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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Neurologist

I go to my check-up (which is really more of a check-in) with my Seattle neurologist tomorrow, Wednesday.  When I first saw him it was about a week after my stroke, and I could not stay awake, or upright. 
At that time he switched my meds from the hospital prescribed ones and corrected their misdiagnosis of what type of stroke I had. Also sent me for a different MRI, since he couldn't get accurate detail from their originals. 
It is interesting, since he is so hands off. No blood pressure check or med check.  He pokes and prods and has me smile to check my left side responsiveness.  He tells me I look really thin, and asks if I am eating. Before my stroke, I had not gone to a specialist beyond a dermatologist to check out a mole.  Mine is a great listener, but also such a specialist he is intrigued by the unusual. The medically interesting. Like his patients are all fascinating puzzles to be solved.  When I tell him my heart feels erratic, he sends me off to the cardiologist.  When they find the tumor, he sent me off to the neurosurgeon.  I am missing that pull-it-all-together person, it used to be my regular doctor but this is all out of her league.  (I think I still harbor a wee bit of resentment because of her response to my pre-stroke series of migraines --she attributed it to menopause, which she did most my physical symptoms. And I will forgive or at least my expectations of perfection from her will subside and become more reasonable again).
My neurologist asks me about my mental state, and tells me that it is normal to need some assistance getting through the emotional side of things... not just the PT, OT, etc. which deal with the physical.  I already have a therapist and have added a meditation specialist to quiet the 'worrytalk' part of my brain.  I guess this is just part of the healing process.   I feel like there are questions I am not asking him, but don't know what they are.  How do you all navigate your healthcare professionals?  I was taking people with me to take notes and make sure I asked everything I wanted to, which was helpful since I could not ask questions and listen at the same time for a while after the stroke.
Note: It is not truly documented that I ever could really listen and talk at the same time... friends will remind me of all sorts of misspoken sentences and twisted words I used to say before stroke....I even have it documented in a public speaking video.  Strangely, that makes me feel loads better!     


2 comments:

  1. I had a pull it all together person where I lived before. Then I moved to the boonies and it took about seven years to find one. Worth their weight in gold.

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