the next stage :)
As planned we (me and hubby) showed up at Northside at 7.30am to get checked in and ready for the appointment at 8am. We sailed through main admissions, got my medical wristband and made our way down to the radiology department.
After filling out a number of forms (although not too many this time since I was already in their system from the botch-up before!) we proceeded to wait...
"Mrs Cain" the nice lady at the desk called....I made my way over..."Do you have a work order from your doctor for the MRI?", to which I replied "No". "Ok, no problem thanks".
I return to my waiting position.
A few minutes go by...
"Mrs Cain" she calls again. "when the phone on that desk rings, pick it up...it's the radiology technician and they want to speak with you".
Now, at this point I'm starting to feel a little 'oh no....not again...if this happens again, i'll' "RING RING" "RING RING"
'Hello Mrs. Cain, do you have a work order from your doctor for the MRI?"
"no"
"Hmm, well we have what we need for the Arthogram with Dr. Feiner, but nothing on the MRI"
"OK...well I was assured that all of this was taken care of"
"Do you have your doctors telephone number so that we can call him?"
"Yes, I'll get it, hold on"
"OK great, we'll give him a call now and get what we need to start"
"OK, thanks, bye"
10 minutes later 2 radiology guys show up, and I'm whisked away....
The rest is pretty much un-interesting.
My morning went like this:
MRI > CT Scan > Arthrogram > MRI > done.
We left at around 11.45 which didn't seem to bad, and once I finally got down there and into my non-slip socks, I went from one machine to another like clockwork.
What I will say is that Dr. Feiner was awesome... funny, upbeat and spoke to me the whole time throughout the arthogram, which I have to say was pretty uncomfortable. He also did a great job of explaining everthing, how it might feel when it's happening, what I might feel when it's done...Very strange sensations when the dye is going in, and of course that blasted 'bee sting' to start always seems to be the worst ever!
I left clutching my MRI charts, Dr Feiner is 'deconstructing' the other charts and sending them directly to Shrader, so I guess I should call his office or set up an appointment over the next week or so....
So, success!! we can all breathe a sigh of relief, and move to the next stage :)
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Rachel vs. Non-slip socks - Round 2
A quick update to say that yesterday (7th May) I got the long awaited call from the doctors office for my 2nd attempt at MRI/Arthrogram/CT scans.
I'm scheduled to have them next Friday (16th) at Northside hospital.
Dr. Finer apparently is 'the man' who will be carrying out the 'protocols'.
I'll be having them back to back, starting at 7:30 in the morning - ugh.
It was pretty funny, as the nurse at Northside was all about looking after 'Mrs Cain', to the point where she told me that Schrader's office said, 'now, make sure you look after Mrs. Cain, we've tried this before and it didn't go so well'....
So, that's the latest from the front line.
More updates, and maybe more pictures of non-slip socks from next Friday's adventure!
I'm scheduled to have them next Friday (16th) at Northside hospital.
Dr. Finer apparently is 'the man' who will be carrying out the 'protocols'.
I'll be having them back to back, starting at 7:30 in the morning - ugh.
It was pretty funny, as the nurse at Northside was all about looking after 'Mrs Cain', to the point where she told me that Schrader's office said, 'now, make sure you look after Mrs. Cain, we've tried this before and it didn't go so well'....
So, that's the latest from the front line.
More updates, and maybe more pictures of non-slip socks from next Friday's adventure!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
No News is......well no news
Not much of an update really, other than to say that I haven't heard anything yet from Dr. Schraders office on the 'try again' for the MRI and CT scans.
Of course, with the surgery not being until the end of September, there's plenty of time (according to Dr. S) to get them done, so no anxiety here.
One thing I have noticed however is that I think my 'good for 2 hours before the pain sets in' is on the decline. I know Sam told me that by the time she was a week away from surgery, she was pretty much down to 1o minutes and then WHAMO...the pain.
I can see a similar picture beginning to unfold before me. I do try and limit my walking for sure, but just walking around at the office is starting to take a toll.
If I'm down to 10 minutes walking when the time for my surgery comes, I'll be fine with that... I'm just not so sure I want to decline to that in the next month!
I do have a question for all the other 'hip gals' out there...
Q: what type of strengthening excercises did you do in the months prior to surgery...to get the muscles strong in your legs?
Of course, with the surgery not being until the end of September, there's plenty of time (according to Dr. S) to get them done, so no anxiety here.
One thing I have noticed however is that I think my 'good for 2 hours before the pain sets in' is on the decline. I know Sam told me that by the time she was a week away from surgery, she was pretty much down to 1o minutes and then WHAMO...the pain.
I can see a similar picture beginning to unfold before me. I do try and limit my walking for sure, but just walking around at the office is starting to take a toll.
If I'm down to 10 minutes walking when the time for my surgery comes, I'll be fine with that... I'm just not so sure I want to decline to that in the next month!
