News From the Doctor!
Jan. 28th, 2015 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stormdogIt was damned coincidentally convenient that I decided to drive today; otherwise I would have ended up biking to Racine from school, and I don't know what the bike path between those points is like right now.
My doctor is having me take some over-the-counter anti-dizziness medication for the dizziness that's manifested in the last week (the new dizziness) as a treatment for symptoms. He thinks I may have a viral inner ear infection, though my ears look okay. If the issue doesn't go away, we'll investigate more. I do hope it starts improving; today, it seems to be slowly getting more pronounced.
For the light-headedness and fainting feeling when lifting objects or standing up that manifested about a year ago (the old dizziness), he referred me to a neurologist. It doesn't sound like a stroke, he says, but he's not sure what it sounds like. So they're going to call me at some point and I'll get checked out. I'm really glad to have a doctor who's responsive and willing to send me to specialists even when I'm on Badgercare/Medicaid. It's a really happy change from my experience in trying to make an appointment with a dentist. Or with a doctor, for that matter, prior to my current one being recommended to me. I called one place that said their first new-patient slot was over a year away. Over a year!
The nurse tried to measure my pulse and oxygen with one of those sensors that clip on your fingers. She couldn't get a reading on the first couple fingers she tried; they had turned white, cold, and numb as they often do. Since they were still that way when the doctor came in, I asked about that, too. He confirmed my thought that it's Reynaud's Phenomenon, and that there really isn't anything that needs to be done for it. He offered to give me medication that would provide some symptomatic relief; it's an older blood pressure medication, he said, that helps restore blood flow to extremities more quickly in that situation. But I declined. It's not dangerous, and I'd rather have as few medications in me as possible to avoid side effects and complications.
So back to work tomorrow for my last day of the week before driving off to Madison to meet Danae. I'll have to see how I'm feeling in the morning. I may end up driving again.
My doctor is having me take some over-the-counter anti-dizziness medication for the dizziness that's manifested in the last week (the new dizziness) as a treatment for symptoms. He thinks I may have a viral inner ear infection, though my ears look okay. If the issue doesn't go away, we'll investigate more. I do hope it starts improving; today, it seems to be slowly getting more pronounced.
For the light-headedness and fainting feeling when lifting objects or standing up that manifested about a year ago (the old dizziness), he referred me to a neurologist. It doesn't sound like a stroke, he says, but he's not sure what it sounds like. So they're going to call me at some point and I'll get checked out. I'm really glad to have a doctor who's responsive and willing to send me to specialists even when I'm on Badgercare/Medicaid. It's a really happy change from my experience in trying to make an appointment with a dentist. Or with a doctor, for that matter, prior to my current one being recommended to me. I called one place that said their first new-patient slot was over a year away. Over a year!
The nurse tried to measure my pulse and oxygen with one of those sensors that clip on your fingers. She couldn't get a reading on the first couple fingers she tried; they had turned white, cold, and numb as they often do. Since they were still that way when the doctor came in, I asked about that, too. He confirmed my thought that it's Reynaud's Phenomenon, and that there really isn't anything that needs to be done for it. He offered to give me medication that would provide some symptomatic relief; it's an older blood pressure medication, he said, that helps restore blood flow to extremities more quickly in that situation. But I declined. It's not dangerous, and I'd rather have as few medications in me as possible to avoid side effects and complications.
So back to work tomorrow for my last day of the week before driving off to Madison to meet Danae. I'll have to see how I'm feeling in the morning. I may end up driving again.
