Mayo Update 2
Another week, another battery of tests. This past week Christy had 2 CAT scans, an MRI, 2 urine tests, a blood test, a mammogram and lots of consultations.
Bottom Line: We still haven't found what's causing Christy's heart palpitations or why those palpitations lead to dizziness and/or pain. And Christy has run out of sick and vacation time, so we have come home for now. BUT we have fast-forwarded the process a lot. We got maybe 6 months' worth of tests done in 2 weeks. And we've pretty much ruled out neurological problems and cancer. We've also ruled out any problems with the structure of the heart (i.e. leakage of blood from the heart or within chambers).
We're torn between relief that it isn't any one of the serious problems we were testing for...and massive frustration that we still haven't found the answer while these symptoms continue to afflict Christy.
The plan from here? Mayo's sending a 24-hour heart monitor to test more thoroughly whether there's some sort of electrical problem in her heart. If that doesn't show anything, we may look at whether there's a hormonal problem causing the heart to go haywire.
We arrived back in Atlanta late Friday night. Saturday we spent celebrating Christy's birthday by shopping at random places, hanging around the Chattahoochee River, and trying and (with some difficulty) succeeding at ordering authentic Mexican food at a place where hardly anybody speaks English. It was good to remember there's more to life than illness.
Thanks again, everybody, for your support, prayers and love. They made a huge difference in our ability to soldier on through the week. We're back in town now and will be continuing with our lives for the time being while thinking about our next plan of attack. If there's anything else to report, I'll let you know.
Bottom Line: We still haven't found what's causing Christy's heart palpitations or why those palpitations lead to dizziness and/or pain. And Christy has run out of sick and vacation time, so we have come home for now. BUT we have fast-forwarded the process a lot. We got maybe 6 months' worth of tests done in 2 weeks. And we've pretty much ruled out neurological problems and cancer. We've also ruled out any problems with the structure of the heart (i.e. leakage of blood from the heart or within chambers).
We're torn between relief that it isn't any one of the serious problems we were testing for...and massive frustration that we still haven't found the answer while these symptoms continue to afflict Christy.
The plan from here? Mayo's sending a 24-hour heart monitor to test more thoroughly whether there's some sort of electrical problem in her heart. If that doesn't show anything, we may look at whether there's a hormonal problem causing the heart to go haywire.
We arrived back in Atlanta late Friday night. Saturday we spent celebrating Christy's birthday by shopping at random places, hanging around the Chattahoochee River, and trying and (with some difficulty) succeeding at ordering authentic Mexican food at a place where hardly anybody speaks English. It was good to remember there's more to life than illness.
Thanks again, everybody, for your support, prayers and love. They made a huge difference in our ability to soldier on through the week. We're back in town now and will be continuing with our lives for the time being while thinking about our next plan of attack. If there's anything else to report, I'll let you know.
posted by Ben at
8:58 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home