Hi SARA~~~~~~

barbaranoela · Post by **barbaranoela** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:03 am

How did your MRI go???? and how are U feeling----any GOOD new changes??

Please do let us know how things are--

:bigbighug:

Barbara

Sara East · Post by **Sara East** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 5:49 pm

Thanks for asking :) I posted under the other thread, not sure if you saw it but things are good, no brain tumor! Still not sure why blood tests are coming back abnormal and the rheumatologist has run out of ideas. I think he's writing it off as "I don't know." Since I'm not having any side effects (just strange antibodies in my blood) they're not going to do anything. I plan on going to Boston for more help with my LC and I'll bring it up then I guess. I'm just having a really hard time with the "system" and my prescriptions and the way office personnel have been treating me. I'll have to post soon about some of the things they've said and done to me, I get so freaking mad I can understand why people go postal lol :)

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Wed Jul 09, 2008 6:14 pm

I know what you mean about going postal because of my GI and her staff. They have too many patients is my guess since I have yet to be in the office.

The nice people at EnteroLab can't get to my doc either. They did say go GF in the meantime which I thought was nice. Of course, I knew it from PP.

Actually, I did just go postal with my nsdh. I threw a raw egg to the side of him when I really felt like hitting him.

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:03 am

Morning Sara,

Has your doctor recommended a hemotologist for the abnormal cells in the blood? That was the first thing that was recommended to me when I had abnormal sized platlelettes (sp?). Found out later it was because my folic acid was at zero. Might want to ask about that.

Maggie

Sara East · Post by **Sara East** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 10:02 am

Hmm, I think a hematogologist is the only "ologist" I haven't seen yet :) I didn't even think of it. It seems most of the GI offices have a LONG wait. Is there just that few of them or is there just that many people with GI issues? I'm working on my 5th new place and every time I switch I have at least a 4month wait until my 1st appointment. Is it the same for you all too? I found out my GI office I'm at now only sends a copy of people's medical records once, after that it's a $1 per page and I have a HUGE file. Why can't they just send it through the web? It's free and easy. I didn't know this until I requested my records be sent to a specialist in Boston a month or so ago. I got a big package in the mail that had all my GI medical records with a nasty note saying they only send copies once, after that it is a dollar a page (this part was underlined in black ink) and that they will be billing me for the records they sent me since this is the second time I requested them to be sent somewhere. They suggested if I need my records sent anywhere else to make a copy of them and send them myself. I thought that was completely insane, in this day and age they should have no problem uploading my file and sending it via internet to Boston, it would've been way easier than copying everything and sending it to my house with a nasty gram! I guess it's just a way for them make more money but that was one of many times I thought for sure I was going postal lol! The raw egg thing sounds like a great idea but I may get arrested for that and I don't think I can use a jail potty where you have to go in front of everyone! ;)

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 10:27 am

The raw egg is what I had in my hand when he pi**ed me off! NSDH even cleaned it up.......I think I would have left it for a memorial if he hadn't.

He was complaining because I put his egg frying pan in the sink with water to soak. He didn't like that or realize I was about to make eggs in another pan. His back was to me. He was a bit surprised when the egg made a nice splat on the counter and tiled wall. He said later that he thought that my dinner was GF waffles and applesauce. He hadn't realized I was making eggs for myself.

Sara East · Post by **Sara East** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 10:41 am

Good thing it was an egg and not a frying pan lol! Your nsdh sounds a little like my 5 year old son, he gets so mad about something he doesn't take a second to look at what I'm doing and usually I'm doing what ever it is he wants and is crying about :D

JLH · Post by **JLH** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 12:27 pm

How right you are.........

Post by **tex** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 1:58 pm

Sara,

The ban on "e-mailing" records is probably due to a security policy. Many hospitals have rather tight security requirements on transferring patient records, and refuse to fax, or e-mail them, (presumably due to laibility concerns). The last time someone at my doctor's office told me they couldn't fax or e-mail any of my records, (even to me), I pointed out that after I received them, I would have absolutely no reservations about posting them on the internet for the whole world to see, if anyone wanted to see them, but apparently many/most patients don't feel that way, and the current policies are probably due to past litigation issues.

That said, their position is a "cop-out", because they could use a secure form of data transmission to handle it. Almost all medium to large size businesses use what is known as EDI, (Electronic Data Interchange), to handle BTB, (Business To Business), transactions, these days. Hell, I'm just a little hole-in-the-wall operator, but when I was supplying bagged corn to major chain stores, I used EDI for purchase orders, delivery confirmations, invoicing, etc. It's a requirement, if you intend to do business with major chains.

Hospitals are notorious for using obsolete methods for doing business, (and for treating patients, for that matter, LOL). They're often simply not willing to spend the money to upgrade their technology, and EDI, for example, requires expensive custom software, and technical expertise in expediting it, and coordinating it. Hospitals need to get their act together, and join the technological revolution that has been passing them by, for years. Typically, by the time they get around to adopting new technology, it's often already obsolete. I'm sure they claim that they're doing the best they can, with the money and staff that they have available, but generally speaking, they're far behind other sectors of society, regarding the integration of new technology. They are definitely not what I would call "early adoptors".

