MRI?? NOT YET!

We are on day seven and still no authorization for an MRI.  This is incredible!  In January I had two MRIs in less than three weeks and both authorizations took, no lie, less than one hour.  I could have had the appointment with the doctor, the authorization and the MRI all in one day.  In fact in January I had two MRIs, a CAT scan, lumbar puncture and xrays and the authorizations didn't take but a few hours.

This is starting to get a bit ridiculous.  I understand sometimes insurance companies will try to stop expensive tests but in the scheme of tests I get, an MRI is not that expensive.  I have paid for two out of pocket this year and they are not THAT expensive.  I am sure an emergency room visit and lumbar puncture is WAY more expensive!  Ankle surgery is way more expensive and they paid for that with no hitch.

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Anyway, I am now treating this like a game.  How many people will deal with this in the authorization office at the hospital?  How many times will I call up and they tell me D is in charge of this case and she has left for the day/gone to lunch/is on break/is out today?  How many times will they pass the buck (D is out today and G is now taking care of this case but he has left for the day)?

I am also taking bets as to when the authorization will come through.  I thought the authorization would come through this Friday but now I am thinking next Tuesday. Then I won't be able to get an appointment until next Friday.  Then I will have to wait until the following Tuesday to get the results.  Then I will have to wait 3 weekends to hear if I have a bruise or a tumor. 

Keep your fingers crossed that the authorization comes through sooner than later!

Weight update: 179.5  this stress is NOT helping.

Until tomorrow...

STILL NO MRI

I called the hospital again today and got another "we are waiting for authorization" phone call.  This is getting a bit ridiculous.  Who do they need to talk to to get authorization?  Give me their phone number, I will call them.  I don't really want to go through another weekend without getting this MRI.  It has been a week.  I know that is not a long time but when someone tells you you may have something really wrong, a week is a LONG time.  I just want a clear answer.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have some more information!

The fevers are continuing.  That is not making me happy either.

Weight Update: 180.3 yes, my weight has increased.  The happy news just continues.

Until tomorrow...

BEEN A COUPLE OF DAYS

It has been a couple of days since I posted. There is a cold going around and I started getting fevers again. I have had a constant temperature of 100 degrees for three days now. I feel kinda fine but a bit tired. I am still working but not my usual crazy hours.

I am really annoyed that I still have not had the MRI or even had it authorized OR scheduled! I decided to have the MRI at the hospital this time instead of the MRI place I went to last time. I originally went to the MRI place because it was cheaper and I was paying out of pocket. Now that my deductible is paid, I decided to go to the hospital for the test because it is more convenient. Last time the MRI place got my authorization in hours. The hospital still doesn't have it four days later. I should have gone to the MRI place even though it is a little less convenient. At least I would have had the MRI by now and know the results.

Note to self: next MRI go to the MRI place!

Until tomorrow...

KEEPIN' BUSY

I tried to keep really busy this weekend.  Saturday we went to a chocolate festival. It was really fun.  The only bad part was that I didn't eat much and I was really hungry. Now you might say good!  It was good but all that sugar on an empty stomach in the hot sun kinda made me a bit ill.  I started to get a headache.  I came home and took a nap.  I have also noticed that when I am in the sun too much I begin to not feel too well.  I get sick feeling and real tired.  When I was first diagnosed I was told I had some lupus symptoms.  Sometimes I think being in the sun effects me in a negative way.  On Saturday I got so dehydrated my eyes were bothering me so much I had trouble seeing.

Today we went to see the little girl Brenda nanny'd for a few years ago.  The little girl turned five today.  She was so excited to see us.  There was no party we just stopped by.  We also met her new baby brother, Sam.  Then we went to PF Changs for some food.  Once again we were starving by the time we ate some food.  It is not good for me to skip meals.  

This week I will be getting my MRI and find out the results of my calf issue. 

Weigh In: 179.1  gain some...

Until tomorrow...

MORE NEWS

I went to see my primary doctor today. He seems to feel that my calf issue may be some rubbing left over from my cast. He says it is common for people with casts to get pain and hard spots where the cast rubbed their leg.

He said the ankle doc is doing her due diligence by crossing all the Ts and sending me for an MRI. It is good to get it checked out.

No word yet from the hospital about the MRI appointment. I need to follow-up on Monday.

Until tomorrow...

JUST A LITTLE SCAREY

Last week I went to physical therapy and the therapist touched the back of my calf and I jumped.  My calf has been tender since I had the cast on my leg.  It felt like an electric shock.  It also feels hard in a certain spot.  I just assumed for the first couple of weeks after my cast that it was a bruise sort of thing.  It has been more than six weeks now since I got the cast off and it still hurts.

I went to the doctor today and she seemed concerned.  She touched my calf and I practically jumped off the table.  She immediately ordered an MRI.  I asked her what she is looking for and she said she was looking for what was wrong.  Ha ha!  I asked her what could be wrong and she said it seemed like the tendon and muscle may have separated and that area has a web of nerves.  Not sure what the treatment would be for that.  Probably some sort of surgery. 

I asked her what would be the worst case scenario.  What was the worst thing she was looking for?  She said a tumor.  Okay.  What would happen if I had a tumor?  Amputation.  Didn't really expect that.  I go through ankle surgery, six weeks crutches, physical therapy and then find out I have a tumor in my calf and have amputation.  That would be ironic, don't you think? 

Anyway, I go for the MRI next week and then hear the results.  Whatever it is, we deal with it at that point.  This has certainly been our year! 

Tomorrow I go to see my primary doctor and see what he has to say about all this. 

Until tomorrow...

