|
Post by susan on Mar 3, 2015 12:27:07 GMT -6
Oh I agree. I think that is is getting harder to get pre-authorization for MRIs. Our symptoms don't easily fit the pattern of other more common spinal problems. That was why I pointed out my MD, who is a great doc, didn't suspect a spine problem from my symptoms and yet I had so much compression that I started rapidly getting worse, almost by the day. He only ordered the MRI when I asked about a chiropractor. Our symptoms may not fit the check boxes the person at the insurance company is filling in (sometimes that is literally what they are doing, checking boxes). I know that it is to reign in costs by limiting expensive tests, but it might be at the expense of the zebras.
Renee, sorry to hear about your husband, hope he is recovering well. You do need to take care of yourself too;-)
|
|
|
Post by Antoni on Feb 13, 2016 10:04:26 GMT -6
Hi there, I write this from Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain), my symptoms began in late 2014, with right shoulder pain, in April the left hand and then the right started to numbless, in May I began to notice that I was walking wrong, the month of July was already much worse walking wearily and reeling a bit.
Then I went to the doctor who made me a blood test and it went well and told me to return to visit in the month of September.
Here healthcare is for "free" (paid by the state) because it is discounted every month from your wage, then I went to a particular specialist paying from my pocket, in this stage I was walking very dificult and I got tired a lot.
The specialist saw me in such a state and then recommended a MRI, after a week I took the RMI (I paid 350 euros (390 dollars today) for everything doctor and MRI) and then I waited 3 days to get the result, when I went to look for the result and get home I opened the envelope containing a CD and a brochure explaining the result, then I read that I had a tumor in the spinal cord and the name was meningioma, I looked quickly on the Internet and came out it was a benign tumor, I called to the emergency in the town hospital where I live and they came for me, and the next day they took me to Vall d'Hebron hospital in Barcelona after 12 days I had surgery on September 15, 2015 and after surgery i was in the hospital 10 days plus more.
Today February 13, 2016 I can usually walk in plain site but when climbing hills I have some difficulties, I have numbness in both hands, but I can do daily needs without problems, if I try to work it gets very tiring, but overall I am fine. Cheers
|
|
|
Post by Barbara on Feb 16, 2016 23:01:40 GMT -6
Starting in January of last year, I began to experience some weakness in my legs, and walking became difficult.I picked up my hiking stick, and got around fairly well for awhile. By March, my right leg was considerably weaker than my left, and I was having some muscle spasms, but no pain. My feet had become numb, and I could no longer move my toes.A neurologist, who admitted that she was puzzled, ordered an MRI in May, which showed that a meningioma was compressing my spinal cord in the thoracic area. My ability to walk continued to deteriorate, and my bladder was out of control, so I had to spend 6 weeks in a wheelchair and diapers until my surgery date in June. Surgery went well, and I had no discomfort, but the pathology report said that it was an "atypical" Stage 2 meningioma; not quite benign, and not quite malignant, either. Not great news. I was sent to Rehab, started to learn to walk again, and am now doing fairly well.although I need my hiking stick at times, and my gait is still not quite normal. My doctor said that it might take another 6 months or a year for my legs to regain their competence.
|
|