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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Visiting the ER - two times - what fun

This weekend I had the type of dizzy spell that they tell you not to ignore. Where holding onto a post would not do it so I went down on all fours. I did not ignore that, got on the ferry to Seattle, and went to the ER.  They did their usual tests and I stayed in town to check in with my neurologist the next day.  He ordered an MRI, and battled my insurance for 25 minutes to get it approved.  Everything looked normal... so he thought the dizziness was not stroke related.  He said that is the challenge - unraveling what is because of the stroke vs. the tumor.  He forwarded me on to a otoneurologist.... since my tumor resides near two nerve bundles - one balance, one hearing.  Stayed over again and got take-out from Whole Foods, including something I never eat - a brownie.  I ended up in the ER again for incredible stomach splitting pain and other stuff... this time turns out I have gallstones.  Before two days ago I was not even sure what the gall bladder did.  Now I know.  And mine does not like brownies.  (But I do!) I still think it is related to the statins...

2 comments:

  1. I think this is when you sit down, and say It's time I caught a break. Having more than one thing at a time is the pits.

    I looked up statins and gall bladder and found a paper that say statins decrease gall bladder risk, for whatever that's worth: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2010/11/17/aje.kwq361.full

    My neighbor had gallstones and was in incredible pain until that was fixed. What are they doing about the gallstones or they waiting to see if they need to do anything?

    Is the gall bladder situation supposed to have caused the dizziness? Migraines can cause severe or mild dizziness, even sometimes that is the only symptom of one. I developed that type when I was probably in my 40s or 50s.

    One good thing when you get old enough for Medicare, you need an MRI - no problem. No dance through all the preapproval hoops private insurance companies put you through.

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  2. Wow Karen Anne, thanks for the article! My next post is for you... and other folk who tell me that they think I have had enough, too!

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