Tucker to the doc...
Tucker to the doc.......
Tucker to the doc..........
Justin to the doc.......
Tucker back to the doc......
Justin back to the doc....
Tucker..... Justin.... Tucker.... Tucker.... Justin....
then, ME?!
I have the hardest time going to the doctor for myself.... I will wait until I think I'm totally on the brink of death... and THEN.... I'll wait just another day to make sure I'm sure that I really still seriously feel like dying..... THEN I'll go to the doctor- grudgingly.
Mom's not a happy camper- not by a long shot. I'm the patient they all avoid....
OK, hopefully I'm not THAT bad....
I mean... I'm no JOY... sure...
Last month in a fabulous blonde moment... I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and I fell over the edge of our bed- Our bed that has been in the same place for years- I tripped and fell in a very ungraceful, unladylike- KA-BOOM... type of way.... the edge of the bed scrapped up the side of my leg and I did a funny trip-twist pretzel move to my knee. I didn't think much of my fall at the time, my leg hurt from the scratch, I was pretty embarrassed and very grateful that the lights were off... so I just went on my merry way, and like a week after the fall my knee started to swell up and hurt.... and it kept getting worse and worse to the point that I actually had tears in my eyes & I couldn't move my leg/knee very well- Justin and Tucker were fed up with all my complaining & I was fed up with the pain- so I finally made a doctors appointment. This was on a Thursday that I decided to be a "grown-up" and go to the doctor, so I called up Dr. Halls office and pretty much demanded to be seen the next day (I wasn't taking no for an answer and I was worried about my knee)- so they got me in first thing in the morning. I had my initial appointment with a PA of Dr. Halls but he could tell that something was wrong, my knee had swollen up like a balloon! So he told me to get an MRI on my knee-
On Friday at my appointment it was 11am and they were scheduling an MRI for my knee, the little nurse called up to Ogden Regional and they had an opening in a WEEK to fit me in- IN A FREAKING WEEK- I looked at this little nurse and I said.... THEY HAVE to do better than that! I hurt NOW- I want this MRI done TODAY.
Her eyes got really big and she said.... OK, give me a minute (don't mess with a childhood cancer fighting mom, we are a different breed of mom).
So she called the actual MRI department at Ogden Regional and surprise surprise... they could fit me in that SAME day (what were they saying about a week out?!), but it wouldn't be until 6pm that night. I told the nurse, sure I'll take that appointment- BUT you tell them I'm leaving your office right now (it was 11am) and I'm heading straight up to Ogden Regional to the MRI waiting room and I will sit there and wait until they can take me in. If I wait until 6pm, fine, but I'll be there before noon- come hell or high water I was going to get this ALL done in 1 day!
So, I show up to Ogden Regional expecting to wait for 6hrs until my "appointment"- but they got me right in, I only waited 30 minutes, if even. Again, I'm baffled by the first initial time frame of a WEEK away..... (ggrrrrrr).... They told me it would take a week or 2 to get my results, which bummed me out but I figured I was already 2weeks ish ahead of the "game"... waiting a week or 2 now for results should be nothing.
Monday rolled around, just 3 days since my MRI, and my knee was hurting- I know they told me to wait a week or 2 before they would have results but I figured it couldn't' hurt to call and just see if they heard anything. So I called Dr. Halls office and sure enough they have not seen any MRI reports come back yet- I wasn't surprised but the lady told me if I wanted to I could call the MRI department and ask them the status of my results.
Well, sure lady... let me just do YOUR job.
But OK, I'll do it- since apparently its not in your job description *rolling my eyes* And... like I always say... we are all our own best advocate...
So I call up to Ogden Regional MRI department and said... "I'm Amber, I just wanted to know if my MRI results from Friday were finished yet" and the nice nurse on the other line said "Yep, I have them right here they are completed."
