Is There A Doctor In The House?

Modern medicine does wonders. But when Carol and Rainbow's ills crop up without diagnosis, one must really wonder how far it has really come. There is so much that the experts still don't know.

Mayo Clinic, Carol? Impressive. I sure hope they find your problem, and maybe Rainbow will get some relief as well once he's 'over the border'.

Carol and Zada thank you so much, I feel for you both too. It seems to me
that although we are supposed to be technologically advanced we seem at
times not have advanced from cavemen, especially where 'modern' medicine is concerned.

While the guy I saw yesterday gave his diagnosis when all he did was bang
about with a reflex hammer and my pushing against his hands with my
arms and legs. I still thought it was something to do with the bug
banquet as before that I had no problems whatsoever. He said I may have
slept awkwardly one night and the timing with the bugs was
coincidental. That still doesn't feel right to me and said all he does
is diagnose suggesting an mri and surgery. On the caveman note:

On page 223 of Rainbow's Expressions and Observations, my first book

June 3 1988…2:45 p.m.

Orchard Square, again, Sheffield England

A man is here not far away with helium balloons

There’s hearts and fish and dolphins too with love
they are festooned

The children flock around like moths excitement in
their eyes

“I want a fish!” “I want a heart!” “I want!” “I want!” They cry

A lucky few then walk away balloon tied to their arm

Their faces lit up like the Sun their whole World’s feeling warm

But there are some who on this day will walk away confused

With no balloon tied onto arm their World is hurt and bruised

Why is this so? They all should have it really isn’t funny

When all that’s stopping Mum and Dad is a nasty thing called money

But money isn’t always bad in fact it never is

It’s just what people do with it or have to that’s the swizz

In modern times to many folk the buck becomes their God

To Stone Age man this state of things would seem so very odd

Money in itself is what? Inanimate that’s true

It cannot harm you by itself but it can sure harm you

In quantity or not enough it changes peoples views

Brings fear and strain into their lives they lose their real you

What have we learned from Stone Age Man

For aeons and a while?

What can we do that he could not?

Why...strike a match for fire!

I tried that a short time before being thrown out of the Boy Scouts, Rainbow, and I still think it made sense. All the other kids were rubbing their sticks together and my buddy and I had flames shooting high in the air because he brought a vial of lighter fluid or gasoline and I brought matches.

I do hope that both of you, Carol and Rainbow, soon find an answer to your problems and are feeling better.

Rainbow the diagnosis of cervical myelopathy means the Dr figured out the what, although not the why, and it seems as though figuring out why would help to figure out what to do about it. I hope that you find the information that you need, and an MRI is as good a start as one could hope.

As for jokes of the PC variety and otherwise, please keep them coming. Life is far too short to be serious all the time, as we all see in the various stages of disrepair that our bodies are in!

Carol I hope that you also get the answers that you seek and that things start getting better soon.

Dick Stodghill wrote:

I tried that a short time before being thrown
out of the Boy Scouts, Rainbow, and I still think it made sense. All
the other kids were rubbing their sticks together and my buddy and I
had flames shooting high in the air because he brought a vial of
lighter fluid or gasoline and I brought matches.

I do hope that both of you, Carol and Rainbow, soon find an answer to your problems and are feeling better.

Thanks Sir Dick and that reminds me, when I was around 13 just after my
barmitzvah and psychedelia had hit swinging London, I poured coloured
paint on my jeans, donned a kaftan, a rainbow head band and a cow bell
round my neck and tried to give flowers to the synagogue umbrella
commitee saying, 'Peace Bro!' I was thrown out of the youth club for
being a bad influence on the kids!

guess I've always been a rebel without applause!

Pam wrote:

Rainbow the diagnosis of cervical myelopathy means the Dr
figured out the what, although not the why, and it seems as though
figuring out why would help to figure out what to do about it. I hope
that you find the information that you need, and an MRI is as good a
start as one could hope.

As for jokes of the PC variety and
otherwise, please keep them coming. Life is far too short to be serious
all the time, as we all see in the various stages of disrepair that our
bodies are in!

Carol I hope that you also get the answers that you seek and that things start getting better soon.

