Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Medical Appointments on Monday

Today, I had an appointment with my primary care physician in the morning.  My blood pressure, which had been relatively OK all this time, was up again.  They checked three times and each reading was higher than the one before!  I have been put back on the original dosage I had been on and the doctor looked through my file and observed how my pressure had gone up another time when the previous doctor had tried to change my medications.  So, I am to go back for a follow-up appointment next week.  And in the meantime, no medical release for the dental work.  I felt so stressed I actually cried! 

Then, I went to my appointment with the oncologist.  Actually, the original appointment had been to have the port flushed, but, with all this stuff with the ultrasounds and so forth, it was decided that I should be seen by the nurse practitioner.  The long and short of it is, I need to have a diagnostic mammogram as the hospital won't do an ultrasound without a mammogram.  And, of course, although the hospital told me they spoke with the clinic about putting in a new referral, the clinic claimed no one from the hospital called them.  They called the hospital while I was there and they will do a new referral - for a mammogram.  In the meantime, I wait.  I have a follow-up appointment with the oncologist in July.

The one good news is, the nurse practitioner did say she received the abdominal ultrasound results and they seemed to be OK, nothing to worry about.  That is a relief! 

On my way home, I stopped at the dental clinic, but they were closed for lunch.  Their hours of business were posted on the door, but there was no mention of the office being closed for lunch.  So, when I went there and the lights were out and the doors were locked and bolted, for a minute or two, I thought they had either moved or even gone out of business!  But, after I came home, I called them and they were open!  I explained about the blood pressure still being high and that I was having a toothache still.  I was able to get a 3:00 p.m. appointment and was seen by the dentist, who prescribed another round of antibiotics for me.  At first, he was reluctant to do so, but when I explained that I was still in a lot of pain, he relented.  Hopefully, by the time I finish this round of antibiotics, my blood pressure would have come down again and I'd get the medical clearance I need to get the dental work done.  I picked up the antibiotics, put gas to the car, and came home.

So, the whole day was spent on 3 medical appointments.  I didn't do anything much after I came home.  I rested a bit, watched the news, took the trash cans out, went through the fridge and tossed some old food, did the dishes, and video chatted with my daughter who is in Atlanta, Georgia attending a conference.  She has had a good day: interesting seminars, a nice lunch provided by the conference, a tour of the CNN building, and dinner out with three of her colleagues.  

Yesterday, my cousin's daughter cooked some chicken and my cousin brought over a piece for me to try.  I had already had my dinner, so I kept the chicken for my dinner tonight.  I cooked some veggies (zucchini and carrots) to go with the chicken and had that for dinner:

Chicken and Veggies for Dinner
 
It's kind of funny - when she was a little girl, I used to bake her birthday cakes; now she's a young adult and she's sending me dinner!   

Today, I am grateful for:
- Access to medical care.
- The abdominal ultra sound results are good.
- I was able to see the dentist on short notice.
- He prescribed more antibiotics for me.
- Tylenol

How was your Monday?   Did you do anything fun, today?



22 comments:

  1. I am so happy for the abdominal test results! Hoping and prayers sent for equally good news about the other tests (whenever they get everything ironed out so you can have them)
    I think it is lovely that people are continually sharing food with you. Here in the south it is one way we show concern when our friends, families, loved ones have a difficult time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Anne. I was very thankful when I heard the results of the ultrasound. Especially since I was chatting with another patient in the waiting room, who said her cancer has returned and she is, therefore, dealing with Stage 4 cancer now.

      Food is the language of love, isn't it? I am so appreciative of family and friends sharing food with me. I, too, think it is how we show we care. More than anything else, it shows that someone thought of you!

      Delete
  2. Do you check your blood pressure at home? I can only imagine that your blood pressure was up at the office because of all of the uncertainties right now with your health. Often a doctor will ask you to keep a record at home so they can see how the numbers are over time since blood pressure goes up and down situationally.

    Otherwise, so glad the abdominal scan came out well. Hang in there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I do check my pressure at home and I have been keeping a record which I have been taking to the clinic on my visits. The pressure was within normal levels during the past almost 3 weeks since the previous dr. visit, but it was high yesterday morning when I checked at home as well as at the clinic. I, too, think it is due to all the stress and anxiety; it was a little lower when they checked it at the oncologist's office, but still higher than normal. I haven't checked it yet, this morning, but the fact that I have a headache probably means it is still a bit high.