Tex

Sara East · Post by **Sara East** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:07 pm

Ahhh, that makes total sense, I never even thought about that. My regular family doctor is all online and I can set up appointments, ask questions, get the results of tests, and even check my list of meds all online. I just assumed most places were like that but I guess not. I'm with you in that I don't care who sees my medical records, unless I was being treated for some mental disorder that I was embarrassed about (not that anyone should be embarrassed about a mental disorder, you can't help it), I don't care who sees that I was treated for kidney stones or had a surgery for an ectopic pregnancy :) You are such a wealth of information, I wish I had "met" you years ago lol! I bet it was frustrating dealing with companies that still did everything on paper. It's good to back things up with paper but other than that there's no need for it. I was going to ask the other day, where in Texas do you live? I used to live in Dallas in my late teens/early 20's. I loved it there but not enough climbing to keep me :)

Sara East · Post by **Sara East** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 3:10 pm

Oh, one other thing, how do I get a picture on my profile like some of you have? It's nice to put a face with a member. I think I read something about sending it in an email to you?

Post by **tex** » Thu Jul 10, 2008 4:55 pm

I live about 120 miles south of Dallas, about halfway between Waco and Austin, in the narrow strip of farming country known as the blacklands, which is a strip of Houston black clay, that runs from above Paris down to near San Antonio, and mostly parallels the Balcones Fault, (IOW, just east of I35, except that it veers off toward the east, at the upper end). Yep, there aren't many climbing opportunities in most of Texas. LOL. These days, I get my climbing exercise by climbing to the tops of grain tanks, to check levels, and to open and close lids, when filling them with grain. Rather boring, of course, as climbing goes.

When I was younger, I used to go out to New Mexico nearly every year and enjoy the mountains, and the change of scenery. I love the high country around Angel Fire, NM, and west of there, around Chama, but I find the high desert mountains of the Gila Wilderness, in southwestern NM, to be totally fascinating - I love that rugged scenery, and I wish I lived closer.

Sure, if you will e-mail me an image file, I'll be more than happy to turn it into an avatar. If you want special cropping, or "touching up", (such as to remove someone, or something, or changing the background, or whatever), just add those instructions, otherwise, I'll just use my best judgment.

Tex

Sara East · Post by **Sara East** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:15 pm

I've never been to your neck of the woods before, I mostly stayed in Dallas, I visited Houston once, and watched the fireworks on the sea wall in the Gulf as a kid...that was fun! I would love, LOVE to visit the high desert once, I bet it is absolutely fantastic! I also have Arches National Park on my list of things to see in my lifetime. It's funny you mentioned silos for climbing. There is a climbing gym some where near Dallas I used to go to and it was a bunch of grain silos turned into climbing walls. It was the best gym I've been to because they are so tall you can make the climbs multi-pitch and practice rope work. The inside was full of tunnels leading to big rooms with tons of climbs on every surface and you could even climb on the outside of the silos at night because of big spotlights. I have to say climbing has become difficult with LC. I grew up in NC and spent a lot of time aid climbing. That's where you take all your gear and sleep on the side of the mountain on a porta ledge because the wall is so steep and long it takes more than one day to get up it. To use the bathroom you have to take a PVC pipe with two ends on it and go in there, not much privacy and room to go. Since I've gotten LC and 3 kids I haven't been able to do any big walls like that. Could you imagine going in a PVC pipe with colitis. I couldn't just tell my partner, "Stop climbing a second, I have to GO!" every 2 seconds lol :) Okay, dumb question, but where do I find your email address and can I send the picture as an attachment? I'm not very computer literate!

Post by **tex** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:53 pm

You've got me waaaaaaaaaay outclassed - I've never done any climbing that required a rope, and I've never, (nor do I ever plan to, LOL), done any climbing were I would have to spend the night on a ledge, and use a piece of PVC pipe whenever nature calls.

The closest I ever come to that is occasionally using a safety harness, and/or a rope to hoist up parts or tools, when it becomes necessary to replace parts on a grain elevator leg, or something of that sort, at the top of a silo, and those little excursions rarely take longer than an hour or two. Yep, the sort of climbing you're talking about, and MC, definitely do not go together. LOL.

Hopefully, in a few months, you'll have your symptoms under control, and you'll be able to start using your climbing gear again, without having to worry about "unplanned" interruptions.

To send me an email, just click on the button at the bottom of this box, that says "email". And yes, you can send the image file as an attachment.

Likewise, if you want to send someone a pm, (personal message), just click on the "pm" button at the bottom of any post that was written by the person to whom you wish to send a pm. If you have any problems with any of this stuff, please don't to hesitate to ask about it.

Tex

Sara East · Post by **Sara East** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:16 pm

Okay, I "think" I sent it...let me know if you got the email and picture. Like I said, I'm pretty computer illiterate ;)
Sara