Oh what a RELIEF it is!

John Pollman

Member
Messages
1,326
Location
Rochester Hills, MI
Howdy folks!

I haven't been around here much lately. I've had some rather pressing issues to deal with. It's a pretty long and convoluted story but I'll try to just hit the high points. Here's what happened...

I've had "bad knees" for a long time. Had surgery three years ago and the worst one has been better for a while but lately has really flared up and been bothering me a lot. A couple weeks ago I contacted my orthopedic surgeon and set up an appointment for him to check it out. Saw him a week ago Friday and he gave me some fairly good news. He said that he didn't think that surgery was required and that just some PT and strengthening in the leg would help stabilize the joint and help relieve some of the discomfort. But he thinks that something else may be going on and he wanted me to see my internist for a physical. I said OK and made an appointment.

I had a physical last Monday and things seemed to go fairly well but my doctor thought he saw something going on and he wanted me to have an EMG test done. In addition to that, I'd probably have to see a neurologist after that. This is where things took a MAJOR turn for the worse. I had the EMG this past Thursday and he ended up testing a lot more than was prescribed. The test was done by about 9:00 in the morning and he said a few things that had me not really scared but concerned. He said to go home and wait for a call from my internist. I figured maybe by that evening I'd hear something. To my surprise, about 2-1/2 hours later I got a call from his office and was told that the doctor wanted to meet with me in his office ASAP to discuss the results. I said OK and set up an appointment for 8:45 Friday morning. At this point I was getting more concerned with the urgency that the situation seemed to have.

I got to his office Friday morning and he got me right in. He walked into his office with my charts and he pretty much got right to the point. He said that the results of the EMG looked like it was Lou Gherig's Disease (ALS) and if it was, there was not really much that anyone could do. I immediately practically went numb from head to toe! The meeting lasted less than ten minutes and I was told to go home and wait for a call from a neurologist to get some more tests done.

I made my way to my truck and had to spend a few minutes composing myself to even be able to dial my phone to call my wife at work. I got in touch with her and she was pretty shaken too. She said that she was coming home and she would meet me there shortly. We both got there about the same time and waited for the call from the neurologist. In the mean time, I made a couple calls and told my parents what was going on. My step-father said that he would be right over and he was on the way. The call didn't come until 3:00 and the neurologist said that they couldn't see me for THREE WEEKS! Well my step-father intervened and called his neurologist at Beaumont Hospital and was able to get me an appointment for yesterday (Monday). Let me tell you those 3-1/2 days of waiting to see the doctor were the three worst days of my life! I have never been on such an emotional roller coaster.

Well I got to the appointment yesterday and the doctor did a full neurological workup. After he was finished, he told me to get dressed and to meet him back in his office. I got dressed and my wife and I headed to his office to see what he had to say. We sat down and he looked me straight in the eyes and said that he sees nothing that indicates ALS!! There's something going on and he doesn't know what it is yet, but he said that he'd figure it out or get me to someone that can. I've got to go in later this week for an MRI and they drew about EIGHT vials of blood for testing. It will be about a week before the blood work can be finished but at this point I have never been so relieved in my whole life. After what I've been through the past four days, I feel like whatever the new tests reveal they can "bring it on, I can deal with it". This morning I feel like I've gotten my life back!

I've pretty much fired my current internist. I'll not darken his door again. I've been seeing him for at least thirty years and I think he handled the situation VERY poorly. He should have just told me that he saw something abnormal in the results and would like to have a specialist do some more testing to confirm them. There's NO WAY that he should have dropped a bombshell like that on me without having some concrete evidence.

Anyway, thanks for reading. This is going to be a MUCH better week than last week.

Take care all!

John
 
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John, I remember when my fingers went numb (still are) and lived with the worry of ALS for a couple of weeks. Know exactly what you went through and how you felt after. Hope they find what is going on and can do something about it. Glad it is ending up this way so far. :thumb: Sounds like a heck uva supportive family!!!:thumb::thumb::thumb:
 
I'm happy to hear it was not as serious as you were first told and hope that, whatever it turns out to be, it is something you can easily overcome.
 
Very happy to hear it is not ALS......You deserve a cruise to the Carribean after what you have been through
 
Thanks guys!

I just got off the phone with the appointment center. I'm going in for a full spinal MRI on October 03. But WOW, they tell me I'll be in the machine for TWO HOURS! Hope I can sit still for that long. :)

John
 
Wow!!! At least he could have been a little more cautious with his words. Some doctors have terrible patient skills. I know-I work with them.:eek:

Hope they figure it out and get you feeling better.:thumb:
 
Youre internist might be a bit of an alarmist but neuro diseases are so misunderstood today, even by alot of top neurologists.
I wish you the best, hopefully its a simple problem, but please remember the medical profession is not a perfect science.
Alot of it is done by eliminating every other choice.

I know, I was through this, misdiagnosed, and got lucky when one neuro ordered blood tests for a bunch of rare diseases.

Let us know how things work out for you, sending only good vibes your way.
 
Actually mine wasn't too bad at all. I've had the electrical stimulation treatment during PT for my knee a few years ago and it wasn't as bad as that was. There was only one area on the back that I wouldn't really call painful, just uncomfortable.
 
Hi John,

The past two months I have been tested out the ying yang. Have undergone two MRIs. Each about 30 minutes long. Suggest you bring your Ipod. Put some good music on and listen. The MR machine is about the noisiest thing imaginable. Good luck. It sounds like you have found the right doctor(s).
 
I know what you mean Kyle. I've had three MRI's over the past past few years and those buggers are LOUD. They usually give you a set of ear plugs to wear during the procedure. I've had two on my knee and one on my shoulder. The ones I've had only took about a half hour tops. I was shocked when she told me that I'd be in the machine for 120 minutes. I guess that because they're going to be doing a full spinal image, it will take a lot longer.

I'm not claustrophobic and I told the woman that, but she said she'd schedule me for the open machine anyway. The previous MRI's that I've had were in standard machines and even though I'm not a big person, it is pretty tight in there. I can't imagine how a larger person deals with those things.

I'm not out of the woods yet but to tell you the truth, I'm not too worried about the coming test results. I would think that I'd still be pretty nervous, but after what I went through for four days this past weekend, I feel like I can take anything they can throw at me. I'll keep you all posted as they figure out what's up.

Thank you all for the support and well wishes. Just being able to "vent" a bit on here helps a lot.

Take care

John
 
John just catching up. What a dufus your quack was to do that to you.

I am in Allens court. Doctors are ordinary people. They just have to go through a process of elimination. Some are good some are bad just like mechanics.

I have had experience of a bad one and then a good one. The good one more than made up for the bad guy.

Glad it was a false start hope its no worse the rest of the way. Keep us informed and hey you welcome to let off steam here. Thats what makes this place special.;) The day you cannot i am outta here.
 
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