Thursday, September 26, 2013

Big Whoopin' Deal

First of all, this was to have been the day of the CT scan with contrast to determine if there is any more cancer in my otherwise perfect body.  Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans.

I awoke around 3 a.m. and had trouble going back to sleep, because you can't rely on an alarm to go off at the right time. (!)

I began drinking the contrast fluid at 5 a.m. -  It had to be consumed before 6 a.m. because the scan was scheduled for 8 a.m.  (Ha!)

Have you ever had a colonoscopy?  Then you know the side effects of Omnipaque (the contrast fluid).

Dick has kept a log of how we spent this beautiful morning at the Main Radiology Department of Munson Medical Center, and accomplished nothing.

Dick's Log:
Leave house at 7:15 for 7:45 appointment. 
Check in 7:40 
8:30, nurse appears, says they have no blood work for kidney (they need the creatinine level to proceed) 
 9:10 Nancy checks with desk. They tell her that the nurse said that if Nancy asks, tell her that the office the nurse needs to check doesn't open 'till 9 (Thirlby Clinic opens at 8 a.m.) 
9:20 different nurse says Thirlby Clinic does not have blood results  (???) 
9:30 blood draw 
10:50  Brian the tech comes to explain creatinine level is too low for the additional contrast injection needed for the CT scan and we need to reschedule contrast scan with hydration. (A procedure that will take 8 hours, including IV hydration, more contrast fluid, another blood draw, the CT scan and then 4 more hours of IV hydration.) We go in consult room and Brian hands Nancy a phone.  She is to reschedule the procedure for sometime next week. She talks to "Matt". He needs her medical history, but he is finally able to reschedule the scan for next Thursday, Oct. 3 

I realize that the Munson radiologists and the Steigers are all on the same team - they are valiantly trying to take care of my kidneys, and I appreciate that.  I just didn't appreciate sitting in that waiting room for four hours with no clear information about what was going on.    Thank goodness for Dick's company!  So again, no news until next Thursday.