Its been a hectic week, ended up in ED twice, had assignments due and all sorts, I'm finally feeling like I have a handle on things again. I thought I would write about one of the trips seen as it relates to my last post.

I spoke to my Mum about my fall down the stairs last week and she told me to see a doctor and get it lodged with ACC in case I had trouble down the track-which was sound advice, if you don't lodge you can have a bit of trouble getting help later.

So I went to Student Health, explained to the receptionist and she put me in with a nurse right there and then and the nurse would decide where to go from there.
Explained to nurse, that I just wanted to get it lodged with ACC but she said I needed to get checked out by a doctor and she had a free space in 15min so I should stay because the next free one wasn't till the next week (Student Health are terrible as far as trying to see a doc quickly most of the time).
I waited as the doctor was running late and I worried about being late for my anatomy lab but that was the least of my worries!

I got in to see the doc and explained yet again, why I was there, that I'd had this fall, had these strange symptoms and just wanted to get it on ACC. This is when the fun started...

Neuro symptoms require Neuro examinations (dont you just love these? especially when you have rsd) so it was time to go through fine touch and pain sensation and reflexes. Surprise surprise I had positive results in all three tests ( and more than just your usual rsd altered results) so this made things tricky.
She then cancelled all her other patients who were after me (I felt rather bad actually) and tells me sit tight while she rings the Ortho registrar at the hospital...I'm thinking now how late I am going to be for my lab and will I have enough time to get it all done.

After her talk with the registrar she explains that they think I possibly have Cauda Equina syndrome (dangerous compression of the nerve endings at the base of the spinal cord) and that I need to have another test done and it will either have to be done by her or at the hospital by 'person unknown'. So I reluctantly take up her offer and let her do the couple of other tests (I wont go into it here, but I had some other symptoms too) which also picked up positive signs (boy was I mad about that).
After that she had to sit down and write everything in a letter for me to take to the ED and advised me to go straight there and take a taxi-its 2 blocks down the road from Student Health and I was supposed to be doing a lab!...she dryly stated that she didnt think I would be getting much work done that night!

I walked to the hospital (after a small detour across the road to the dissection room but dont tell her) and checked in and sat down to wait. It was so so busy I felt like going and doing my lab while I waited but by that time there wasn't enough time left so I thought it was best to leave it. After not much time my name was called-I was amazed how quick I was called as there were so many patients and I could see how serious some of them were.

Now a subjective and all the neuro tests start again, first by med students who were very surprised at my lack of ablility to tollerate them on my rsd side and my lack of feeling on my other lol. Next the doctor under the registrar comes in and we go over it all again but more through and with added tests and I confuse him in places but we sort it out in the end lol.

Then his boss the registrar comes in, he just listens to his younger doctor and I make sure it is correct. He then does yet another neuro exam (without the test the student health doc did) says he doesnt think it will be Cauda Equina Syndrome as some of my symptoms dont fit. Which was my thoughts exactly, thats why I never went to the doctor in the beginning-I couldn't make all the weird things fit together and I didnt want to waste their time.

He then explained that I wasn't wasting their time, that this was very serious and even if it turned out to be ok, we needed to check it out. He then went to ring and talk to his boss the consultant! He suspected that I would be allowed to just go home but had to make sure.
He comes back and says that I am not allowed home until I have the test the student health doc did again, apparently since I had positive findings picked up, they need to redo the test to make sure...I was so not wanting to go through that again. But I knew I had a moral obligation to myself to let them complete their tests and he did say I could go once it had been done so I agreed, among other findings, I have loss of sensation in the complete saddle area-the area I keep feeling wet in.

Next thing I here is "I owe my boss a coffee, he was right" and I dont know what to think, all I want to do is go home and get something to eat (its past 9pm by this stage and I havent had anything since lunch).
DR registrar says it was good to do them again as he got the same result as the Student Health doc and now needs to ring his boss again to see whether they want to to an MRI that night or wait till the morning (if they did it then, they would have to call someone in to perform it...), his consultant says he wants the MRI done now and not wait till morning so they call up a tech to come in. I feel so bad about taking up so much of their time because I am sure that I am fine and they are wasting time and money on me. Next thing that happens while we wait for the MRI to be ready, they start sticking IVs in me, to get bloods and ready just incase I need surgery! By this time I'm just starting to freak out slightly and wishing I never went to the doctors in the first place. After they had got the lines in, I'm shipped off to x-ray and then up to the MRI suite. It took less than half an hour from when the call was made to when they were ready for me, I have never had such fast service in the ED before! I kept being told how lucky I was to get an x-ray so quick as people were lining the corridors waiting for all sorts of things and here was I getting star treatment.
The MRI was clear for any compression, I felt so relieved about that (and even more bad that they had spent so much time with me) so no surgery needed and I was finally allowed to go home. Again the registrar assures me how important it is to investigate these things as you can be left with permanent damage and I was told not to be so appologetic. They are not sure what is causing all my mysterious symptoms so have given me a follow up appointment for next Friday and I can keep it if I want. I certainly found out just how big a 'red flag' the 'cord signs' are we are taught about are, but I'm not sure this is the way to learn things lol!

I'm not sure as yet if I will keep the appointment, I'm still having the symptoms just as bad but will wait and see a bit closer to next Friday before I decide.

Nothing like a bit of excitement though!


Lisa Moon said...

Oh, sweetie! I'm so sorry to hear how horrid this has been for you. Good thing you followed the advice and went to the doctors, even if it was painful and a long process; it indeed sounds like something you must look into for your health now and in the future.

I'm impressed that your student health doc was so aware of the possibilities of your injury; good on them for not just saying you're bruised and sending you off!

Please do take good care of yourself. Let us know how it goes - I'll sure be thinking of you and sending you lots of healing energy!

Tough Cookie said...

Ahhhh no! How unfair! I am so sorry to hear all of this. It must have been difficult for you :-( It's great that they decided to be thorough with it all to rule out anything very very very serious (as if RSD isn't serious enough for us).

Keep us updated. You are on my mind.