I'm still not sure if he was right, it just doesn't feel right that the
bug banquet had nothing to do with it and the mri may be a good idea
but without insurance? I just got a bill from the laredo medical center
for $6,300 for the tests they did, catscan, x-ray, ekg, bloodwork and
urine! I wonder if they can whistle Dixie?

Holy crap Rainbow. Hard to know how to reply to a bill for that much. I owe on my taxes for last year, but we expect that with taxes.
Wishing you only good things Rick.

Holy crap Rainbow.

Indeed it is!

Hard to know how to reply to a bill for that much. I owe on my taxes for last year, but we expect that with taxes.

I'm not going to reply!

Wishing you only good things Rick.

Much appreciated Pam

I appreciate what a quandary it is for you. I was on that medical treadmill for a while six or seven years ago and finally decided enough was enough - no more tests that always seemed to be inconclusive. I came to the conclusion that the medics don't know as much as they would like the rest of us to believe. "I'll see you again in three months," really means I won't know a thing then that I don't know now but each visit puts me a little closer to having the money for a yacht."
It seems to me that a specialist is a doctor who has discovered where the big money is to be made. My primary care doctor at the Veterans Administration is the best of the lot and seeing her doesn't cost me a nickel.

Dick Stodghill wrote:

I appreciate what a quandary it is for you. I
was on that medical treadmill for a while six or seven years ago and
finally decided enough was enough - no more tests that always seemed to
be inconclusive. I came to the conclusion that the medics don't know as
much as they would like the rest of us to believe.

I couldn't agree with you more Sir Dick, even the fact that they know
something is wrong with you and won't do a damn thing about finding
what it is, pronounce their diagnosis without any confirming tests,
apart from the last one banging about with a reflex hammer and pushing
against his hands with my arms and legs, if you don't got
insurance or the wherewithall makes me believe the hippocratic oath is
dead and gone may it rest in peace!

Pardon me for a small update

I get updates from that internet doctor and there's so many people
posting about undiagnosed symptoms even after visting 'x' number of so
called specialists and having 'x' number of tests and a recurring theme
for neurological problems is a cat scan or mri. I've had two head and
neck cat scans so what good might an mri do? I'm buggered if I know!



He also
said I may have slept awkwardly one night and the timing with the bugs
was coincidental. That still doesn't feel right to me! I have applied
for disability, but no news on that yet and my extremely small
amount of savings I’m trying to eke out to survive, not sure how long
they will without any income whatsoever coming in, maybe a few weeks if
I’m very careful, after that who knows?

Attempting to get
upright after using the bathroom involves another tortuous struggle for
10 – 15 minutes to get upright and exit the bathroom. I cannot shave
properly and showering is extremely difficult as in the bathroom in
the RV there a mini bath and it’s another long struggle to attempt to
lift my legs over the lip of the bath, while sitting precariously on
the sink, where the shower is and stay upright. If I managed to sit
down in the mini bath, I doubt I would be able to get up again.

I have applied at the social security for disability, however I was told that
apparently the rules have been changed and ‘Legal Aliens’ (I arrived in 2001
from England to marry, unfortunately my wife passed away in 2003 and I
became a Legal Permanent Resident) are not usually considered for
Disability, even though I have always paid Uncle Sam tax and social
security payments like every American does and I am waiting to hear of
their decision.


When I was waiting in the social security a week, or so
ago,
everyone waiting to be seen, including the security guard was Hispanic,
on both sides of the window. Not that I have a problem with this, it is
a border town where 85% of the population is Hispanic of which,
according to the manager of the HEB Plus supermarket, 65% do not speak
a word of English! Certainly I heard precious little English being spoken at all.

What
I did have a problem with as I was waiting to be called was that a
large percentage of those seemingly getting benefits, or applying for
them at the windows in front of me were showing their Mexican passports
as identification!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???



definitely NOT

again apologies for the formatting, cutting and pasting from word seems to screw it up

How terrible for you, Rainbow. I should think that as a legal alien, you would be entitled to something. And the bit about mexican passports is hard to swallow as well.

Slept awkwardly? That's a new one. I sure hope you discover a real answer soon.

I'm sorry to report I had a really bad day last sunday, not only are
there more medical bills pouring in for the negative tests but, and may
I warn you, this is not pleasant to report:

On August 10, I finally arose at around 7:30 a.m. and
finally after
20 minutes of trying, managed to get myself upright from sleeping on
the couch into a sitting position. I found I needed the bathroom
urgently.

