On a wing and a prayer
Last Thursday after the ridiculously useless neurologist appointment, I went and sought out a referral to see a neurosurgeon. At the recommendation of a reader here, it’s someone not at USC, which as it turns out, is already both a blessing and a curse.
Because the day after the ridiculously useless neurologist appointment, I called to get a copy of my most recent MRIs, because I knew that I’d need them for the appointment tomorrow and I figured with the holiday, the hours of the hospital staff would be iffy at best.
As it turns out, I was right. (That’s rare, I have to point it out when it happens.)
So I called Friday, left a message. Called Monday, left a message. Called Tuesday, left a message. And after never being called back ever, I decided to wait until today to call, thinking that maybe they had the week leading up to Christmas off.
Wrong.
They have this week off.
So I have no new MRIs to take with me tomorrow. (Also, for the record, this is SO not the first time I’ve not been able to get MRIs from USC…)
But wait, there’s more.
I did manage to get my medical records from my neurologist to take with me. Well, almost. Because apparently she didn’t think it necessary to chart about my lumbar puncture. Or the low opening pressure. She sure as hell BILLED me for the lumbar puncture, you’d think she’d want to document something. Or not, apparently.
So basically, I’m going to this new neurosurgeon tomorrow, on the premise of low intracranial pressure with nothing to back my story up. No lumbar puncture information, no MRIs, no proof. Just a wing and a prayer.
And some of that fucking hope too. That slippery bastard snuck back in.
7 Responses to “On a wing and a prayer”
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Welcome! I'm Katie, a 28 year old, full-time graduate student who just happened to have brain surgery in November of 2007 to give my ginormous brain a little more space. This blog chronicles my daily life, from relentless headaches to being a doctor's wife. Sit down, get comfortable and stay for a while.
This does not surprise me one bit. I have never had an easy attempt at getting medical records. I’m sure the new doctor will request them and get them so much easier then you. Good luck tomorrow.
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Fingers crossed!!
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Good luck today!
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Toes crossed, too! Agree with 1st poster…maybe they have more “pull” as a medical office needing to see these things. I know how sucky it is to try to get a copy of your own MRI films and the results letter to take to another appt. Frustrating!! I will keep hope for you that this appt gets somewhere.
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I’m going to agree with the first post on here. Sometimes it takes a doctor’s actual request for the office/doctor to give up records or MRIs.
And I think it is really incompetent of that Neurologist to not note the lumbar puncture or the low pressure. Perhaps you should bring it up and dispute the bill for the LP. “Well, it doesn’t say anywhere on my records that I had a lumbar puncture, so I refuse to pay.”
I sympathize with all the running around and hullabaloo, although on a lesser scale than what you’re dealing with. I’m trying to get a minor surgery for weight loss (Lap Band), and the idiocy of the people running the program is just outstanding. I’m not giving up, though. This surgery will probably save my life, and there is no way that I’m going to let anyone ruin that for me.
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Just seeing this now, after the tweets, and also, while at work, I can’t read your posts, my internet there doesn’t like your blog. It’s a BIG TEASE. I stole my own medical records from Duke, it was my mom’s idea. I still feel like a badass for that. Becoming a bigger fan of yours, daily.
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I don’t know why it has to be so freaking difficult to get medical records. I myself am tired of seeing new doctor after new doctor and having to get a hold of the previous doctors’ records. There should be an easier way.
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