Finally after another day of calling I was able to get a hold of somebody who had some answers for me!  The nurse from the Sports Medicine Complex apologized for not getting back to me sooner and explained that since I did not have the testing done at their office, she did not have the full report, but did have the radiologist findings.  She informed me that everything on the MRA looks to be normal and doubt finally was able to leave my mind.  I shared that was great news but explained the concern of “now what” due to the fact I am still having tremendous pain in my leg.  She simply replied that once they get the results from my other tests, they will get back to me in regard to what our next step is.

Yeah, did you catch that? “After we get the results of your other tests, we will go from there”. My blood instantly began to boil, and mind you I am still wearing the heart monitor.  I explained my frustration with what a hassle this whole ordeal has been of me trying to get tests scheduled from their office.  I reviewed with her that I thought the doctor had wanted to do an ultrasound along with the MRA, however when the orders were sent to Covenant hospital, the only order they had received was for an MRA.  I also reviewed how I had even double and triple checked that I did not need an ultrasound or any other testing with the one lady from their office who had been working on my case and she had confirmed there were no other orders.

The nurse once again apologized and looked through her notes to find that it was actually an ultrasound and an MRI that I still need to have done.  Again while talking through my teeth, I asked why on earth I would need an MRI when I had just done the MRA. She went on to say that my x ray showed some bone lucency so the MRI will give them a better look at my tissue, bone and muscle whereas the MRA looked at my arteries.  Ugh, the thought of going in to that huge loud machine just makes me sick! I had such a horrific headache after the MRA and I must have looked rough because even Tim encouraged me to go lay down while he took care of the kids, and that never happens! 🙂

I asked what would be the reasoning for bone lucency and she quickly replied that could be from a number of things then moved on to say she will visit with the doctor about getting these orders sent over to Covenant hospital.

She again said she was sorry for the delay and I said I’m sorry your office is incapable of doing their job.  Ok no, I did not say that but can you imagine the earful my husband got after I hung up the phone?!  I called him once to let him know what was going on and then the next time I called him crying from this overwhelming sense of frustration.  Actually I don’t think he even heard a word I said because when I called him that second time he asked “why are you crying”…but still, it’s nice to vent out those frustrations whether he’s listening or not!  Plus, it makes me laugh now that he pretends to be so clueless at times…he tries to play the tough guy role but I know him and when he acts like this, it’s only because this is tearing him up inside as well. When I first met my father in law he warned me that Tim’s bark is worse than his bite, and these were the situations that proved him to be true!

So, here I am still waiting to hear back when the next fun filled round of tests will be scheduled. That God person really has a silly sense of humor doesn’t He?!

Ok so that was my original blog however a lot can change in 20 minutes! Shortly before 5pm Iowa City called and expressed extreme frustration with the way their office handled my situation! Long sorry short, I am now scheduled for an MRI and ultrasound on Tuesday in Iowa City. And yeah, kind of makes me nervous about how fast they are getting me in, especially when the nurse dodged my question in regard to the bone lucency, but hopefully it’s simply because they know this ordeal has taken way too long!

So soon enough I will get answers in regard to my leg! However!! The day did not end there. While talking to Iowa City regarding my leg, another message was left from Iowa City which I thought was just a message left as I was returning their call back. That was not the case. It was Pam, my cardiologist nurse. My doctor had reviewed the last scans and determined that my PA stents were indeed closing therefore she encouraged me to call her right away to set up another angiogram and ballooning to open the stents. First off I have to say the scans they reviewed were from October so my stents have been this bad for that long. Finally they figured out what’s wrong with me…but now I am faced to do this procedure all over again and I hate it.

Needless to say, the last 20 minutes of my day gave me answers yet forced me to face the ugliness of my disease. It’s never ending and sometimes frustration overtakes the willingness to keep pushing forward…but I do continue this fight. My family is outraged by this…why did it take over 4 months for my doctor to catch this? The longer my stents stay closed, the harder and more complicated my procedure becomes. I guess I look at it as just another day which sometimes is good and sometimes is bad. So I guess I wait until next week to get answers for my leg and then schedule my fabulous angiogram and ballooning to open my stents.

But on the bright side, the MRA was negative, I know to pick some 80s music for my next MRI and I am able to visit with one of the best brother’s in law and his family tonight! Oh and I was able to ship my heart monitor back off to Iowa City so I guess it is a win day after all!  Happy Friday!!