Scheduling communication was not spot on. I’ve now had the bone marrow biopsy and the echo cardiogram.
The marrow biopsy was ouchie but not agonizing ouchie. The person doing it was REALLY good. Fast and efficient, very experienced. I still yelped twice and was shaky afterward. The anesthesia jab was like that cold sensitivity you get in your teeth sometimes, except in my hip. The ouchie part was that, magnified. But again, could’ve been much worse. I was jangly from adrenalin by the time it was over, but to take my mind off it, I received another flower delivery!
From the wonderfully talented and incredibly sweet Louise Marley
And then I got a visit by one of the doctors on my team with lots of news ranging from unpleasant to o.O. The unpleasant is that I will also need to have a spinal tap. That is something I was really hoping to go my whole life without having to experience. Uck.
The o.O was an FYI that they were discharging me…tonight.
Seems the PET scan I need to have–which was previously scheduled for tomorrow at the hospital–for insurance reasons, needs to be outpatient. A lot of o.O about that, and the doctor seemed perplexed as well, but we’ve got that scheduled for next Wednesday, so okay-fine. And also the surgical biopsy of my tumor needs to be done by my Emory ENT surgeon, who is based out of Emory Midtown. They figured it made more sense just to send me home and have it done outpatient tomorrow than try to juggle his schedule and get him over to the Emory University Hospital.
So, rather unexpectedly, I’m home now. With a prescription for big narcotics and a tender hip.
Good on being home. Bad on mega-ouch. Yay Rx!
Yay for unexpected home time!
I’m so sorry that you’re going through this. Insurance rules are as arcane and arbitrary as an Advanced D&D Manual.
I’m glad the biopsy wasn’t worse, but still….URK!
I would be nice if the insurance companies would actually publish that Advanced D&D version of their rules ;o)
And they arranged for someone to drive you?
I would imagine Matthew’s doing the driving, Amber. Sorry about the spinal tap, Eugie! But maybe the bone marrow biopsy was the worst of it.
Blanket, favorite tea, flowers, tv, bed, drug high (hopefully happish) .. All positives. Oh and most important, Matthew M. Foster <3
I’m glad the bone marrow biopsy was not as excruciating as I’d been led to believe! I don’t know much about spinal taps, but I’m wincing anyway. When is that going to be done? Do you really have to wait until next week for the PET scan? And what would one expect to learn from a larger biopsy of the tumor?
Do you still have a pet…? I don’t think I’ve seen any mention of him lately…
Thanks for keeping us posted, Eugie. Insurance issues always baffle me. But it’s good the providers are being careful about complying with your coverage req. Hoping these tests will clarify what you’ll need and are tolerable. Hate that you are having to deal with more pain. Maybe the meds will reduce the hip discomfort? Evil ouchies! Love you!!
So glad you are going home! Also, very glad you had a professional for your bone marrow test so that it wasn’t as bad as they can be. Same advice for your spinal tap (and I am speaking from unfortunate experience) do not let a newbie do that. I know they all need to practice to learn to get good at it, but right now, let them learn on someone else. You have enough to deal with! I wish I lived closer so I could help out! And to cheer you up, Sherlock will be back on January 19 at 10 PM!
Amber Green: Vandy Beth said it. Matthew has been doing all the driving. 🙂
I personally enjoy having a driver. Only drive enough to keep my skills honed.
o.O. We all be with you kid.
Thank you for updating us, Eugie. We’re there with you in spirit.
Yeah. Insurance companies. They could teach Emperor Palpatine a thing or two about mass manipulation for personal *sic profit* benefit.
Glad to hear everything is going smoothly so far and that the marrow biopsy wasn’t too rough on you. I had a spinal tap a couple of years ago and thought I’d put your mind at ease–it was just a little ouch, like getting a Novocaine shot at the dentist. And they had me prepared for so much worse! So hang in there, and don’t worry about the spinal tap. It’s surprisingly painless.