PHYSICAL THERAPY UPDATE

I have been going to physical therapy (PT) every week for a month and a half.  My ankle is better and I have been able to walk the dogs around the block.  I can also walk for a few blocks without having any pain.  I think my RA has slowed down the progress of the PT.  Most mornings I can't last the whole 45 minutes of PT.  I can't do most of the exercises that require hip movement. 

It frustrates me a bit that I can't use the whole PT time.  That I can't do more exercises at PT.  But I try to give myself a break and know that it is better for me spend less time at PT and more time without pain. 

At least my flare has subsided, not gone away but not as bad as it was. 

Today I made this great corn, zucchini, tomato salad.  It is a raw salad that tastes fabulous!  Very refreshing.  If you have extra corn laying around and you don't know what to do with it, this is a great way to use it up.

Today's weight: 179.1  Lost weight!

Until tomorrow...

WEIGHT

Okay, it is time to tell you all my little secret.  I guess if I tell you then it won't be my secret.  Then I will have to do something about it. I will be held accountable.  Do I want to tell you?  I don't know.  Ehhh...

I will.  I will tell you.  I made an agreement with my nutritionist to lose some weight by December.  Yes, this December. Three months from now.  I agreed to lose 7 pounds. 

Remember, I put some weight on because I have been motionless for the last 6 - 8 months due to my ankle surgery and injury.  This made it very difficult for me to perform any exercise.

Now, I am able to walk the dogs around the block.  I am trying to do it every day. I am not accomplishing it every day but I am trying.  I am also doing my PT exercises but they don't really make me break a sweat.

Since I made this agreement with my nutritionist, I have managed to put on weight!  Isn't that always the way?  The whole time I was in a cast, I barely put on a pound.  Now I have put on 4-5 pounds.  Of course the fact that my Crohn's is acting up doesn't help me at all.

I will have to tell you my ugly secret!  My weight!  No one wants to tell you their weight.  I think we would all rather tell you our SAT scores or our original hair color or what our driving record says than tell you our weight! 

My weight today: 180.1 lbs.  Yikes!

Now that my secret is out, I will have to check in with you.   I will tell you how it is going.  Maybe this will help me lose the weight.  It certainly seemed to help my sister-in-law in her weight loss challenge.  Of course she started running!  Not so sure that will happen for me.  Walking is in my future, lots of walking.  Luckily little Lucky loves to walk, walk, walk!

Until tomorrow...

PARALYMPICS

I spent part of the weekend watching the Paralympics. What? You weren't watching them? You didn't see them on TV? That is because NBC didn't broadcast them. The Paralympics didn't rate high enough to get television coverage. To watch them I had to go online to YouTube and if someone was nice enough in another country (usually Britain) to record and put them on YouTube, I could watch them. I watched table tennis (or ping ping as we call it), judo, cycling and swimming.

In the Paralympics each level of disability is given a code number and only other folks with that code number can compete against each other. Each sport is also given a code letter. So S7 means swimming with disability 7. Where with the Olympics there is one 200 meter race, with the Paralympics there are many 200 meter races, one for each number level, in order to keep the playing field level.

I am just sad that the games are not shown on regular TV. What is it with America? In Britain they had more than 60,000 at the opening ceremonies and it is televised. That is 2.5 weeks after the Olympics! That is pretty good! Why is America so afraid of people with challenges? It is bad enough we have sucky health care but that we are still unable to televise the Paralympics is sad. I find it inspiring to watch people overcome their physical and mental challenges. It made me want to get out and walk my dogs!

Have you been able to see the Paralympics? If not and you want to, google Paralympics and you can view them on YouTube.

Until tomorrow...

HAPPINESS

This weekend I watched a program, well part of a program, on happiness.  It was titled The Happiness Advantage with Shawn Achor on PBS and is a #1 best selling book. I don't usually watch these kind of shows but I was taking a bath and I had time to kill while the tub filled up and then I kept watching while I got dressed.  He had some interesting things to say.  Some of it, even he admitted, was common sense.   Happier people are healthier and worked harder.  Duh...  His point is that happiness actually fuels success not the other away around.  You will not be happy when you get that promotion, new house, new car, better health, or make more money.  You have to be happy first!  Then the rest will come.

Have you ever been around a really miserable person?  I have.  She always has some ailment or some problem.  A flu or cold or something.  She was just miserable to be around.

This is not to say that all ill people are miserable.  I know lots of ill people who are so upbeat. But I am off track.

It was just interesting hearing him talk about and remind me of how my attitude effects not only my health but those around me.  My toxicity effects others.  I mean who wants to be around someone who is toxic?  His whole plan is 5 steps to make you a happier person.  Of course I was taking my bath when he explained the 5 steps but he spoke of them at the end.  Things like a gratitude journal, doing nice things for others, etc.  Things that would make you realize why you should be happy. 

I found myself happy and laughing listening to him.  Sometimes it is important to be reminded to be happy and show that happiness.  If this program is on again, I will try to watch the whole program. 

He also spoke about how to imprint a routine.  I am sure you have heard it takes 21 days to make a routine. I have been struggling with a task that I hate doing but that I should do each and every day; keeping track of my time as a consultant.  If I don't, I have to do it all at the end of the month and this is a problem. I forget tasks that I did (which means that I don't bill my clients for things and that means less money in my pocket) and I have to spend hours invoicing my clients at the end of the month.  A whole weekend is wasted doing this task.  I have been really struggling with trying to figure out how to create a routine so I will do this every day.  Shawn had a great idea on how to figure out the barrier and knock down that barrier in order to imprint that task.  I am going to give it a try this week.

Happy Labor Day!!

Until tomorrow...