Comments | elaryn: Erm...Houston, we have a problem!

elaryn

Erm...Houston, we have a problem!

Sep 15, 2009 23:47

So...Dr. Hsieh...bone marrow biopsy. No big deal, right ( Read more... )

rants, nasty medical tests

Comments 15

becoming_rachel September 16 2009, 07:32:53 UTC

eeeeek. I agree, sedation and a partner there with you is essential for that.

elaryn September 16 2009, 07:40:15 UTC

You said it! Of course, to be fair, the doctor will not feel a thing! *mutter, grumble*

becoming_rachel September 16 2009, 08:14:55 UTC

Blah...what does he know? He's probably never had the test himself.

elaryn September 16 2009, 09:28:23 UTC

He was his usual cheery, upbeat, insanely positive little self on the phone this morning. I had it on speaker-phone, and my friend Christi, who had just picked me up, commented that he sounded way too cheerful for her.

You also have to love the way he tries to downplay tests that are very serious. No doctor, especially with medical care being as expensive as it is here in the U.S., orders a test like that just for kicks and grins. The blood work for leukemia was negative, but if he were that sure that nothing is up, I doubt he'd order something so invasive.

Meh. I'll let you know more when I know more.

Thread 7

melligator September 16 2009, 07:36:52 UTC

Crunching sound? Oy :\

elaryn September 16 2009, 07:39:30 UTC

That was my thought precisely. (:-o

samantha_vimes September 16 2009, 09:31:26 UTC

And the shooting pain.

I have a higher tolerance than you do for this sort of thing, but I think I might faint.

How fucking high is your white blood count and what tests have they done to make sure you don't have say, a raging but hidden staph infection? This test is a lot more invasive than a lot of others I would do on a high white cell count. I know I'm not a doctor, and I know that when there's been cancer, they are on the alert for reccurance, but I'd like to know they are covering all the bases.

elaryn September 16 2009, 09:38:42 UTC

All very good questions. All of which I intend to ask Dr. Hsieh. As I commented to someone else, they do not perform the more complex and involved medical tests because they have nothing else to do of a given day. Diagnostic tests are expensive; the more complex the test, the greater the expense. He did mention something about trying to rule out "chronic leukemia." And of course, he immediately added that it was one of the "most treatable" kinds of leukemia. I'm not impressed, nor am I reassured. He must think something is going on, or he would not suggest such a test, and I imagine the prior blood work ruled out anything like an infection.

Thread 6

And he's a "doctor"??? mikononyte September 16 2009, 20:25:01 UTC

Oh but of course, he's a "practicing" doctor. Like that dentist years gone that did my dental work sans numbing. He quit after 6 months to go sell water beds. I kid you not!!!

Sedative.
Numbing stuffeths.
Supportive partner even if not Neil.
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT GUY THINKING?!?!?!?!@?!?!?!?!?

So, like... do I start drumming for you too? Or is this just a 'we're checking' type thing?

Re: And he's a "doctor"??? elaryn September 18 2009, 03:49:47 UTC

We don't know yet. I believe that what the doc is looking for is some kind of chronic leukemia at this point (which he very cheerfully reassures me is "very treatable"). As much as I hate the idea of the bone marrow biopsy, the wisest course is to go ahead with it, because it would be really stupid of me to avoid the test then find out the hard way that something was really, really wrong. Mind you, I'm not afraid of the diagnosis...it's that fershlugginer test that has me going. Crunching noises and shooting pain and... *gah!*

*BIG hugs* You're a sweetie! Thanks for the kind thoughts (and the pretty, pretty dolly avvie).