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  • My doctor visits

    I had to put off having a hysterectomy because I got fired; now, I'm working again (and, might I add, FINALLY doing work that I truly enjoy).

    The only thing is, there's some question about my thyroid function. It was low in January. The doctor gave me thyroid medication. I also had a bump on one finger. The doctor told me to see my orthopedist.

    I went back to the clinic a month later, to see how the thyroid medication was working, because the first doctor told me not to schedule surgery until we knew how the medication was working. When I went back to the clinic, I saw a different doctor (the one I saw in January wasn't working that day).

    Well. Turns out that the first doctor, whom I shall call Doctor A, didn't prescribe thyroid medication. She prescribed iodine. That's all I'd been taking. The second doctor, Doctor B, sent me for blood tests. I also had to give urine, which I didn't learn until I went to the blood lab and they asked for it. Yay.

    In the meantime, the orthopedist examined my finger, then the corresponding finger on the other hand, and sent me for X-rays. They revealed a cyst on the finger. He then sent me for an MRI.

    Back to Doctor B. She told my thyroid had gone into overdrive (though she didn't use that term) as the result of the iodine, and she told me to stop taking it. She also set up an appointment for me at the Endocrinological Institute. I went, taking with me the results of the latest blood and urine test.

    The endocrinologist looked at the papers and said, "This doesn't look too bad." She typed up a lot about my case, printed it, and gave me the papers before sending me to an office where they set up an appointment for me to have my blood taken at the Institute. I was also given a tube for urine - pee into the clean receptacle of my choice the morning of the blood test, pour the pee into the tube, cap the tube, and bring it with me. Yep, I carried a tube of pee in my bag.

    (As I side note, after peeing into a plastic cup, I can honestly say I had no idea my bladder could hold that much.)

    I took the tube, washed and wrapped in toilet paper before being sealed in a bag, to the Institute, where I gave it to the doctors. Then they took my blood. I still have a bruise.

    Back to the orthopedist. He told me I need surgery on my finger. Being the kind of guy who acts quickly, he scheduled me for an operation next month, less than three weeks from now. I told him about the thyroid. He told me it would be okay.

    To the clinic again. I told the doctor (Doctor C) about everything that's been going on since January, and he looked at my case file and examined my finger. He told me he believed everything would be all right. The orthopedist had given me a paper to give to the GP clinic, and I gave the paper to him. It states that I need the usual pre-op bloodwork and an ECG. Before I left the clinic, I got three appointments - the first for the ECG and bloodwork, the second for the results of these tests, and the third for a pre-op consultation.

    A few days later, I went for an ultrasound of my thyroid. The doctor didn't speak English, but I understood the gist of what she was saying, I think. She asked me if I'd ever had surgery on my thyroid, and I said I hadn't. She also said that whatever was wrong with it, it wasn't serious. She used the word "autoimmune".

    On Monday, I have an appointment with the endocrinologist. After that, over the space of about a week and a half, I'll have the three appointments with the GP, then an appointment at the hospital the day before surgery.

    Jeez.

  • #2
    Prayers and good vibes heading your way.

    It is hard enough dealing with all that, but add the language barrier... You said the Untrasound doc didn't speak English. How are the rest and how is your Czech?
    Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
    Save the Ales!
    Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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    • #3
      My Czech has improved quite a bit, thanks to my weekly lessons, but there's the medical element to it - some medical terms cross the language barrier, since many are in Greek or Latin, but not all of them. And I did let the ultrasound tech know that I don't speak Czech well.

      When I had surgery three years ago, THAT was not good. I mean, the surgery and recovery were uneventful, but just as I was barely coming out of the anesthetic, I heard voices speaking to me in Czech, and given my groggy state, I doubt that I would have been able to make much sense of what they were saying even if they'd been speaking English. Furthermore, I was freezing cold and shaking and weird from the anesthetic. I won't have surgery at that clinic again.

      When I had knee surgery the following year, things were much better; nice hospital, friendly nurses who didn't spend most of their time outside smoking, and it was outpatient surgery, so I went home the same day. AND they transported me right to my door, because the hospital is about an hour from where I live.

      This next surgery will be performed at a different hospital, and this place prides itself on being foreigner-friendly. The building is ugly as hell, but again, it'll be outpatient surgery. I doubt that they'll have someone take me home, so I plan to take a taxi, rather than rely on public transportation.

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