Halfway there my legs collapsed and I fell backwards and landed with my
back on the floor. I am, to say the least, not happy to report that I
excreted where I lay. In some distress I desperately tried to raise
myself to no avail.

In my struggles I was partially covered in my own faeces
on my feet, arms, legs and back. I lay there for nearly 3 hours virtually
unable
to move. Just after 12 p.m. by the grace of whatever, someone came to
check on me. Luckily they did, or I could have still been laying there.

Eventually with their help I managed to get into a chair,
having
done my best to clean myself up while laying with some luckily near by
paper towels and later with some help. They helped me down the steps of
the RV and got me to the park’s showers, where I managed, with some
assistance to get clean again.

On returning to the RV I missed
my hold on a step and even with the efforts of my Good Samaritan my
legs collapsed again and I tumbled to the ground straining my gammy
left arm, it felt like it nearly came out of the socket as he tried,
but failed to keep me from going down for the second time today!

Still waiting for an appointment with the neurologist over the border, no news on that yet. Wish I had better news to report

zadaconnaway wrote:

How terrible for you, Rainbow. I should think
that as a legal alien, you would be entitled to something. And the bit
about mexican passports is hard to swallow as well.

thanks tell me about the mexican passports even the lawyer lady didn't know what to make of it!

[quote="Dick Stodghill"]Slept awkwardly? That's a new one.

Yeh I thought that was a ripe one too!!!!

I sure hope you discover a real answer soon

you and me both and thanks

My comments about lack of medical assistance is not printable.

You must continue to press for medical help. I suggest you contact the Salvation Army and the Red Cross. Tell them who you are, your condition, that you have no insurance and are not a citizen. Ask them what to do.

Rainbow,

What you need at the moment is a nursing facility to help you with basic needs and stabilization. I know that is probably not your first choice. You need help from the person who found you, ask him to be an advocate, find a nursing facility in your area, ask for an intake and social worker, have your friend describe how he found you, how you keep falling, how you can't get up, paint a worst case scenario.

I visited my mother in a nursing facility for five years. The people there were not all old, but young and stroke or accident victims, people like you. Perhaps some were paying their way or on disability, but I would imagine most were on medicaid. My mother was on medicaid as she had outlived her money, but she was disabled and needed the care facility.

You can't keep living alone. You are eligible for medicaid. You need to find a county worker in charge of determining someone for medicaid. I know going to a nursing facility can be frightening, but that is what you need, and it isn't forever.

Keep knocking on those doors until one opens. We don't have universal medical care, but there are options, and I believe if you find the right person you'll get the right care. But you need someone there with you, and you've got to tell what you have told us.

Carol

Rainbow,

This is just horrible what's happening to you. I agree with Abe and Carol that you must keep pressing forward to find help. You shouldn't be alone right now. My thoughts and prayers are with you for that door to open.

Helen

Abe, Carol and Helen thank you so much for your concern. Abe I shall
try the Salvation Army and the Red Cross, I have already emailed the
AARP for any help, or advice they could offer. Someone from a
list I send updates to suggested contacting the British Embassy as I'm
still a British Citizen as well as a Legal Alien.

I'm trying to contact the lawyer I met regarding the possibility of
medicaid, however a small light, the owners of the RV Park have made me
an appointment with their friend the neurologist in Mexico for tomorrow
Wednesday at 5 p.m. central time and are arranging to get me over
there, so hopefully, if he's the right brain, as the lawyers sister
said at the show, maybe I'll have some better news.

Unfortunately as far as not being on my own, there is nothing I can do
about it at this moment other than keep my cell phone with me at all
times.

Thank you everybody

Rainbow,

It sounds like you are on the right track. There are people out there ready to help others, and you are connecting with them, which is good.

I wish things to go well, and believe somewhere in those resources you are pursuing, there will be answers for the care you need.

Thinking and hoping for you.

Carol

Carol Troestler wrote:

Rainbow,

It sounds like you are on the
right track. There are people out there ready to help others, and you
are connecting with them, which is good.

I wish things to go
well, and believe somewhere in those resources you are pursuing, there
will be answers for the care you need.

