This past Friday I had my second appointment with the orthopedist. He said the EMG report (see below for details on this electrifying test) said I most likely have stretched a nerve in my brachial plexus (fun area in shoulder where nerves come together to pass through something). He claimed he was no expert, but this should clear up on its own within 6-7 weeks of the original injury. To be on the safe side, though, he recommended that I get an MRI of my neck to ensure there isn't something damaged up there. Saturday, I got the MRI and its analysis should be done by today. The orthopedist recommended I see a neurologist, but my sister-in-law who is a physiatrist (the kind of dr. that did the EMG) recommended I go back to the physiatrist because he should be able to handle the treatment for a stretched nerve. So...I called the physiatrist today to schedule another appointment and we're booked for the end of this month. So I may be better by the time I actually get to see him, though my arm muscles may need some work because it's tough finding time to work out my arm with all of Penny's care.
As you can see from the list of doctors, Penny has been getting some extensive experience with doctor offices. Yesterday, we went for the first visit dedicated to her here in the States. Aunt Helen drove us down to Cincinnati to visit Aunt Ann the pediatrician for Penny's first round of immunizations. It's maybe a week late for this round, but Aunt Ann just got in a new shot that combines 5 immunizations into one. That means fewer holes in my little sweetie, so worth the wait. Penny was giggling and playing with Aunt Helen for the first few minutes while I did paperwork and we waited for Aunt Ann to be available. Then Penny started getting hungry, fussy and started to cry, just as Aunt Ann walked into the room. Recognizing that she wasn't going to get much examination done while Penny was fussy, Aunt Ann asked questions about health history as Penny nursed a bit. After a little snack, Penny got examined and Aunt Ann went to find someone to give Penny the inoculations. Penny nursed a bit more before the nurse came in.
We interrupted the meal again for an oral vaccine. Things were going pretty well, until Penny decided to do her impression of the exorcist. Milk went flying everywhere. Aunt Helen in her suit jacket was closest to the action and seemed dumbfounded by the spectacle. The adept nurse turned Penny onto her side in the recovery position. The whole meal seemed to have erupted onto the exam table, covering diaper-clad Penny and miraculously missing other participants in the room. Aunt Helen held up Penny as the nurse used paper towels and tissues to dry the quite relieved Penny. It was decided that she needed a new diaper, though. As soon as Aunt Helen pulled the diaper away, though, Penny decided this was the time to pee. The few bits of exam table that had been dry were now plenty wet. A new tissue box was fetched and Penny was again returned to a dry (though somewhat sticky) condition. The nurse ducked out to ask Aunt Ann if she should finish the oral vaccine in the dropper or just move on to injections.
Since Penny had obviously lost an entire feed and was again pretty hungry, I tried to feed her again while the nurse was out. Obviously a bad plan because as soon as the nurse tried the dropper again, Mount St. Penny erupted afresh. Considering how bad I feel after puking, Penny seemed to be taking it all in stride. She was again cleaned (not as big a chore because she didn't have as much ammo as last time) and then people took their places for the shots. Aunt Helen pinned down Penny's arms, while the nurse pinned her legs with her left hand. The nurse then leapt into a rapid fire of injections. I swear she was finished in under three seconds with all three shots. Aunt Helen noticed that Penny tensed after the first one, so the remaining two were going to hurt more. Then the air was filled with profound wailing. For someone who doesn't cry much, Penny definitely knows how to do it right. Nursing quieted her down enough so we could talk to Aunt Ann for a bit about what to expect over the next 24 hours. A little Tylenol ensured a quiet ride home to Dayton. Penny had a few more emphatic crying sessions throughout the evening, but was smiling again by 1am or so.
We'll have a few weeks without doctor appointments for now. Our next trip should be to mom's oncologist near the end of January. Then the physiatrist and no more shots until mid- February. Hopefully, Penny will have enough positive doctor office experiences that she won't develop an aversion before our trip home is over.
As you can see from the list of doctors, Penny has been getting some extensive experience with doctor offices. Yesterday, we went for the first visit dedicated to her here in the States. Aunt Helen drove us down to Cincinnati to visit Aunt Ann the pediatrician for Penny's first round of immunizations. It's maybe a week late for this round, but Aunt Ann just got in a new shot that combines 5 immunizations into one. That means fewer holes in my little sweetie, so worth the wait. Penny was giggling and playing with Aunt Helen for the first few minutes while I did paperwork and we waited for Aunt Ann to be available. Then Penny started getting hungry, fussy and started to cry, just as Aunt Ann walked into the room. Recognizing that she wasn't going to get much examination done while Penny was fussy, Aunt Ann asked questions about health history as Penny nursed a bit. After a little snack, Penny got examined and Aunt Ann went to find someone to give Penny the inoculations. Penny nursed a bit more before the nurse came in.We interrupted the meal again for an oral vaccine. Things were going pretty well, until Penny decided to do her impression of the exorcist. Milk went flying everywhere. Aunt Helen in her suit jacket was closest to the action and seemed dumbfounded by the spectacle. The adept nurse turned Penny onto her side in the recovery position. The whole meal seemed to have erupted onto the exam table, covering diaper-clad Penny and miraculously missing other participants in the room. Aunt Helen held up Penny as the nurse used paper towels and tissues to dry the quite relieved Penny. It was decided that she needed a new diaper, though. As soon as Aunt Helen pulled the diaper away, though, Penny decided this was the time to pee. The few bits of exam table that had been dry were now plenty wet. A new tissue box was fetched and Penny was again returned to a dry (though somewhat sticky) condition. The nurse ducked out to ask Aunt Ann if she should finish the oral vaccine in the dropper or just move on to injections.
Since Penny had obviously lost an entire feed and was again pretty hungry, I tried to feed her again while the nurse was out. Obviously a bad plan because as soon as the nurse tried the dropper again, Mount St. Penny erupted afresh. Considering how bad I feel after puking, Penny seemed to be taking it all in stride. She was again cleaned (not as big a chore because she didn't have as much ammo as last time) and then people took their places for the shots. Aunt Helen pinned down Penny's arms, while the nurse pinned her legs with her left hand. The nurse then leapt into a rapid fire of injections. I swear she was finished in under three seconds with all three shots. Aunt Helen noticed that Penny tensed after the first one, so the remaining two were going to hurt more. Then the air was filled with profound wailing. For someone who doesn't cry much, Penny definitely knows how to do it right. Nursing quieted her down enough so we could talk to Aunt Ann for a bit about what to expect over the next 24 hours. A little Tylenol ensured a quiet ride home to Dayton. Penny had a few more emphatic crying sessions throughout the evening, but was smiling again by 1am or so.
We'll have a few weeks without doctor appointments for now. Our next trip should be to mom's oncologist near the end of January. Then the physiatrist and no more shots until mid- February. Hopefully, Penny will have enough positive doctor office experiences that she won't develop an aversion before our trip home is over.
1 comment:
lol.. what a doctor visit :) I wonder if it was the meds and not the milk that caused the puke-a-thon.
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