I'm turning orange!!!! All Hail the God Emperor!!!!!
So, I'm back from a follow up with my doc after last nights ER visit.
My primary symptoms over the last six weeks were fatigue, nausea, intermittent extreme swelling of the upper abdomen, shortness of breath, BP spikes and elevated heart rate.
Three weeks ago I went to my doc's office for my previously scheduled 6 month follow up and told the NP who saw me there about it and she said not to worry (the BP and HR were lower at that time).
Yesterday morning was bad. Very weak and light headed and much trouble breathing and upper belly (where my liver is) swollen and very high BP and HR.
Went to walk-in clinic. I told doc there I though my liver was swelling for some reason and putting pressure on my diaphragm making it hard to get a deep breath. They examined me and did basic blood tests. Doc said tests were inconclusive but that I looked a little orange and suggested going to ER for further testing. He guessed that we were looking at a gall bladder or pancreas problem.
Went to ER. They did a complete metabolic panel and a CT scan of abdomen and chest.
>Do not read the next paragraph, MamaM.<
The God Damned cunt fucking teeny-bopper shit fucking cunt bitch Nurse Practitioner who "treated" me in ER and who looked like she was just out of high school and who NEVER EVEN WALKED OVER TO MY BED to look at me (she sat at the computer station across the rather large room) said that she saw no problems. I told her that I didn't question her expertise but I didn't agree. She snapped at me that it wasn't about expertise but about the test results and someone would come by to get me discharged. She suggested I might want to see a GI doc if it persisted and I should follow up with my family doc.
Went to my doc today. Took him print outs of ER lab results. He said yes, you're Hyperbilirubinic. He said the results were all in range except the bilirubin total which was quite high. He pointed out the number on the print out I brought from the hospital. He said that I was exhibiting jaundice in my skin, eyes and under my tongue.
Bilirubin is bile. It runs high when you have a blocked bile duct or certain liver, gall bladder or pancreas problems. It can kill you. My doc said that a CT scan often missed blockages.
A blocked bile duct killed my Father because it wasn't diagnosed in time. He had begun to turn orange before he got very weak and fell. He never recovered.
I go in for an ultrasound tomorrow probably to be followed by an endoscopy. This should have been done in the hospital but the [MamaM warning] God Damned cunt fucking teeny-bopper shit fucking cunt bitch Nurse Practitioner who "treated" me in ER and who looked like she was just out of high school and who NEVER EVEN WALKED OVER TO MY BED to look at me missed the signs. The test results were right there in front of her. My skin was orange.
I probably have a gallstone blocking a bile duct and moving around, which explains the intermittency and all the other symptoms. Could also be something more serious.
Okey Dokey, Rabel, you cute thing you. I'm glad you found someone who took your symptoms seriously and was able to see what was right there in front of his eyes.
A gallstone blocking a bile duct sounds plenty serious to me. Make a lot of noise if another incompetent medico treats your condition casually. The squeaky wheel...........
Dude man Rabel - that is a shit ton of problems right there, and ones I have experienced myself. Hang in there, and as we all know, finding a good doc is the key to living yet another day.
I have had all those tests done, even served as a guinea pig over at a university ultrasound development department, have seen pictures of my gall stones up close and personal, but so far they have not budged. My old man had his GB removed when he was about my age, so we have history.
I also had some biopsies done - the most fun one was when they cut into my jugular vein and snaked the probe down to snag a piece of my liver - the good news with that plan is, if your liver starts bleeding from the procedure it bleeds right into your circulatory system - yay!
Endoscopy, piece of cake. I once did the whole Fantastic Voyage thing where I swallowed a pill that contained a camera so they could see my small intestine. Sad part of that one was Raquel Welch was nowhere to be seen.
One more bit, then I will walk the dog - down here in the South we call it "Billy Bob Rubin", as we like to use three names for everyone.
But seriously, all of these things can heal, given half a chance. Hang in there, I have been on that particular merry go round for over 20 years and I am still kickin' ass and takin' names.
Incompetence, carelessness, ignorance, disdain, disregard--all are maddeningly infuriating to encounter in someone who does not wish to aid, understand, resolve or relate with respect, especially so in a professional and even more so when one's health or life is on the line.
