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Medical

Neurosurgeon Visit

My consultation with the neurosurgeon was today yesterday, so I thought I’d post a report. I managed to be super early, despite leaving later than planned. Had to stop for MRI films on my way, which these days means a CD. Drove to Boston, which turns out to be the best option all around. BMC is far south, right off 93. Parking took me 5 minutes of driving around garage to get a freshly cleared spot, but cheap,

MRI shows disk bulge in neck, but collected symptoms would seem mainly something else. He was surprised my doctor hadn’t ordered MRI of rest of back.

He did a very thorough exam, compared to what I am used to. More like having a physical than having the doctor barely look at fully clothed me. Not sure I like the proportion of visits that have been $95 blood pressure checks over the years. Oh well.

My impression is that one or two of the reflex taps I wasn’t as responsive as I could have been, and that I may have been misidentifying some of the needle prick versus hand tests. Could be wrong.

As always, I didn’t get to or remember to give every possible detail. I am beginning to think I should keep a log and take that or notes. Yet in some ways he got more detail because he was so professional, direct, and systematic.

He seemed to think there was not a strong or at least immediate need for surgery, but that was the start of what seems like it will be a longish process. I am waiting to hear from the MRI place regarding when they want to schedule me for that. I have already been scheduled for the EMG (nerve conduction study) he ordered. That will be May 4 at 8:00 AM. Both that and MRI will be in Brockton, which is convenient. Once I have an appointment for the MRI, I have to call BMC to make a followup appointment.

In the meantime, I need to find work that isn’t “FredCo” or similarly hard on the back (for all it often bothers me least, in the spot that seems most tied to numbness and in terms off feeling numbness itself, during all that activity). And doesn’t involve driving. And involves sitting in a chair that won’t hurt me. And I need to replace my chair, which apart from cost I was waiting to do after this visit in case it affected that action.

I know it sounds odd, but I keep realizing things in retrospect. I’ve had numbness in my feet routinely for ages, which always seems worst when I have gout attacks, but happens any time. Thing is, anything like that that might make the medical people cry out “aha, diabeeteeeez!” tends to go unmentioned. Same with peripheral neuropathy symptoms that aren’t numbness but are funky. I’ve posted about those now and then over the course of time. Or I am sure I have, without actually going and searching to point to the instances.

Did I remember to mention that? Of course not.

Anywho, I have an appointment Thursday with my doctor for a normal checkup and removal of my funky mole. Aw shoot! Forgot to take my blood pressure meds this AM. Doh! Hate to skip a day so close to a checkup, but no way this late in the day. I’ll sleep through work. It’ll be interesting discussing this whole thing further with him, assuming he allows a couple minutes for that. Since I have him for an appointment for a procedure and not just wham, bam, blood pressure’s still high per usual, there may be hope of more chat time.

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