Friday May 23, 2008

Well TGIF!! That actually may mean something to the rest of you but for me nothing really because everyday is Friday. Well this week I've actually gotten off of the block a couple of times although it's been to go to the hospital for my tests. Tuesday I went and they drew blood and gave me my ultrasound on my neck. Previously the doctor had felt a lump on my thyroid so just to be on the safe side he ordered the ultrasound to see if it was solid or not. I had to fast for my blood work so I got there early, went to my doctor's office where they drew blood, and then headed off to radiology for the ultrasound. I checked in and they told me that my wait would be anywhere from 5 minutes to 1 hour, it's first come, first served, no appointments and that there were 8 people in front of me-GREAT!! At first I thought my time would be short because there were several doors and they kept calling people's names but then it dawned on me that those people were only getting x-rays done which takes less time than an ultrasound, so I waited, and waited. I always think about it later that I should carry around a book in my purse for these type of situations so I was forced to bid my time by people watching, which can be fun.

One family that I watched really touched me. It was the father, daughter and the mother who appeared to be very ill. She was a very tiny lady and she seemed very weak so she was in a wheelchair. Just sitting there watching her daughter take care of her was very moving and had she not been called before me I would have given her my place in line. I'm not certain but if I had to guess she probably was a cancer patient. Finally after 2 hours my name was called...Hooray!! I was ushered into a small room, almost like a closet and I changed into a robe and waited until the previous patient had left the ultrasound room. When the nurse came to get me she took me into a dimly lit room and had me sign a consent form. My doctor had written on my orders that if the lump was solid, to go ahead and perform a biopsy. The doctor explained the procedure to me and the entire test took about 10 minutes. Most people in the waiting room after their name was called and they had their procedures done would return to the waiting room and then someone would bring them their x-rays and the doctor's report to take with them. Since I was seeing my doctor on Friday I chose not to wait for my report and headed back home.

Tuesday was also mine and Jim's anniversary and it was a quiet occasion. I made his favorite dinner ( lasagna ) and he brought me flowers and a card. Later on we went up to George's for cocktails and to give me a chance to talk to my brother who left this week for Iraq. Wednesday and Thursday were quiet for me with the only highlight was watching David Cook win American Idol- Woo Hoo!!! I liked the other contestant David Archuletta too but I thought Cook was a better performer and I'm glad the American people agreed considering I couldn't really vote. That was the only current American tv show I could watch so now I'm back to watching CSI, Desperate Housewives, Friends, and the Discovery Channel.

So now it's Friday and I went to my doctor's appointment to find out my results. I am not going to die. Everything on my blood test is alright except my cholesterol which I already take medication for so the dosage has been increased. The lump on my thyroid actually turned out to be one large on the right hand side and several small ones on the left. The doctor said that they weren't solid which I already knew because there was no biopsy performed on Tuesday. Since they were liquid there was no cause for alarm but he still wants an ultrasound done on them yearly. Apparently they don't go away, supposedly genetic, they could get larger but there is nothing you can do about them unless they turn solid and then I can start to panic. I also had to get a vaccine for Hepatitis A, apparently this area is prone to outbreaks which are transmitted through food and water-GREAT!! Two things I love to do, eat and drink! Now I have to figure out a way to drag Jim in so he can get one. We are still working on a solution to my insulin problem however. When I was at the doctor's office I asked his assistant to get the representative from the maker of my insulin pump on the phone so I could talk to her. I wanted to know what she would do if I were a brand new patient so she agreed to meet with me at my house on Monday to show me what to do. Hopefully she'll have answers or somebody is going to Singapore to get me some medicine.

One thing that surprised me was the cost of my medical care so far. We are having to pay out of pocket and then getting reimbursed so the day of my ultrasound I was paranoid about how much that was going to be. Surprisingly not that much. I paid 104 RM which is roughly about $33 U.S. I was completely shocked because I just had an ultrasound done on my gall bladder in February in the States and my co-pay alone was $100, the insurance company paid about $1000 for my procedure and there was nothing different from one ultrasound to the other. Just makes you think about how much we're getting ripped off in our own country. You couldn't walk into a hospital and receive a bill the same day let alone pay it off unless off course you're financially sound. Makes you go Hmmmmm....?