update

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YWD
YWD Member Posts: 32
edited 3. Feb 2015, 10:15 in Living with Arthritis archive
Ultrasound is now booked for 16th feb :)

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  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    I like ultrasounds - the gel is very pretty albeit cold and they don't hurt, they're not noisy and they don't take long! Good luck, I hope it provides an answer or two for you but I doubt you'll be be told on the day because those who scan are usually not trained to interpret results. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • YWD
    YWD Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    I want to see if they will let me have a copy of the scans :)
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,281
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hello YWD.they do let you have copy's of your scans and xrays, but you have to pay.. :roll: ..I think they are around £10..suppose it depends on your NHS trust...good Luck with it
    Love
    Barbara
  • YWD
    YWD Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    I'd be happy to pay, its not everyday you get to see your insides :)
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,716
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Well, I saw mine yesterday on the colonoscopy screen and, to be honest, I prefer Last Tango in Halifax :wink:

    Just a word of warning – it's one thing to see these things and altogether another to see what they mean. Medic is a foreign language. Don't expect to understand them, or their implications.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • YWD
    YWD Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    well, i thought the pain in my sternum couldn't get worse, but hey... it has proven me wrong.
    only another 2 weeks till my ultrasound then i can hassle the rheumy for some preds to try to kick it into touch... maybe the lifestyle is to blame a little, but i'm not going to change it, i won't let it beat me :x
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,716
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Do be careful. In your desire to not let it (the arthritis) beat you you could end up being defeated by pred instead. It's OK for a brief respite but, long-term, will inflict as much damage as the arthritis. It's just not as obvious so we remain blissfully unaware.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • YWD
    YWD Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    a brief respite would be lovely :)

    i'm sure the rheumy will only give me a short term prescription, last time 2 weeks worth gave me about 3 month respite :)
  • YWD
    YWD Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Ok... i get home today to a letter from the clinic saying the rheumy has cancelled my ultrasound.
    In the letter is a copy of the letter to my GP sent just aver my appointment on 7th Jan and his hand written notes at the bottom from this week after reviewing my bloods, urine and x-rays. Its all gobbledygook to me and hard to decipher his writing.
    I called the clinic but hes not there till monday but i have requested he call me to explain the results and where to go from here.

    Basically i think his notes say.....
    blood tests show... RL factor 51.4, anti CCP 410, CRP 51, ESR 69, V RATE 252, ALT 86, YLT (or VLT) 485.
    he states to stop using naproxen in view of abnormal liver function test and might refer me to hepatoligist.
    He also recommended to my GP that i go on to 10mg daily of prednisolone and will arrange DMARD once LFT are normal.

    I understand a little, but the values mean nothing, i dont know if they are good or bad :)
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,716
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    The only one that I'm familiar with is the ALT levels ie liver function test as mine's done regularly owing to the methotrexate. It should be below 40. In your situation I'd make an appointment with my GP to discuss it.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Ah, one of the greatest joys of being copied in is that one does not necessarily understand the import of the letter. Your liver figure of 86 is on the high side (my hospital gets antsy when it rises above 50) and the CRP and ESR are measures of inflammation - the closer to zero the better. If I find one I'll check the back of my meth booklet to see if it lists the others.

    The prednisolone gift horse is one whose mouth should definitely be looked at. It only masks the symptoms and its long-term use can have a catastrophic effect on the rest of the body. It has a role to play but it is not an answer. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • YWD
    YWD Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    so.... i wanted to talk to the rheumy to clarify what the results meant and the way forward, i didn't get to speak to him, but the receptionist did on my behalf and she just called me......

    basically..... my liver is fine, in the notes, 'Receptionist' noticed he referred to me as a she and pointed that out.... they looked into it and it turns out, the guy is an idiot and these were someone else's results with the same surname.... but my ultrasound was already now cancelled and reassigned, so i have to wait for a new one now... another 2 or 3 week delay.

    makes you wonder how often this happens ??
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,716
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    I would hope not very often but I guess it happens more to people with surnames that are more familiar than others. Who knows who is to blame, anyway? I doubt the rheumatologist does his own filing or retrieving of files and certainly won't remember every patient. How could they? Good job it was spotted, though. I hope the scan goes well.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
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