funny thing happened on the way to Christmas

Good Morning All. It has been a while. I see Electric Frank is still pacing everyone. What an inspiration for all on this board. It is has been an eventful time for me, including job elimination, finding a new job, working three days and having an accute Gall Bladder attack, leading to its removal and demise... much to my relief.
But one thing happened that made me want to YELL to everyone on this board, don't ever let your guard down....
I went to the hospital at 4:30am on Sunday morning (12/9)... not bad time to go, no one was there in the little one horse town. They got me processed through admission in record time. The little clerk did turn green once while my friend was holding my head as I hurled. Wasn't a pleasant time. But they did get me through quickly and started anit-nausea and lots of pain meds. One I was allergic too, but benedryl took care of that. Then they did a sonagram and confirmed I had gall stones..... I think I could have told them that by then, but tests are test. They did an EKG and then an electro cardiogram. Note..... I had my Medtronic card with me and it was photocopied and put in my record. Oh... I was 150 miles away from home when all this happened.
They decided I had a stone escape and wanted to confirm before surgery. They came to the door with the clipboard and began to wheel me out to go for an MRI.......... Well, with 3 narcotics, and lots of nasea medicine I came out of my stupor long enough to yell NO - Pacemaker!!!! My friend with me knew about the PM and the No MRI so she followed up and made sure they didn't do it. But, Beware people... Even with the documenation and me telling them, they still were heading me toward doom.
The hospital was so small they didn't have the equipment to do an ERCP... some scope down the throat thing. It is really somthing they put down your throat and then turn this elephant loose in your belly, but I really can't complain. They transfered me by ambulance to a larger hospital in a city about 35 miles away. WOW... with all the PM and stuff, I never rode in an ambulance before. Wish I could remember it.
I guess you figured out I survived. The scope was no fun, caused all sorts of problems, but the gall bladder was removed 3 days after the scope when some of the problems settled down. I am home now and looking forward to a very slimmed down Christmas, and possibly returning to my brand new job before the first of the year. Hope they see fit to keep me. It is my dream retirement job. If you ever come through West Memphis Arkansas, I work at the Visitor Center and will give you maps and lots of Arkansas information.... as soon as I learn it all.
Yall have a Verrry Merry Christmas and a Happy New year and remember doctors and nurses don't always listen or process information so stay alert.
Thanks again to all on this board, even though I don't visit often, I know it is a lifeline for many as it was for me.

3 Comments

Good Catch!

by agelbert - 2012-12-18 03:12:31

Thanks for sharing the fact that you were able to prevent an MRI. We must always remain vigilant as hospitals, regardless of what many people believe, are the scene of too many potentially lethal medical errors, particularly, but not always, as your experience denotes, in the administration of medication and dosage of said medication.

Since you gave us the heads up on the MRI and the hospital inattention to your pacemaker, I would like to take this opportunity to inform my fellow pacemaker implantees of a carcinogenic procedure that cardiologists and electrophysiologists just LOVE to make you go through: THE NUCLEAR STRESS TEST .

For those that will "tut tut" my claim that it is carcinogenic, I give this information on radiation exposure for different types of procedures involving x-rays and AVERAGE exposure in milliSieverts (mSv).

X-ray chest = 0.1 mSv
Mammgram = 0.4
X-ray abdominal = 0.7
X-ray, lumbar spine = 1.5
CT head = 2
CT, cardiac for calcium scoring = 3
Nuclear imaging, bone scan = 6.3
CT, spine = 6
CT, chest = 7
CT, colonoscopy = 10
CT = angiogram = 16
CT, whole body = 20 or more (variable)
Nuclear imaging, cardiac stress test = 40.7 mSv

In other words, the nuclear stress test equals 407 chest x-rays!
A worker in a nuclear power plant is allowed a MAXIMUM of 3 mSv PER YEAR because of the carcinogenic effects of radiation exposure. Don't take that nuclear stress test unless there is no other option. I had one that was TOTALLY unnecessary in 2007 AFTER I had the pacemaker implanted (before implantation, I had an echocardiogram and during the implantion the fluoroscope use- which bombards you with a LOT of x-rays too - gave an excellent view of my heart anatomy and physiology). Had I known what I know now I would not have allowed it. I have since developed a swollen bone growth in the middle lower portion of my rib cage that the doctors just say is a "spur". Maybe but who knows? At any rate, I'm passing this on to you so you understand that the Cardiolite they pump into you and the massive x-raying you go through in a nuclear stress tests has high carcinogenic risk. Here's the source to the stats for those who wish to claim the nuclear stress test is "safe"; it's not! It's a trade off when a heart procedure might save your life but you still have radically increased the probability of cancer down the road. Do it if you have to but know the risks associated with it.

Metttier FA, et al. "Effective Doses in Radiology and diagnostic Nuclear Medicine: A Catalog," Radiology (July 2008), Vol. 248, pp: 254-63.

wow

by Tracey_E - 2012-12-18 12:12:10

It's scary how little they can pay attention sometimes! So very glad you are here and are ok. The new job sounds like a lot of fun, fingers crossed you get back to it soon. Merry Christmas to you.

How could you?

by ElectricFrank - 2012-12-19 01:12:07

In both cases the hospital was trying to increase the bottom line revenue, and you spoiled it. The injuries the procedures would have caused would have required further expensive treatment, but you blew ti for them. LOL

My congratulations for taking charge of your situation at a time when you were going through your own discomfort. It's not easy to confront a bunch of green gowns.

frank

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