I do have a question for all the other 'hip gals' out there...
Q: what type of strengthening excercises did you do in the months prior to surgery...to get the muscles strong in your legs?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
We have a date!
Surgery date is confirmed.
Friday September 26th.....Mom's birthday!
So, we're locked and loaded for that date, and can begin the countdown.
Friday September 26th.....Mom's birthday!
So, we're locked and loaded for that date, and can begin the countdown.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Ha HA...April Fools!!
...and the events of today, truly lived up to that...
As planned, I left work around 11:15 to go pick up Jim (hubby) from his office so we could get up to Northside for 12:00. The appointment was for 12:30, but they asked me to get there 30 minutes early for registration, preparation etc.
The location provided was 5444 Meridian Marks Road, Suite 450.
Having been to see Dr. Schrader a couple of times now, I knew he was in 5445 Meridian Marks Road - so figured it was close! We headed up there in good time, only to find that there IS no 5444... so, I finally got on the phone and called the people who called me for the appointment. "Oh, we're in 5445... somebody must have given you the wrong address".
....and so it begins.
We park, and head up to suite 450.
The kind lady at the desk checked us in and proceeded to give me all the forms I needed to complete (even though I had done a pre-registration the day before on the phone??). Nevertheless, I completed all the forms and handed them back.
Next, another nurse came out and said, "so, you're having an MRI AND CT today?" - to which I replied "Yes". She then asked "I know what the CT is for, but what about the MRI...is it on your leg?" It's at this point that I'm starting to wonder if they even know why I'm there...
We sit back down and wait a little longer.
A different nurse then comes to collect us and takes us around to the MRI waiting area - where there's a TV, some chairs and lockers. This is where Jim will wait the 2+ hours...it's not so great, but Sanford and Son were on...followed by Family Feud...he was happy enough :)
We wait.
The same nurse then comes back and says "OK, we're still trying to figure out some things regarding the MRI, we're not sure if you'll have it today, but while we're figuring that out, let's go ahead and get you changed and we'll do the CT scan first".
So, I change into the wonderful backless gowns (I did get lucky with 2 gowns so that I could turn the other one around and where it as a nightgown!), and get my non-slip socks on. I'm ready!
We wait.
We watch a couple more Family Feud's..
"Name the top facts about trolls:"
1: they live under bridges
2: they're ugly
3: they have crazy hair
4: they are short
5: they are not real
6: they are mean
more importantly, the facts do not include that they have warts and they are smelly (much to my protest!)
The nurse re-appears. "I apologize...we haven't forgotten about you... we're just trying to get some more information from the doctor on the protocols he needs for the scans. We have our technician calling the doctor to find out a bit more".
More Family Feud...
Now the technician appears saying "I'm really sorry, but I've spoken to about 4 different people to find out about the scan protocols the doctor is asking for, and we're still not exactly clear on what's needed". To which I reply "well, you know that my doctor is just 2 floors downstairs...it might be easier to just go speak to him directly to find out what he needs you to do". "Ah really, ok, I'll go down and talk to him".
At this point the time is now 2:15...I've been sitting in my gown and socks for over an hour...
10 or so minutes later and the technician shows up, not looking terribly positive.
"I'm really sorry about this but you're not going to have your MRI and CT today, the doctor has cancelled it because he needs specific 'protocols' and we can't do them here".
GGGrrrrreeeeeeaaaat!
"Sorry about the time wasted, have a parking validation ticket!" as he hands over a little sticker.
"The doctor says you can go down and speak to him directly on the situation and why it was cancelled".
So, back into the changing room, out of the gown and socks, get dressed and head down to the second floor to see Dr. Schrader.
We wait about 15 minutes and finally get to see Dr. Schrader. and this is the funny part....
Dr. Schrader (upon seeing us) says "oh, were you so frustrated that you wanted to come down and shout at me"....to which we responded "huh? the technician upstairs told us that YOU told us to come down and speak to you"...
Don't you LOVE the flow of communication????
Anyhow, as it turns out, one of the nurses in Schrader's office had made an appointment with the regular radiology place that he uses, only to find that it's closed...with no forwarding address - so she just booked it with a closer one (in their building) I guess assuming that anybody could do the 'protocols' that Dr. Schrader needed.
Dr. Schrader didn't find out the other place was closed until 12:30 that day, when the nurses upstairs called saying "urm...what are we doing with this patient".
So long story short, NO MRI, NO CT scan and Dr. Schrader now has to go research/locate another place that can do it, but has a gut feeling that it might be either Piedmont or Emory.
We'll wait to hear from him on that!
All in all, a day of waiting, watching, wearing non-slip socks and generally being the April Fool!
As planned, I left work around 11:15 to go pick up Jim (hubby) from his office so we could get up to Northside for 12:00. The appointment was for 12:30, but they asked me to get there 30 minutes early for registration, preparation etc.
