In which I am so sick of people's bullshit

[firecat88]

Continuation/update from this thread.

So...that neurosurgeon I was talking about? I'm going to be seeking one that's not them. Because they:

1) Could not be arsed to call me and tell me that they'd gotten the referral from my old primary care doctor....that I requested be sent a good month ago.

2) Had not decided if they were going to take me on as a patient at all.

3) Were going to put me on a waiting list if they decided that I could be seen by them.

Meanwhile, I've got this nickel-sized bump on my collarbone that A) cuts right across where my shunt tubing is, B) is lobster pink, and C) is quite painful to touch. Luckily, my mom knows someone whose boyfriend is an anesthesiologist and works with this other neurosurgeon who's supposed to be really good.

[Sapphire Silk]

I'm glad to hear you advocated for yourself and found another solution!

[firecat88]

My frustration about this might genuinely be at an end soon, thankfully. It turns out that my dad frequently works with the PA of one of the neurosurgeons here. He talked to this person, got tons of advice, and I might be seeing someone as early as this Monday. Thank goodness, because this is my level of stress over this situation at the moment:

[firecat88]

Update: Around 5 PM yesterday, I arrived at the ER because one of the neurosurgeons (the new guy that everyone is excited about) was on call. It was a disgusting experience that lasted way too long, especially because this one girl there was coughing up possibly both lungs and her spleen.

At around 9:30 PM, my parents and I were brought back to an exam room. We watched several and many things on the Weather Channel (So You Think You'd Survive is a *really* good show). At about half-past 10, the doctor finally came in, looked at me and heard my scenario, and ordered up a series of x-rays on my shunt. The order, however, took for-frickin-ever to be put through, so it was almost midnight by the time I went to get those done. They did find something wonky-looking with my shunt, but nothing that needed to be immediately addressed last night.

What *did* need addressing was this bump. He received permission to (whited-out for reasons of 'eww') lance it and collect culture samples from it.. The final diagnosis? Abscess possibly induced by MRSA. So now it's more antibiotics and tomorrow I get to possibly see a neurosurgeon (frickin' finally). have a follow-up with my pcp because the neurosurgeon is fully booked until the 14th.

When did we get home, you ask? About 2:30 AM

[firecat88]

Update #2: Got a call yesterday from the doctor I saw at the ER. The results from the culture study he did on me came back. As it turns out, no MRSA was found. However, they did find something.

According to the results, and this is a thing that surprised everyone because it had never crossed our minds, I have a pseudomonas infection. It is a bacterial thingy that is only treatable via certain antibiotics (and the list of them is quite small). So now I'm on a completely different medication, my third one in as many weeks. However, I'm not complaining because A) we finally have an answer to what's been going on with me this past year-and-thensome and B) if the Cipro fixes it, great. Also, miraculously, I haven't caught another cold or anything from my ER trip.