I'm posting here to keep my ailing brain apprised of events. And no one, and I mean no one, seems to have any idea of why the mystery appt. today. No one was prepared for my visit, for sure.
When I was in hospital Feb. 25-27, one of the neurologists I saw there, and was assigned to follow up with was Dr. U. At f.u. O.V. on March 9, he ordered a number of tests, procedures and referrals: Lumbar Spine MRI, Brain EEG, TEE (Trans-esophageal Electrocardiogram, 30-Day Heart Monitor, an RX for Gabapentin, and a referral to a Neurosurgeon at A.M.C. He said Samaritan Hospital will call me to schedule the EEG and the MRI.
March 10, my Primary, Dr. M. called and said I should have been prescribed Plavix on release along with the Statin and Aspirin that Hospitalist Dr. Black had prescribed. She also disagreed with Dr. U's recommendations and recommended a different neurologist.
Samaritan did not call and when I called them, said they had no record of any script submitted.
At March 17 post hospital discharge follow up office visit with cardiologist, Dr. P. said to forget the prescribed TEE and Heart Monitor, that testing had been done in hospital. Take Statin and Plavix. Don't take aspirin along with.
April 17 visit with Primary Dr. M., she referred me to PT, which had been suggested by cardiologist and transition nurse, but D. M. had previously said she didn't see what good it could do. And she actively referred me to the other Neurologist. (That's another story.) I began P.T. on April 26.
April 24 After update from me on my attempts to comply,. o.v. with Dr. U. resulted in more referrals and tests ordered: Extensive Blood Labs, 9 tests, the brain EEG at Samaritan, (again), ENT for Vestibular Therapy and Vestibular Balance Studies, Psychotherapy, Audiology for Hearing Test, and the referral to neurosurgeon at AMC., naming Dr.Alan Boulas (another story.
April 27 follow up with Dr. P. keep taking statin and plavix. Return visit in 2 months.
Actions:
May 5, EEG at Samaritan
May 10, Blood labs at Labcorps (as noted) in C.P.
May 12, I had re-scheduled appt. with nephrologist Dr. B., as they had had a BABY!!! which meant I had to repeat my blood labs for him as time had passed. He said results were stable and I really didn't need to be a patient there any more. OK.
Lab results posted on my Patient Portal. EEG reading was not. My F.U. appt. with Dr. U was July 24, 2023. But Monday early evening, I received call from his office saying I had an appt. very next day, May 16. I wondered(not worried) if there was some significant findings. Today I found out. Dr. U. enters and asks if I'd had the labs and the MRI. Labs, yes, I say, but order was for EEG, not MRI. He says the labs were all normal, but I saw a few were Flags, which I wanted to ask him about. Turns out he has only partial results from the 9 tests ordered, so he asks me to wait while he attempts to retrieve the rest. He does so, and "reassures" me the few Flags were due to the effects of the Statin, and to just keep an eye on it, to return in 4 months. I ask about the EEG, the results he doesn't have, what was it done for? He answers for some scan of some brain abnormality or something like that. Then he says he can tell from talking to his patients, that if they use sarcasm or humor or laugh at his poor jokes, he knows there is no problem. He puts me in that category, though I can't recall instances of any of those examples. Before I leave, he says the nephrologist should NOT have released me from his care, something about creatinine.
P.S. Results from the EEG on May 5 were not read at the hospital until May 24. So not Dr. U's delay.
