I LOVE THE U OF U! (hospital)

Well, I finally left Central Utah Clinic entirely when the new doctor suggested, about 2 minutes after me telling him that I have Celiac's, that my swelling was due to too much pasta and bread in my diet. REALLY?! Do you really pay so little attention to your patients that you miss that HUGE detail that effects every single system in the body? So, I left, and filed a complaint with the head of the department, who actually got back to me and was pretty appalled at my level of care. I'm glad he knows that his department is horrible, but it doesn't change the fact that I have more answers in the 72 hours I've spent under the care of the doctors at the University of Utah Hospital than I have in 3 months with his doctors.  Oh well, live and learn, right?

Doing a complete 180 from that experience, I had my first appointment with the UofU pulmonology clinic on Wednesday, and they not only spent over an hour evaluating me and getting every single piece of history they could think of, but they ordered blood work, another Pulmonary Function Test, a walking O2 test, a CT of my chest, and scheduled a bronchoscopy for today! With all of that, we've ruled out all the scary stuff! Yay! There are no blood clots in my lungs, no tumors or masses obstructing my airway, and the bronchoscopy showed that I have a piece of tissue that's falling down over my voice box and obstructing my airway, and probably some apnea that's just exacerbating the situation. It's not something Dr. Hatton is familiar with, or specializes in, but he is consulting an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, going over all my scans and scope, and coming up with a treatment plan, that will probably be finalized next week! The end of this mess is in sight! Yes, I'll probably have to get that little, annoying piece of skin taken out of my throat, but it's a solution! I'll be feeling better! I cannot accurately describe the level of relief I have, and the complete trust I have, not only in the doctors at the U, but in the entire staff. My experience up there has been wonderful.

Lastly, I need to thank my Nana for being my support and advocate through all of this. She really has been my angel throughout this process, and held my hand through many tests, including the nerve-wracking prep for my procedure today. She's dropped everything to make sure I have the best care available, and I am forever grateful to her for her selfless love that she shows to me time and time again. We were talking about how our Heavenly Father places earthly and heavenly angels in our path to help us in times of need, and I am so sure that she is one of those angels that our Father relies on to help take care of his children, because she shows this level of love not only to her family, but to every person who is lucky enough to know her. So, THANK YOU NANA! I love you so much!

This waiting game is hard!

      Well, this week I went back to my Cardiologist for a follow up, and he said that he is pretty sure my heart is healthy, which is great! We still don't know what's happening though, so he ordered the next round of tests. I had more blood work and a chest x-ray, which both came back normal, this Wednesday I'll be having an ultrasound of the blood vessels in my legs, and next Wednesday I'll have a pulmonary function test done.

     At this past visit my amazing Nana came with me to be my support, advocate, and extra set of ears. She more than rose to the occasion and in her unique way, called the doctor out on his lack of answers for us thus far. She and I both were underwhelmed with his bedside manner and his ability to answer questions, and when I asked a question about whether we had ruled out a specific condition and got the answer "probably", we both decided it was time to change doctors. So, after this next round of tests, I'll be seeing a new cardiologist who will hopefully be more ready to answer my questions and walk me through this anxious time.

   My biggest issue with my previous cardiologist was that he didn't approach my concerns with any sense of urgency. Yes, I know I'm not dying right this second, but my condition, whatever it is, is still urgent to me. If my experience with doctors not diagnosing my celiacs for 9 months taught me anything, it's that I have to be my own advocate. And the fact is, I don't currently have enough energy to be the mother and wife that I want to be, so this is very urgent, and I will stand up for myself and find a doctor who will treat it as such. Hopefully we'll get some answers over these next few weeks, and hopefully this next doctor will be better suited to answer my questions.

     Thank you so much to my family and friends who have continually offered support and love, and thank you, thank you, thank you to my amazing Nana! I love her so much, and she's helping me through another scary time, and just having her with me makes me feel better. I'll keep you all updated as I know more!