Thinking and hoping for you.

Carol

thank you so much Carol I really appreciate it

Here's my latest update, which is sent to a large list...

Well
it seems some of you may not be getting these updates, 13 people with
yahoo addresses bounced back and so did 3 with comcast.net! I have
mentioned this many moons ago on my previous updates, if any on the
list would prefer to be removed from the list, may I quote from Chapter
5 of my new book: Battle-Scarred Heart - A Brit's Witty Look At Lost
Love, from the Chapter Rainbow's Round Table, where someone, for
whatever reason is not in accord with the Oath and Constitution of said
Round Table a 'Sanity' Clause' is inserted as follows:

HAVE A WONDERFUL LIFE
SANITY CLAUSE 003
Seen below will be inserted here!
Yes! We still believe in Sanity Claus!



Have a Wonderful Life, you have decided, quite rightly and
we applaud and salute you for doing so, ‘ere – u – go: deciding you
found
a better, happier or whatever does it for you on the road upon which
you travel and we shall miss your teachings. Much happiness and joy and
whatever does it for you on your road – Hey Y’all, Y’all come back and
see us sometime please! How about NOW!


And
indeed one person who shall remain nameless, no names, no pack drill
did request removal from the list and I invoked the Sanity Clause, in
the future should anyone else decide, your wishes will be sadly adhered
to. Not forgetting you're all bcc'd for your privacy.

Ho'Kay, so what's new? Well yesterday the wonderful owners of the RV
park, Juan and Mayte arranged to ferry me across the border to their
friend the neurologist. He was more thorough in his examination than
anyone I've seen so far and did a reflexes and sensitivity test, looked
at my eyes with a light and got me to follow it and a few more things,
he did say my blood pressure is on the high side, which I'm not too
surprised given the stresses on my body.

After this he said he didn't think it was the spine as my reflexes and
sensitivity is normal and thinks it might be muscular and if it were my
spine these would be diminished, or not there at all and he did read my
5 page 'log' of what's been happening to me, although I removed the
idiot neurologist from Laredo's diagnosis and the internet doctor as I
didn't want him to have any pre-conceptions as to what's affecting me.

He wants me to get an MRI and I think an EGM which would test the
activity in the muscles. He said by far the cheapest place for these
tests would be - ya ready for this? Monterrey! Luckily Juan and
Mayte's daughter Liz, knows someone there and will find out how much
the tests will be.

So one step at a time, first to find out how much in Monterrey, then do
I have sufficient moolackers and then, how the heck, assuming the first
two are ok, will I get to Monterrey and back? Suppose it's the old 12
step anthem, 'One day at a time!'

At least I feel a little hope with this doctor, he hasn't just
dismissed me like the others did and won't try to make a diagnosis
until the tests are done. Oh and I did contact the British Embassy.
They got no money to fly me back and even if I did I would have to
restablish my residency to get free healthcare and that takes 6
months! Don't think I'll be singing Rule Brittania anytime soon, it
may be time to get out the shoe polish and talk in pigeon English!

Trust
things are saner in your
worlds
Rick to some, Rainbow to others and something unmentionable to many
more, but you can call me Sir!
--

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Glad to hear you are on some sort of track to find answers.

Rainbow,

These neurological disorders seem really difficult to diagnose accurately. We are in St. Louis at a Harmonica Convention my husband attends. On the way here we stopped at a rest stop, and as I dragged myself out of the car, a man came by and asked, "What do you have that you can't make your legs work?"

I replied, "I sure wish I knew, but the doctors haven't figured it out yet."

He and his family and my husband and I had about a half hour discussion, since the man had similar problems. They told me about a supplement that they said worked miracles, but Walgreen's doesn't carry it, so we'll wait until I find a health food store for this miracle cure. Meanwhile getting up out of chairs is very difficult, and my legs feel like they weigh three hundred pounds.

At the beauty shop the other day the lady who cut my hair says one of the beauticians there has polycytitis, where she has heavy legs like I do. But she is being treated.

It makes one wonder. Are these new illnesses of modern times? Did our ancestors have them, but in those days everything was called arthritis, even if it seemed to have nothing to do with one's joints or range of motion?

Carol

I hope someone finds the answer for you, Carol, and that maybe Rainbow is on the right course to feeling better.