Re: NIH experience

[Guest guest]

I'm not that tall! My PCP was upset because she had sent me to all the specialists that should have done it right but no one but my wife and I were insisting on the answer to why! (I was barely under the threshold to DX COPD so they took the easy way out and said I had COPD!) After the whole story was out my PCP pointed out that I was close to a MI and had my wife to thank for dodging tht one! (She insisted on the study and they refused at first "because I hd one 10 years earlier" She got nasty, 1st time in 42 years , and we got it approved! When they had to stop the first one because I ran out of oxygen they didn't want to schedule a second one until I got another approval! I told them it would get paid even if I had to send it to OBama (I was on "fee basis" at Dartmouth). Do you think the VA should have a Card./HTN specialist? I know, any GP can treat this!

Lesson learned: Keep the spouse around, it might save your life or in my case, after 44 years, mess around and it will end my life! (I probably could have done the same thing with a tape recorder but what fun would that be!) Hey, that's an idea, record your night and take that to your doctor if they don't think you need sleep study!

> >>> >> >>> > > I flew standby to Baltimore and was put in first class. I had > >>> a glass of Pinot Grigio and before I knew it we were landing. Got > >>> off the plane and made my way to the Super Shuttle which I had > >>> reserved since the NIH airport shuttle doesn't run on Saturday's. > >>> I was the last drop off and then the NIH experience really began. > >>> The Super Shuttle driver went to the Main Entrance which was > >>> locked. (The whole place is locked, secured, gated, manned with > >>> it's own police staff, very visibly). There was a sign to proceed > >>> to the South Entrance, so we did. The guy at the gate (armed > >>> guard) said we had to go back out to get badges and he had to get > >>> cleared through commercial vehicle inspection. I went through > >>> Checkpoint Charlie (between East and West Germany prior to the > >>> fall of the Berlin Wall) and it reminded me of that. After the > >>> dogs, the half dozen police guards, etc had cleared the van and my > >>> ID, we were given our badges and went to the South gate again. We > >>> were allowed through and he dropped me and my luggage off at the > >>> Clinical Research Center. There was no one in sight. I saw a sign > >>> at the information desk that directed me to admissions. It was > >>> quite a walk, but I found it. There was a lady there (not another > >>> soul anywhere) and she asked if she could help me? I told her my > >>> name and said I was here for admission and she found me in her > >>> system, had me sign stuff, gave me an armband and took me > >>> upstairs. Upstairs looks like a hospital. We went to the nurses > >>> station and the nurse took me to my room. He said, first order > >>> your dinner and handed me a menu and a phone. I quickly read the > >>> menu, called the number on the menu and was put on hold for 13 > >>> minutes. (Order your meals early). I ordered a spinach salad, you > >>> can put whatever you want on it and get whatever dressing you want > >>> too. I also ordered a baked potato and steamed brocolli. The salad > >>> was great. The baked potato must've been microwaved, it was weird > >>> and the brocolli was too steamed and hospital tasting. I ordered > >>> the same salad for lunch today with a grilled cheese (low fat, low > >>> sodium) sandwich and decided I might live on spinach salads while > >>> I'm here. After the dinner stuff, I got checked in by nursing > >>> staff; they went over my meds etc. and told me about the 24 hour > >>> urine testing. The whole time you are here (7-10 days), you do the > >>> urine testing...pee in a hat, transfer it to a jug, put jug in the > >>> specimin fridge in your room. After that, it was vitals and > >>> uneventful.> >>> > >> >>> > > I was awakened today at 5:30 or so; they took my vitals and > >>> told me to pee to start the urine testing. Then, I saw 3 doctors > >>> all whom were various levels of fellows and they all had consents > >>> to sign and histories to take; questions about various aspects of > >>> my health and records. I was seen by a social worker and screened > >>> for mental health issues. I was seen by a bio ethics person who > >>> wanted to make sure I knew what I was consenting to, and > >>> understood the living will documents. I am currently waiting on > >>> someone who is going to do an EKG. I had to apply for a IT > >>> security screen to get a password for the internet and it took all > >>> day today to process, but alas, I have it! I spent most of the day > >>> today with all of that and had a lot of time to get some work done > >>> that I brought with me. So, it was a pretty relaxing day and very > >>> informative.> >>> > >> >>> > > If I can, I will post how tomorrow goes, etc. I won't get any > >>> results until Thursday. Prior to Thurs, I will have done 4 days of > >>> 24 hour urine tests, tons of bloodwork ( they are putting two > >>> lines in tomorrow am), saline supression test, ct scan (with > >>> contrast), ekg, supine/upright renin/aldo, cardiac echo, US of the > >>> kidneys, dopper carotids, glucose tolerance test, dirunal cortisol > >>> and acth and an acth stim test. I am having more cardiac stuff too > >>> based on something they are worried about from today as well, but > >>> not everyone would have that. Then, I will know quite a bit of > >>> results and have a pow wow. Then we decide what to do from there > >>> based on what they have. If necessary, I would have the AVS on > >>> Friday. Then it would take a week to get those results, so I could > >>> go home on Saturday or Sunday, then they call with the AVS results > >>> and we go from there as far as surgery or whatever. I signed a > >>> thing today that I understood that they would like me to come back > >>> in a year and repeat all of this too, if I have something to > >>> follow. I don't have too, but they'd like it.> >>> > >> >>> > > So, there you have it...my NIH experience thus far!> >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> >> >>>> >>> >> >>