To my thinking, or perhaps overthinking, the terms used to express the anger and fear that naturally arises in a situation where such an attitude or approach is experienced, have very little to do with the gender of the person, yet that seems to be where the projections tend to land here on this blog.
Are the don't-read-this-MamaM-warnings another projection, perhaps intended to be mildly amusing?
Whatever the case, I hope you find the help needed to competently address and resolve the health situation you're experiencing.
As ricpic and SixyG suggest and attest, the gallstone thing can get serious fast. That's why there is a 5-year gap between the two SonsM as we were advised to wait a year after my gall bladder removal before attempting pregnancy. The pouch full of loose gallstones (1/8th to 1/4 inch in size) was spilling them prior to removal and one got stuck in a duct after surgery. That, however, was the last attack I experienced, but I rate it on par with childbirth.
The fact that the NP never walked over to my gurney to make even a cursory examination is bizarre. And unprofessional. And irresponsible. And dangerous. WTF!
The seemingly anti-female bias in my postings is due to the fact that I have been treated this year by several incompetent, careless, uninformed Nurse Practitioners. They tend to be female.
I've had a simply awful male doc as well. Aside from him, I've also seen a few highly competent, capable, intelligent medical professionals. Others fell in the middle, or I didn't have enough exposure to make a judgment.
The contrast between the good ones and the bad ones is stark.
Don't get me started. The worst doctor I ever saw was an affirmative action slot filler, when she "saw" me she actually just sat in the room and stared at herself in the mirror the whole time. Idiotic bint. I would say that she was as dumb as a bag of hammers, but hammers are useful.
I had my doubts about my current GP but over the years he has surprised me, he's okay, fading into above average.
Problem is, of course, I have seen some of the best docs in the world, my GI guy - top notch Yale grad, smart as a whip, funny, too. My thoracic surgeon - literally one of the top five heart surgeons worldwide - he trains slice-and-dice docs from all around the globe. I have met some of his students - they confirm my opinion about his skill level.
I once had my head sliced open by a former meatball surgeon who served in Vietnam - that man was fast, good and skilled at gettin' 'er done. His sidekick was the opposite - old, fumbling, borderline senile, and in the course of some surgery he was doing on the side of my head he damn near quit on me. A nurse walked in as this old geezer was searching for an artery in my scalp and she blurted out "Oh my God!" upon seeing the size of the open area and the associated gore, and of course I piped up "Still awake over here!". Boy was she embarrassed.
Old duffer was at wits end, I told him to look at the scars on the opposite side of my head, think about bilateral symmetry, and keep digging. The anesthesiologist had to keep encouraging the "surgeon" to not give up, keep trying old fellow, you'll find what you're lookin' for. Eventually he did, but damn, what circus that one was.
Last trip to the ER was okay, but even some of those have been dicey in years past - I tend to say "Chest pains here!" and move to the head of the line. I have to get ahead of the illegals somehow, what with them coughing their TB and Ebola on me and whatnot - I sure don't want that crap again!
In retrospect, one of the reasons I didn't move far away from where I am now is because there are some great medical talents in the immediate area (hey, ricpic's cousin - I'm lookin' at you) and I figured sooner or later I would need them.
I hear that - I used to tell my girlfriend that I kind of wished that all the major organs would fail at the same time - this nickel and diming stuff gets old.
The frustrating part is that other than the specific problems with specific organs that I've discussed here, I'm in excellent health. I'm 64 but I eat right, control my weight, exercise and I'm benefiting from being a health nut and gym rat during my 20's through 40's.
Without that carryover I'd probably be in the same shape as the many people I know who are my age and can't walk up a flight of stairs.
13 comments:
I'm turning orange!!!! All Hail the God Emperor!!!!!
So, I'm back from a follow up with my doc after last nights ER visit.
My primary symptoms over the last six weeks were fatigue, nausea, intermittent extreme swelling of the upper abdomen, shortness of breath, BP spikes and elevated heart rate.
Three weeks ago I went to my doc's office for my previously scheduled 6 month follow up and told the NP who saw me there about it and she said not to worry (the BP and HR were lower at that time).