The location provided was 5444 Meridian Marks Road, Suite 450.
Having been to see Dr. Schrader a couple of times now, I knew he was in 5445 Meridian Marks Road - so figured it was close! We headed up there in good time, only to find that there IS no 5444... so, I finally got on the phone and called the people who called me for the appointment. "Oh, we're in 5445... somebody must have given you the wrong address".
....and so it begins.
We park, and head up to suite 450.
The kind lady at the desk checked us in and proceeded to give me all the forms I needed to complete (even though I had done a pre-registration the day before on the phone??). Nevertheless, I completed all the forms and handed them back.
Next, another nurse came out and said, "so, you're having an MRI AND CT today?" - to which I replied "Yes". She then asked "I know what the CT is for, but what about the MRI...is it on your leg?" It's at this point that I'm starting to wonder if they even know why I'm there...
We sit back down and wait a little longer.
A different nurse then comes to collect us and takes us around to the MRI waiting area - where there's a TV, some chairs and lockers. This is where Jim will wait the 2+ hours...it's not so great, but Sanford and Son were on...followed by Family Feud...he was happy enough :)
We wait.
The same nurse then comes back and says "OK, we're still trying to figure out some things regarding the MRI, we're not sure if you'll have it today, but while we're figuring that out, let's go ahead and get you changed and we'll do the CT scan first".So, I change into the wonderful backless gowns (I did get lucky with 2 gowns so that I could turn the other one around and where it as a nightgown!), and get my non-slip socks on. I'm ready!
We wait.
We watch a couple more Family Feud's..
"Name the top facts about trolls:"
1: they live under bridges
2: they're ugly
3: they have crazy hair
4: they are short
5: they are not real
6: they are mean
more importantly, the facts do not include that they have warts and they are smelly (much to my protest!)
The nurse re-appears. "I apologize...we haven't forgotten about you... we're just trying to get some more information from the doctor on the protocols he needs for the scans. We have our technician calling the doctor to find out a bit more".
More Family Feud...
Now the technician appears saying "I'm really sorry, but I've spoken to about 4 different people to find out about the scan protocols the doctor is asking for, and we're still not exactly clear on what's needed". To which I reply "well, you know that my doctor is just 2 floors downstairs...it might be easier to just go speak to him directly to find out what he needs you to do". "Ah really, ok, I'll go down and talk to him".
At this point the time is now 2:15...I've been sitting in my gown and socks for over an hour...
10 or so minutes later and the technician shows up, not looking terribly positive.
"I'm really sorry about this but you're not going to have your MRI and CT today, the doctor has cancelled it because he needs specific 'protocols' and we can't do them here".
GGGrrrrreeeeeeaaaat!
"Sorry about the time wasted, have a parking validation ticket!" as he hands over a little sticker.
"The doctor says you can go down and speak to him directly on the situation and why it was cancelled".
So, back into the changing room, out of the gown and socks, get dressed and head down to the second floor to see Dr. Schrader.
We wait about 15 minutes and finally get to see Dr. Schrader. and this is the funny part....
Dr. Schrader (upon seeing us) says "oh, were you so frustrated that you wanted to come down and shout at me"....to which we responded "huh? the technician upstairs told us that YOU told us to come down and speak to you"...
Don't you LOVE the flow of communication????
Anyhow, as it turns out, one of the nurses in Schrader's office had made an appointment with the regular radiology place that he uses, only to find that it's closed...with no forwarding address - so she just booked it with a closer one (in their building) I guess assuming that anybody could do the 'protocols' that Dr. Schrader needed.
Dr. Schrader didn't find out the other place was closed until 12:30 that day, when the nurses upstairs called saying "urm...what are we doing with this patient".
So long story short, NO MRI, NO CT scan and Dr. Schrader now has to go research/locate another place that can do it, but has a gut feeling that it might be either Piedmont or Emory.
We'll wait to hear from him on that!
All in all, a day of waiting, watching, wearing non-slip socks and generally being the April Fool!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
MRI and CT Scan abound....or is that a joke?
So, today I spoke to the radiology department at Northside Hospital, as they had called and left a message yesterday for me to set up an appointment for an MRI and CT scan.
I'll be having my MRI and CT scan in the Meridian Mark building next week. Suite 450. Got it.
However having read Laurens post from a good while back on the trials and tribulations she had with this part of the process, I'm hoping it's pretty straight forward.
Although, the fact that my appointment is on April 1st....it could be rife with jokes and hilarity.
I will report accordingly.
I'll be having my MRI and CT scan in the Meridian Mark building next week. Suite 450. Got it.
However having read Laurens post from a good while back on the trials and tribulations she had with this part of the process, I'm hoping it's pretty straight forward.
Although, the fact that my appointment is on April 1st....it could be rife with jokes and hilarity.
I will report accordingly.
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