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 |  Pearls of wisdom, inappropriate thoughts and the occasional rant. |
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| So, the neurologist said I've had "a lot" of strokes. I didn't ask her what qualifies as a lot, but it's unnerving. In her notes, she says I also have chronic white matter change. I keep forgetting to ask what that means. Maybe it's just all the brain cells I've killed. The big question remains, why have I had them? She's referred me to a cardiologist to be fitted for a long-term Holter monitor because it could be my heart randomly short-circuiting. Also, oddly enough, my B12 is practically non-existent. She said that can cause vision and balance problems so I've added B12 supplements to my regimen. She's not ruling out MS yet. I'm supposed to have a spinal tap to check the spinal fluid for MS-related proteins. It's strange though because my vision had nearly cleared up and my balance improved before my follow-up appointment with her. Who knows? I'm still too scared to drive, but I'm thankful it's gotten more manageable. I'm still on the hunt for a new PCP however. I saw her the other day because I thought maybe I've got a UTI or something. I get up 3 or 4 times a night to use the bathroom, but I don't really seem to be going much. My blood pressure medicine is also a diuretic, so it seems strange that I'd be going less. She wanted to check my thyroid again because that can cause vision problems too and she was concerned about it back in April. This is what I don't understand, in April & May it was high. In June, it was normal, even though it was one point above the standard low, and in July it was normal. So she said I'm fine. This time it's two points below the standard high. but still normal. Now if you put it all together, the whole thing seems weird, but she assures me it's fine. She also said there's no sign of bladder infection or UTI, but my AC1 has been in the prediabetic stage since June, so maybe that's it. First of all, thanks for telling me! But I've really been watching what I eat so that's frustrating. So is the fact that I've gained 15 pounds since April. What really winds me up is that I specifically asked her about my kidneys, because the PCP I had before moving here wanted to keep an eye on them. I was told one of them wasn't quite functioning as it should, but there wasn't any cause for alarm yet, it was only a mild decrease to watch. (That's also when I started actively changing my diet.) This PCP said there was no sign of any problems. my GFR was 92 in June & it's 79 now. As long it's above 60, I'm good. But according to the National Kidney Foundation, 90 and above is normal to high and 60 to 89 is mildly decreased. That doesn't seem fine to me. I'm really not looking for problems, I'd rather be perfectly healthy, but maybe if a doctor could actually explain the inconsistencies to me instead of saying I'm fine and not to worry, I could get a little peace of mind. |
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but seems to be okay today. I worry about my poor circulation, scrub my toes with a soft bristle brush, watch discoloration come and go. I probably need new arteries or veins but hey... "Heathcare" USA (enough said?). I may be better off trying something here in Thailand. But still... wish I lived in a country that had adequate patient based healthcare. Thailand and Taiwan mostly do, but I can't access it. First world systems like Europe, Canada and Australia do, but again, I can't access it. 