Dear Readers – A warning about this blog. You may read it understanding that it is a telling of how difficult it is to get medical testing scheduled. Then, again, you may view it as a RANT. I do that, sometimes, you know.
The MRI is an interesting happening. Here’s the progression of me attempting to schedule an MRI.
Doc sends orders to the imaging place; they call me. Questions reveal to them that I have a pacemaker; I am told by the person on the phone that they can only complete an MRI if they have authorization from my cardiologist – some machines can’t do MRIs for patients with pacemakers.
The structure of pacemakers has progressed from NEVER being able to having an MRI to having an MRI with the pacemaker that I have. (And, our feds are destroying our scientific community!)
But, I digress – I call my cardiologist (Erin Unger and/or Nick Palmerie – I have two; isn’t that wonderful!) to get said authorization; the nurse there preps the authorization paperwork for the cardiologist’s signature. She says, “We need to do these in a hospital when there is a defibrillator involved.” “I don’t have a defibrillator,” says I. She rechecks her paperwork and agrees that it can be done at the “regular” imaging location – not a hospital. She says she will get the doc’s signature and fax it to the imaging place.
I call back to the imaging place to tell them to watch for the faxed authorization. “Oh, no,” says the contact. “We can’t do an MRI with a patient with a pacemaker – authorization or no authorization.” I ask her where I should plan to go. She doesn’t know.
I call my back surgeon’s office (Gary Ghiselli) to get him to write an order for a different place. And, the waiting begins. And, I realize I have just wasted three -to-four hours of my time! I am a very old person – how much time to I have to waste?
In the meanwhile, I’m in pain – REAL PAIN! I can hardly walk. I can’t stand in the kitchen to prepare my meals or to put items into the dishwasher. And, forget trying to reach anything in a cupboard that is above my head. I can barely stand to wash my face in the bathroom.
Tylenol doesn’t seem to be relieving my pain. I can’t take something stronger; I learned while in the hospital with the shoulder that I’m allergic to oxycodone – it gives me hallucinations. So, thankyou very much – no oxycodone!.
A little “back” story is needed here. Since the time of the surgery and for three months, I’d been living at Daughter #1’s house. But, it’s time for me to go home – it’s April 13. Daughter #1 transports me to my house where I will start taking care of myself. Walking, getting my own meals, using the computer, etc. Even going down stairs to do the laundry. That is when the extreme back pain begins. I contacted my back surgeon who ordered that MRI – full length of my spine. There are fancier words to describe the needed MRI work, but full length of my spine works for me.
And, the waiting for a response from the MRI department at the selected hospital continues. About seven days after I’ve been told that the MRI order has been sent to the hospital where I have learned that MRIs for patients with pacemakers are seen, I have not heard anything about an appointment for this test.
I call the hospital – an Adventist hospital – the one with which my cardiologists have the closest working relationship. This group of hospitals actually has three in the group. One of them (Porter) is actually much closer to my home than the chosen one (South Broadway – Littleton), but – whose counting the distance?
I’m told by the hospital MRI folks that they don’t have an order for the MRI. The telephoning begins, again. The back surgeon’s office tells me the order has been sent. The cardiologist’s office tells me the cardiology authorization has been sent to the hospital MRI imaging department. The hospital MRI folks say they don’t have the cardiologist’s authorization. Another call to the cardiologist’s office, and I’m told that the authorization was sent days-ago, but another one would be faxed when we hung up the call. Back to the hospital MRI department; they actually had the original authorization sent days before.
The scheduler would be happy to schedule the MRI for me on June 9. That’s more than two weeks – TWO WEEKS! – from the day of the telephone call. I tell the scheduler that’s unacceptable – “I’m in pain!” I say, once again. “What about scheduling for one of the other hospitals?”
“We would need to start the process over again,” I was told by the scheduler. Hanging up, I called the back surgeon’s office and talked with Natasha. She said she would talk with the doc to see if he could get me in sooner – somewhere. The order was originally sent to the imaging location (the one that can’t do MRIs for patients with pacemakers) on April 21. It is now, Sunday, May 3. I leave it to you to count the days of pain this has been.
Another discussion with Natasha led to this plan. I can take 4,000 mg of Tylenol every twenty-four hours. So, I take three, extra strength Tylenol in the morning (1,500 mg); three at noon (another 1,500 mg), and two at night (1,000 mg more). That is 4,000 mg in a twenty-four-hour day. I wonder how long I’ll need to take this much every day (as well as using heat and cold). We are cautioned never to exceed taking Tylenol for more than ten days. And, I’ve already used up some of those ten days taking smaller amounts.
When I see my PCP (Todd Avant) for my regular diabetes check, he directs me to take the Tylenol thus: 2, 2, 2, 2 – that will get to the 4,000. He orders blood work to be sure that this dose is not harming my liver; I am to have this blood work every month. Fortunately, the phlebotomist (Linda) is the best ever. So, these tests will not be hurtful.
With many more telephone calls, I have given up getting the MRI scheduled sooner than June 9 (in fact, it is now scheduled for June 10!). I will be in pain from now until after the MRI because the MRI is only to discover the reason for the pain. In the meanwhile, I will see my physical therapists and my chiropractor because their work offers some relief. I will use cold and heat.
When will this painful problem be resolved? Only time will tell.
Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are always welcome.
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