Yesterday morning was bad. Very weak and light headed and much trouble breathing and upper belly (where my liver is) swollen and very high BP and HR.
Went to walk-in clinic. I told doc there I though my liver was swelling for some reason and putting pressure on my diaphragm making it hard to get a deep breath. They examined me and did basic blood tests. Doc said tests were inconclusive but that I looked a little orange and suggested going to ER for further testing. He guessed that we were looking at a gall bladder or pancreas problem.
Went to ER. They did a complete metabolic panel and a CT scan of abdomen and chest.
>Do not read the next paragraph, MamaM.<
The God Damned cunt fucking teeny-bopper shit fucking cunt bitch Nurse Practitioner who "treated" me in ER and who looked like she was just out of high school and who NEVER EVEN WALKED OVER TO MY BED to look at me (she sat at the computer station across the rather large room) said that she saw no problems. I told her that I didn't question her expertise but I didn't agree. She snapped at me that it wasn't about expertise but about the test results and someone would come by to get me discharged. She suggested I might want to see a GI doc if it persisted and I should follow up with my family doc.
Went to my doc today. Took him print outs of ER lab results. He said yes, you're Hyperbilirubinic. He said the results were all in range except the bilirubin total which was quite high. He pointed out the number on the print out I brought from the hospital. He said that I was exhibiting jaundice in my skin, eyes and under my tongue.
Bilirubin is bile. It runs high when you have a blocked bile duct or certain liver, gall bladder or pancreas problems. It can kill you. My doc said that a CT scan often missed blockages.
A blocked bile duct killed my Father because it wasn't diagnosed in time. He had begun to turn orange before he got very weak and fell. He never recovered.
I go in for an ultrasound tomorrow probably to be followed by an endoscopy. This should have been done in the hospital but the [MamaM warning] God Damned cunt fucking teeny-bopper shit fucking cunt bitch Nurse Practitioner who "treated" me in ER and who looked like she was just out of high school and who NEVER EVEN WALKED OVER TO MY BED to look at me missed the signs. The test results were right there in front of her. My skin was orange.
I probably have a gallstone blocking a bile duct and moving around, which explains the intermittency and all the other symptoms. Could also be something more serious.
Okey Dokey, Rabel, you cute thing you. I'm glad you found someone who took your symptoms seriously and was able to see what was right there in front of his eyes.
A gallstone blocking a bile duct sounds plenty serious to me. Make a lot of noise if another incompetent medico treats your condition casually. The squeaky wheel...........
Dude man Rabel - that is a shit ton of problems right there, and ones I have experienced myself. Hang in there, and as we all know, finding a good doc is the key to living yet another day.
I have had all those tests done, even served as a guinea pig over at a university ultrasound development department, have seen pictures of my gall stones up close and personal, but so far they have not budged. My old man had his GB removed when he was about my age, so we have history.
I also had some biopsies done - the most fun one was when they cut into my jugular vein and snaked the probe down to snag a piece of my liver - the good news with that plan is, if your liver starts bleeding from the procedure it bleeds right into your circulatory system - yay!
Endoscopy, piece of cake. I once did the whole Fantastic Voyage thing where I swallowed a pill that contained a camera so they could see my small intestine. Sad part of that one was Raquel Welch was nowhere to be seen.
One more bit, then I will walk the dog - down here in the South we call it "Billy Bob Rubin", as we like to use three names for everyone.
But seriously, all of these things can heal, given half a chance. Hang in there, I have been on that particular merry go round for over 20 years and I am still kickin' ass and takin' names.
Incompetence, carelessness, ignorance, disdain, disregard--all are maddeningly infuriating to encounter in someone who does not wish to aid, understand, resolve or relate with respect, especially so in a professional and even more so when one's health or life is on the line.
To my thinking, or perhaps overthinking, the terms used to express the anger and fear that naturally arises in a situation where such an attitude or approach is experienced, have very little to do with the gender of the person, yet that seems to be where the projections tend to land here on this blog.
Are the don't-read-this-MamaM-warnings another projection, perhaps intended to be mildly amusing?
