Nobody Told Me!
Tue., March 16, 12:39 PM
A couple of months ago, I mentioned that I had gone for a physical and come out with a large sheaf of referrals and tests. The tests included (but were not limited to) chest x-ray and mammogram, heart tests (EKG and MUGA), bone scan (not to be confused with the bone density scan, which I also had), and a CT scan. That one was last Sunday.
I figured the CT scan would be a snap. I mean, I see them all the time on The Learning Channel, and I find them fascinating. If I weren’t such a wimp, I would have gone into the medical field, and I might even be able to understand them!
Nobody told me the CT scan would involve drinking barium solution. I mean, I know about using barium to outline the organs during an x-ray, but I never saw barium on The Learning Channel. They’ve improved it over the years, but that stuff is still vile! They should include a toothbrush with every bottle. And I definitely would have chosen something different for supper the night before!
But the “best” was yet to come. Bursting with barium, I was led to the CT room, where the tech asked if I was diabetic (I am) and what I was taking for it. And when I told her, she said I shouldn’t be taking it with that test. Oh, yeah, they’d do the test – because I had already drunk the solution – but I should call my primary physician. Okay, she knows Dr. H and Dr. H knows the routine. They even had a reminder sheet for me; it said, “if you have diabetes, call your primary.”
So I called Dr. H, who is very good but currently out of the loop; she hasn’t been brought up to speed yet by all the other doctors. “Who ordered the CT scan?” she asked. Like me, Dr. H laughed at the reminder sheet; it was so helpful. And she said, don’t take that medication for a couple of days. And you need another blood test.
That’s bad; I’ve had an awful lot of pokes in just one week, including two in my “good vein” in the past two days. So she called the place that last drew blood and asked if they could include another test on what they drew. They can. Sigh of relief.
It was strange, Dr. H said, that no one warned me. Usually, if the doctor misses it, the hospital picks up on it. I finally figured it out. Never assume. I take the generic form of this medication, and that’s what’s on my chart. How foolish of me to assume that professionals would recognize it for what it is. At least, now I know.
Son asked me if I had the results of all the tests. This isn’t college, y’know, nobody tells you how you did on your exams. I usually assume that, if no one says anything, I passed. I do know that Dr. H is always on the phone whenever she gets a marginal report but, as I said, she’s out of the loop right now. I don’t get that either. When I worked for doctors, I typed an awful lot of letters to referring physicians, reporting on the outcomes of treatment and always ending, “thank you for allowing me to participate in her care.” Other times, other customs.