I said.... "What did you just say to me...? Seriously.... they are done?, like really? Why did they tell me that it was going to be 2 weeks to get results, here its hardly been 3 days and they are done?"-
She didn't reply to that, she just asked me where I wanted them faxed to and she would send them right over.
*pat myself on the back for being my best advocate.... look what I've accomplished .. Jeez, I should go into business doing this for people- I just saved like WEEKS worth of time, .... in the back of my mind I feel like I'm doing other peoples jobs that they should be doing... but what ya' gonna do?
I called back to my Dr Hall's office and let them know they were done and they are faxing them right over, so when can I come in to get my results? They scheduled me in for the next day- COOL.
So here it has been 4 days, I got into the Dr, got and MRI and got the results and a follow up appointment to get the results- if I went by the time frame they original gave me... I would be like 4 to 6 weeks out- that is just ridiculous, I mean, I'm just shocked at the time frames people kept giving me..
So I get into the Dr and the MRI showed I had A meniscus tear that would require surgery to fix.
*sigh*
Surgery? Me?
Go figure that one of my blonde moment falls would equal into a needed surgery to fix the damage.
With Tucker's weekly chemo's going on and super busy at work, I had to put the surgery off until just last week.
So the longest part of this whole thing was by my own choosing.... crazy hu?
When I went into surgery Dr Hall told me when I woke up I would have a ice pack cooler thing along with a ace bandage on my leg and I should be able to assist/walk on my own. A meniscus tear surgery is fairly simple and straight forward.
but when I woke up- my leg, from my ankle to the top of my thigh was wrapped in a big black LOCKED in place brace, the thing weighs like 10lbs, I'm not kidding and I was told I couldn't walk on my leg at all and needed crutches (that Ogden Regional DID NOT PROVIDE FOR ME- GGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR)
Justin told me that the Dr. went in thinking he was doing one surgery, and ended up doing a different surgery all together. I had more damage to my knee, something about cartilage torn off and had to remove it and "down to the bone"... something... something... something... "takes along time to heal".... ect.... I'm still not exactly sure what he did, but I know he drilled holes into my tibia, and he didn't fix my meniscus at all- because this other big problem was the BIG problem that had to be fixed that was causing all the pain.
So now I'm home, not moving, have my crutches and a nifty looking knee brace that forces my leg in a straight position at all times. Its very uncomfortable.
Justin &Tucker... boy am I blessed to have these guys in my life... they have been doing everything and anything for me, I get hugs, and loves, and drinks and food, and control to the TV AND they will even watch the shows with me that they HATE.....I swear up and down, I think when Tucker grows up he is going to be a awesome nurse. I believe this childhood full of cancer's, chemo's, doctors, nurses and hospitals- he is getting the best training, the best grooming ever, to become an amazing nurse. I feel so blessed to have these boys in my life. It feels like we are in the hospitals or doctors about every other week, but that is just our lot in life, those are the cards we were dealt.
If anybody can take anything away from my post today, it would be- you are your own best advocate ... don't take the first time frame they (anybody) give you, be persistent be on top of it, & get it taken care of. It is such a different life on how you are treated as an adult vs how children are treated. With children they seem to get into the doctor right away, don't have to wait for appointments or results (not long anyways)- if my whole drama was for Tucker, I bet it would have taken LESS time than my 5 day turn around time that I was so impressed with (and the product of my own persistence). They probably would have had it all done in the same day. I guess when it comes to me and being in the childhood cancer world for so long, I expect the same treatment (yes yes... don't laugh... I know its a ridiculous expectation) that would be given to Tucker.
*sigh*
It should be the same for adults as it is for kids...
Anyways, sorry this post was more about my drama than Tucker's cancer- but I'm home, I can't move, I'm bored... and I'm having a pitty party.
Thanks for listening!!
Love to all-
sorry for complaining...
sorry for whining....
Tucker at his last Chemo/Spinal Tap appointment
Sorry for the sideways picture that is all blogger, I SWEAR!
