@PuppyLove,
@gr82cu2,
@tiredwife,
@madinana,
@marmora,
@Minnie's knees,
@new knee in June,
@Nana moon 27,
@Celle and anyone else I might have forgotten. I just wanted to give an update on yesterday. The good news is that I don't have a blood clot, thank God. After talking to the doctor's office we decided that even though there was a small chance that I had a blood clot, waiting
until Monday was too nerve racking and what if I did have one, God forbid. The doctor's office faxed me a prescription for a VQ scan. It is a test that measures air flow and blood flow in the lungs. He also sent me my blood work results, etc. We immediately left in hopes of beating the Friday night rush at the ER. When I got there they told me that they don't take prescriptions but if I wanted I could wait to see the doctor. I waited for a while and they brought me back and took my vitals and then sent me back out. About an hour later they called me back to have an ultra sound of my legs to check for a blood clot. I only wanted the one test, but my hands were tied. So I got the ultra sound and there was no blood clot, which we didn't think there was in my leg. One thing that showed up was that I have a Baker's Cyst in the back of my knee that I just had surgery on. This explains all the pain that I have had in the back of my knee. I guess I'll ask my OS about when I go back for my next visit in six weeks. They wheeled me back to the ER but instead of making me wait again in the waiting room, they let me just lay on the guerny. I was so thankful for this because my knee was killing me. After sitting with my leg down for long periods of time it still becomes stiff and painful. While sitting in the waiting room I kept trying to sit different ways and even tried to prop my foot up, but the chairs weren't situated right to do this. Plus I have been really reducing my pain meds. I am now taking one pill every 6- 7 hours or so. Well I had taken them right before PT this morning at 9:30. Once I got home, got the phone call from the doctor, etc., I forgot to take my pill. I remembered on the way to the ER. I was finally able to take one
at 10:00 which made it 12 and a half hours since the last one. My knee was so painful and on fire! I finally asked the nurse if she thought a I could take the meds as I didn't want to mess up any test. She was so sweet and said that I could take it. I was so happy. Otherwise I would have had to wait a couple more hours before we could leave for home.
Next they wheeled me I to a room (cubicle) and then I called for Joe to come back. He no sooner came back and they came to get me to take me for a chest X-ray. Then I was wheeled back to my room again. The doctor came to see me and said that they were going to do a lung scan.....thank goodness!! This test is not painful but not pleasant either. They put you on a table that is part of an MRI machine . The table was more like a hard sling than a table. They put me into the machine with my head out....as long as my chest was under, it was enough. Then they have you hold this face mask on your face and breath into it. The mask is rubber and very pliable and when you breath in it almost conforms to your face. While you are breathing in, she injects the mask with a radioactive substance. You have to keep breathing into this mask for a full five minutes. At times I felt like I couldn't breath or catch my breath. I had to keep telling myself to breath slowly in and out and finally it was over. Next they inject radionuclide dye into a vein to get into your bloodstream. That was easier than the first part, as you just had to lay there as they scanned different angles. The whole test took about 30 minutes.
I was finally done and was wheeled back to my room. When I got back there, Jodi was there with Joe. Marc was the one who brought me to the ER and stayed with me until Joe got there. He was working, so he went home, got a shower and then came in. Anyway, the nurse then said that she needed to take blood for more testing and put an IV in. I wish they had done that before I went for the lung test. They could have just put the dye into my IV, but since I didn't have one, they had to stick me.
After more waiting they said they wanted an EKG just to make sure. Then the doctor came in and said that all the tests came back normal. He said he still doesn't know why I am short of breath but I have to follow up with my family doctor on Monday.
The original blood work that my primary doctor did also showed that my potassium levels were below normal. He said that could contribute to being tired. Who knows, but luckily I am fine. I told Joe that the one good thing about me having the lung scan is that I know that my lungs are clear and healthy. Now seeing that everything is okay, maybe I could have waited until Monday, but I know I would have been just too darn nervous waiting all weekend not knowing.
Thanks again for all your prayers. Anne
United Kingdom
