Results Trickling In
While nothing final has been decided, results of the host of tests are slowly trickling in. And so far, the news is pretty good. Of the 11 vials of blood I left with the rheumatologist, only two things came back as abnormal: my potassium was just a little low (nothing a banana or two can't fix), and my ANA titer remains high. The good news in all of that is that the results of several tests specific to lupus came back negative. It's not ruled out yet, but so far it looks as though this might not be lupus, which is something I've personally been praying for. Every disease it's NOT gets us closer to discovering what disease it IS...
Today I had an ultrasound to follow up on a cyst they'd found in my right breast during the course of my cardiac MRI. In the midst of all the other mess of symptoms and tests, I hadn't told many people about this one. I honestly wasn't very concerned about it, at least until the doctor's office called a few weeks ago to tell me they wanted to schedule an ultrasound and a mammogram to make sure the cyst wasn't anything concerning. I had a little moment of dread when I realized this could be yet another problem. I went to the appointment today, half hoping they wouldn't be able to find the cyst at all. The bad news is, they did. The good news is, after reviewing the images, the radiologist determined that the cyst is benign and shouldn't be concerning. They even cancelled the mammogram! (phew...)
I also had my stress test today, to follow up on the abnormal finding on my cardiac MRI. I was a little nervous about this one, because walking in general has been challenging on the bad days. I talked things over with the exercise physiologist beforehand, and we decided to go ahead and give it a go today. I was able to walk long enough to get my heart rate up and get a really good picture of the rhythm. My heart rate was fast, but regular. So far it doesn't look like there is any evidence of ischemia, although they will review the strip before coming to any final conclusions. They did record my heart rate both sitting and standing, though, and were able to document that my heart rate runs in the 80s when I'm sitting, jumping up to the 120s when I stand. I'm hoping that will give the cardiologist some more insight into the episodes like the one that landed me in ER a couple of weeks ago. I will be following up with him in a few days.
All in all, it was a good day. I kind of gave it everything I had during the stress test, so by the time I got home I was pretty much wiped out for the day. But we got the studies, and the initial results are encouraging. Next up: scheduling the EMG (I've run into some hiccups with the different doctor's offices), follow-up with the cardiologist, and follow-up with the rheumatologist.
For those keeping score at home, I spent some time today tallying my doctor appointments, tests, and labs, just for kicks. My running total is 21 so far, since December 6. And today I added an unexpected vet appointment to the list, for a sick dog (he's fine now). I've probably spent more time in waiting rooms this year than anywhere else!
Today I had an ultrasound to follow up on a cyst they'd found in my right breast during the course of my cardiac MRI. In the midst of all the other mess of symptoms and tests, I hadn't told many people about this one. I honestly wasn't very concerned about it, at least until the doctor's office called a few weeks ago to tell me they wanted to schedule an ultrasound and a mammogram to make sure the cyst wasn't anything concerning. I had a little moment of dread when I realized this could be yet another problem. I went to the appointment today, half hoping they wouldn't be able to find the cyst at all. The bad news is, they did. The good news is, after reviewing the images, the radiologist determined that the cyst is benign and shouldn't be concerning. They even cancelled the mammogram! (phew...)
I also had my stress test today, to follow up on the abnormal finding on my cardiac MRI. I was a little nervous about this one, because walking in general has been challenging on the bad days. I talked things over with the exercise physiologist beforehand, and we decided to go ahead and give it a go today. I was able to walk long enough to get my heart rate up and get a really good picture of the rhythm. My heart rate was fast, but regular. So far it doesn't look like there is any evidence of ischemia, although they will review the strip before coming to any final conclusions. They did record my heart rate both sitting and standing, though, and were able to document that my heart rate runs in the 80s when I'm sitting, jumping up to the 120s when I stand. I'm hoping that will give the cardiologist some more insight into the episodes like the one that landed me in ER a couple of weeks ago. I will be following up with him in a few days.
All in all, it was a good day. I kind of gave it everything I had during the stress test, so by the time I got home I was pretty much wiped out for the day. But we got the studies, and the initial results are encouraging. Next up: scheduling the EMG (I've run into some hiccups with the different doctor's offices), follow-up with the cardiologist, and follow-up with the rheumatologist.
For those keeping score at home, I spent some time today tallying my doctor appointments, tests, and labs, just for kicks. My running total is 21 so far, since December 6. And today I added an unexpected vet appointment to the list, for a sick dog (he's fine now). I've probably spent more time in waiting rooms this year than anywhere else!
