My feelings? Initially, not good! Just hours after I finished my last post about laughter, a horrendous week of medical surprises began. Including bad medical news received along the way!
Condensed version: Two crummy problems. One still unresolved; one that seemed to last forever.
Unusual (actually, weird) hearing issues in my left ear started this strange journey. As common with invisibly disabled people, diagnosis proved difficult. The doctor had ruled out many possibilities.
THE week
On Monday, at 5 PM, I had an MRI/MRA scheduled, a “just in case” test, as they didn’t expect to find anything. (They also checked on my long-standing brain aneurysm to be sure it remained unchanged.) Due to uncontrollable head movement from cervical dystonia, the doctor prescribed Xanax, 1 mg, 2 pills, to calm movement. The Xanax worked; my head calmed; test went fine.
Tuesday, 6 AM. I looked at my clock and decided to get up. The next thing I remember is hitting my head on the nightstand on my way to the floor. I was so weak (not my normal weakness) I could not get back up. With great difficulty, my husband, Joe, got me back into bed. Then he called 911; the paramedics came; the ambulance transported me to the hospital. ER ran tests, finding no concussion or head damage. Once home, I remained extremely weak and sleepy all day. In fact, for the next 4 days, I continued that way – improving a little each day. I still have memory lapses from that day
Five minutes after returning home from ER, I received a phone call from the doctor who ordered the MRI. He said the radiologist saw something that might be a blood clot! Bad medical news! He used the words “possible stroke.” They wanted me to have an MRV (MRI of veins) to clearly see the problem. I wanted to wait until feeling better. But the doctor was insistent, and it was scheduled for Thursday with a Friday doctor’s follow-up.
Summary of THE week
My thinking was incoherent on Tuesday, and Joe had to take care of everything. That whole week was a total loss.
Since the MRV was shorter than the MRI and my head was calmer, I used no sedatives, and it worked fine.
On Friday, the doctor said there was no clot but there was stenosis (narrowing) of the vein. More bad medical news because stenosis is serious.
On the following Monday, I saw my primary care doctor to get his take. As to the fall, he believes the Xanax caused it and the problems for the rest of the week. As to the MRV, he thinks it shows a normal condition. But he has referred me to a neurosurgeon from whom I have not heard back yet. Joe and I prefer his opinion!
That’s my story. What’s yours?
Have you received bad medical news? What did you do? What did I do? What would I do differently?
What I did
- Followed doctors’ instructions.
- Researched medical terms in the test results.
- Realized how much worse things could have been.
- Relied on my faith in God.
- Reached out to others for support.
- Remembered my laughter post and looked for anything positive.
- Joe helped in this. He told our son, “Mom took Xanax so she could fly. And she flew off the bed.”
- We watched comedy shows.
What I wished I’d done earlier
- Prepared for a medical emergency.
- Assembled information for next-of-kin, just in case.
- Made sure medical directives were easily accessible.
What you can do (based on my experience)
- Prepare beforehand in case of medical emergency.
- Have information available for emergency personnel.
- Follow doctor’s advice.
- Research.
- Keep records handy for whoever has your medical power of attorney.
- Look for the positive and humorous.
- Pray, and ask others for prayer.
- Share appropriately with friends.
- Find support from others.
Summing up
Even when expected-to-be-good tests turn out bad, we can react proactively. Some actions work better if done beforehand. Others occur after the fact. But even when unexpected bad medical problems crop up, we can take charge of our lives. Even if we need help to do it.
Observer, how have you helped a friend who received bad medical news?
Dweller, how have you dealt with a similar situation?
Investigate Further
Share Your Thoughts
Observer, how have you helped a friend who received bad medical news?
Dweller,
“3 Practical Things to Say & Do” shows how friends can help.
Tufts Medical Center published this article to help you formulate strategies about getting bad news from your doctor.
See our post “Preparing for a Medical Emergency.”
