Followers

10 December 2008

We Interrupt Advent for this bulletin

I've put off telling about this as long as I decently can. Kiereney went back to the neurosurgeon yesterday to see what he planned to do about redoing her surgery...he claimed in September that her ventricles in the brain were too small to put the programmable shunt in there to drain excess spinal fluid(she was diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri) so he put a lumbar peritoneal shunt(read piece of tubing that drains her spinal fluid 24/7 instead of a programmable shunt that only drains excess spinal fluid when her spinal fluid pressure gets too high). After 2 weeks of no headaches, the headaches came back at the end of September. In November he put her in the hospital to do a cisternogram(basically sending radioactive dye through her shunt to make sure it was not clogged up and it was not). He called another neurosurgeon consult while she was in the hospital and this man said that too little spinal fluid could cause the same headaches and loss of peripheral vision as too much. We were sent back to the neurologist who agreed and said that she has too little spinal fluid now because the shunt(think Foley catheter) is draining her 24/7 of fluid. We went back to the neurosurgeon who did the surgery yesterday and he agreed with all of the above but said her ventricles were too small and hemmed and hawed around about if a programmable shunt could be put in where the LP tubing is now to control the amount of fluid pumped off and then said, "Well I can refer you to this neurosurgeon in St. Louis who I've referred to before. He has more time than I do to sit around and figure out what to do with your daughter!" So now this referred-to neurosurgeon is being sent her medical records/tests and he will decide if he can see her as a patient because she does not have insurance...

All of your thoughts/comments appreciated and then I'll tell you where my head is at on this one.

10 comments:

Wonderful World of Weiners said...

Did you EFFING kick that jack ass doctor in the ass?

H

Debra said...

Ness,

I am going to have to give this one some thought. I cannot believe the additude that some of these doctors have. How dare he dismiss KJ and you like that.

I am so sorry that this is still continuing.

Hugs,
Deb

kim-d said...

Ummm...excuse me? EXCUSE ME? This pompous ass doesn't have the time to sit around and figure out what's wrong with your daughter? So he isn't anxious to admit that what it really is, is that he DOES NOT KNOW how to handle it. Right about now, all I can say is, if that sorry excuse for a person is still ambulatory, he's lucky. Ya don't mess with Mama's babies...

Asshole. (sorry, Ness, but he IS!)

Michelle said...

WTF! He did not say that? You must be a saint because I would not be that calm. I would have been cussing him out to no end. I am so sorry that you are going through all of this. I hope for brighter days soon.

Debbie said...

OMG some doctors!! I just don't understand. I don't think I'd pay him for that visit!!I hope that you gave him the what for!!

Can Kiereney get any public assistance, like medicaid? Seems she would be eligible if she isn't able to work.

Prayers going up Ness, but then they do everyday.
ILY

God Bless~
Debbie

Mary Ellen said...

He doesn't have TIME to do his JOB? What a creep.

I wish I had any idea at all what you could/should do. You are the most amazingly strong person, and KJ is lucky to have you in her corner.

I hope you take notes on what each doctor says and when. Document, document, document everything!

Overflowing Brain said...

If your head is not blown off and living on the ceiling of that doctor's office, than you're a better woman than I do.

If he's part of a practice, call and complain. If he's not, there are about 10,000,000 websites devoted to rating doctors. Go on EVERY SINGLE ONE of them.

And then go to St. Louis and get your daughter the help she needs from a doctor who might care. Let us know if there's anything we can do. I hear a little paypal button on a blog can go a long way.

Overflowing Brain said...

Wow, what a horrible typo. That should say, "a better woman than I AM" not than I do.

Hope that at least made you laugh a little.

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

I think you should bring her here, to the Neuro ICU where I work. We don't have a-holes like that around here.
What an ass!

Tonjia said...

well I am not surprised by the attitude. We always say whats the difference between God and a surgeon? God knows he isnt a surgeon!

I know that Kierney could get fabulous care at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, they welcome cases like hers. And there are many other teaching hospitals out there who would do the same.

I am so sorry that you guys have to go through this, Kierney must really be a strong young woman, she is in my prayers.