My appointment with the neurologist to go over the MRI's and the EMG was yesterday. Everything came back normal. The only thing they found was some swollen lymph nodes in my neck. Those are probably the result of a recent upper respiratory infection. Since I haven't had an upper respiratory infection quite some time we were "back to the drawing board". We went back over all my symptoms, headache, neck pain, ear aches, pain radiating down my left arm, stuffy nose. I told him I had expected the head MRI to show a sinus infection. I asked him if my symtoms could be the result of some other kind of infection. He said if it was my primary care doctor would have found it in the bloodwork. I informed him that my primary care doctor hadn't done any bloodwork. So he order lots of blood tests and a chest x-ray (to check for that upper respiratory infection). It's about damn time, I've told my primary care doc a couple of different times I thought it might be an infection!!
The neurologist did tell me about another possibility. He said my headaches could be caused by excess pressure in my spinal fluid. He wants to do a lumber puncture. Yeah, not real thrilled with that idea. He said I didn't have to make a decision right then, I could go home and discuss it with my husband first. I told him I wanted to wait until we had the results from the lab work and chest x-ray. Lynn agreed when I told him.
The doctor also gave me a couple of other options. He told me about a headache specialist in town I could go to. The only problem is he's not on my insurance. I'd have to pay him out-of-pocket. We'll hold off on that for now, I don't have that kind of money. He also mentioned a type of drug for depression that sometimes helps people with headaches like mine. If the tests don't come up anything I might try it. I'll have to research it first.
So, still no anwsers, but at least we're getting closer.
3 comments:
Keeping you in my thoughts, always.
/hugs
Angie
I'm glad that you finally found a doctor that is listening to you!! I hate it when you go to a new doc. and they are like "I'm sure your other doc. already did this.. no? so then they did this right?.. uh no?? Hmm" Then your like damn it!!
Done the EMG, the MRI, the lumbar puncture. Um, turned out I was the first person who ever, when they told me I had to hold absolutely still for a half hour after the LP, asked them if I could knit. Uh, well, I *guess* so, the nurse said.
Don't. Do hold still. I know, I know, a knitter saying this, but, I didn't tell the doctor till something like a year later that I had had the most extreme headache of my life for a month after that procedure. I got given the what-for, because that meant that I had spinal fluid leaking and he could have fixed it had he known. The not-holding-still might well have been why it leaked.
Meantime, it was wonderful to meet you at Stephanie's booksigning Thursday! Best of luck!
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