      Thank you, I am hanging in there! :)

      Delete
  3. Sending hugs across the pond. It must be rotten (to put it mildly) for you having to put up with the pain.
    Thank goodness your ultrasound results are OK. I do hope you don't have too long to wait for your mammogram. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jules. I'm waiting for the antibiotics to kick in. Hope all is well with you and you are having a lovely day.

      Delete
  4. Oh that's rotten luck about the BP Bless. When mine was high they used to tell me it was white coat syndrome - obviously not!

    I'm not surprised you cried, it all sounds pretty traumatic with referrals not getting passed on and people saying they've not had any calls etc. Sometimes it's just all too much to cope with. Let's hope the mammogram appt comes through quickly.

    That is good news about the abdominal scan and the fact you've got more antibiotics must be a relief.

    Hope everything comes together for you sooner rather than later. Take care of yourself. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Suzanne. I guess I'm pretty stressed about the possibility that the cancer could have returned less than 2 years after treatment. There are no guarantees, of course, but when one is told that survival rates are X for 5 years with treatment and Y for 10 years, one starts to hope that one is in that percentage with 5-10 years to live and the possibility that one might be in that other group that doesn't make it to the 5 year mark is a bit stressful. Having a toothache on top of it just makes it all worse, I feel! I can handle things a lot better if my entire right jaw doesn't hurt! But, hopefully, with the antibiotics and the adjustment in B/P meds., I'll be feeling better. :)

      Delete
    2. I know what you mean about statistics Bless. There was something like 1 in 3 people have another heart attack within the first 24 hours and don't make it and then 1 in so many have one within the first month and don't make it and then it went to one is so many for 12 months. I didn't worry about the 24 hour thing because I didn't know about it, but the month and year - well I think I clock watched the month and thought about it several times every day for the first year. It's absolutely horrible. xx

      Delete
    3. I'm trying to tell myself that each day is a gift. It's one more day I have been given to live and be there for my daughter. That I should be content with that. But it is hard not to want more.

      Delete
  5. Really pleased to hear the ultra sound is okay. I hope that the mammogram can be done really soon.

    Are you remembering to rest?
    Siobhan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Siobhan, thank you, I am resting. I even took the day off from work, today.

      Delete
  6. Sounds like quite a day! Good news about your ultrasound results. I do hope you get your tooth sorted soon. Toothache pain is no fun. I'm a scaredy-cat when it comes to the dentist. I have an appointment on Thursday that I've been dreading for a couple of weeks. Anxiety level quite high. I'm okay when I'm there, it's the getting there that's the problem.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sharon. We all dread going to the dentist's, don't we? Hope your visit goes well and the dentist will say there's nothing wrong with your teeth!

      Delete
  7. My blood pressure always shoots sky high when I have pain so perhaps that is what is going on with you. Glad you got to see the dentist and hope this time next week you will be cleared for dental work. No wonder your nerves are frayed.

    Your chicken dinner looks yummy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Sandy. I checked my pressure a little while ago and it is back down to normal! In fact, it was very good! So, I don't know what it was that drove it up so high, yesterday. A combination of factors, I suppose. A reminder that I need to worry less?

      Delete
  8. What an ordeal, but such a blessing that tgere were no issues with the abdominal ultrasound. Sounds as if you're caught in a bit of a loop with the dental issue and elevated blood pressure. Antibiotics can actually sometimes elevate your blood pressure. Hopefully this round of them will do the trick and you'll be able to soon resolve your dental problem. Praying for you, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Carolyn. Yes, a bit of a merry-go-round with the blood pressure and the dental work, but I am hopeful that it will be OK after next week.

      Delete
  9. They need the results of the mammogram in order to interpret the ultrasound. The doctor looks at the mammogram when he is doing the reading of the ultrasound.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I'm sure there is a good reason for them requiring the mammogram. :)

      Delete
  10. Oh Bless, I am glad you got some good news on your abdominal ultrasound. Praying that your mammogram and ultrasound will also come back with good news for you.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting. Your comments are much appreciated. Please comment in English. Thank you.