Whatever the case, I hope you find the help needed to competently address and resolve the health situation you're experiencing.
As ricpic and SixyG suggest and attest, the gallstone thing can get serious fast. That's why there is a 5-year gap between the two SonsM as we were advised to wait a year after my gall bladder removal before attempting pregnancy. The pouch full of loose gallstones (1/8th to 1/4 inch in size) was spilling them prior to removal and one got stuck in a duct after surgery. That, however, was the last attack I experienced, but I rate it on par with childbirth.
"perhaps intended to be mildly amusing?"
You found a clue!
Congratulations.
"finding a good doc is the key to living yet another day"
Absolutely.
The problem, at least in my neck of the woods, is that the odds of finding that good doc work against you.
The fact that the NP never walked over to my gurney to make even a cursory examination is bizarre. And unprofessional. And irresponsible. And dangerous. WTF!
Had a sonogram this AM. No results yet.
The seemingly anti-female bias in my postings is due to the fact that I have been treated this year by several incompetent, careless, uninformed Nurse Practitioners. They tend to be female.
I've had a simply awful male doc as well. Aside from him, I've also seen a few highly competent, capable, intelligent medical professionals. Others fell in the middle, or I didn't have enough exposure to make a judgment.
The contrast between the good ones and the bad ones is stark.
Don't get me started. The worst doctor I ever saw was an affirmative action slot filler, when she "saw" me she actually just sat in the room and stared at herself in the mirror the whole time. Idiotic bint. I would say that she was as dumb as a bag of hammers, but hammers are useful.
I had my doubts about my current GP but over the years he has surprised me, he's okay, fading into above average.
Problem is, of course, I have seen some of the best docs in the world, my GI guy - top notch Yale grad, smart as a whip, funny, too. My thoracic surgeon - literally one of the top five heart surgeons worldwide - he trains slice-and-dice docs from all around the globe. I have met some of his students - they confirm my opinion about his skill level.
I once had my head sliced open by a former meatball surgeon who served in Vietnam - that man was fast, good and skilled at gettin' 'er done. His sidekick was the opposite - old, fumbling, borderline senile, and in the course of some surgery he was doing on the side of my head he damn near quit on me. A nurse walked in as this old geezer was searching for an artery in my scalp and she blurted out "Oh my God!" upon seeing the size of the open area and the associated gore, and of course I piped up "Still awake over here!". Boy was she embarrassed.
Old duffer was at wits end, I told him to look at the scars on the opposite side of my head, think about bilateral symmetry, and keep digging. The anesthesiologist had to keep encouraging the "surgeon" to not give up, keep trying old fellow, you'll find what you're lookin' for. Eventually he did, but damn, what circus that one was.
Last trip to the ER was okay, but even some of those have been dicey in years past - I tend to say "Chest pains here!" and move to the head of the line. I have to get ahead of the illegals somehow, what with them coughing their TB and Ebola on me and whatnot - I sure don't want that crap again!
In retrospect, one of the reasons I didn't move far away from where I am now is because there are some great medical talents in the immediate area (hey, ricpic's cousin - I'm lookin' at you) and I figured sooner or later I would need them.
And by the way, one year ago I had a tremendous respect for the competence and quality of the medical community in the USA.
I thought that the chronic complainers were wrong and were looking for perfection and nitpicking minor issues.
I have seen the light.
Speaking of which, later I'll tell you about my recent retinal tear and the laser they shined through my pupil to weld my eyeball back together.
Mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the sun. But Mama that's where the fun is - not.
Really good retinal surgeon though. Oozed competence. Appeared to be a man.
I seem to be falling apart. One organ at a time.
I hear that - I used to tell my girlfriend that I kind of wished that all the major organs would fail at the same time - this nickel and diming stuff gets old.
She said "Give it time, they will". Hmm...
I hear you too, Sixty.
The frustrating part is that other than the specific problems with specific organs that I've discussed here, I'm in excellent health. I'm 64 but I eat right, control my weight, exercise and I'm benefiting from being a health nut and gym rat during my 20's through 40's.
Without that carryover I'd probably be in the same shape as the many people I know who are my age and can't walk up a flight of stairs.
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