Forget it

I'm not doing the testing. I'm calling first chance I had to let them know since I received the testing letter Friday night after hours, to please let me out of the $50 charge for lack of 48 hours' advance notice of cancellation.

It's not just about going without pain meds. It's not just about the pain. For those of you who have been reading for awhile, you remember after I fought my way back off the ventilator and spent all those weeks in the hospital relearning to walk and talk when I was 28. You remember the long nights alone in a room day after day filled with 6 1/2 hours of intensive remember the nurses hearing me cry as they walked by, coming in, pulling up chairs and sitting down; telling me while I call patients like myself who refuse meds "stubborn" they prefer to call them "dead" because of patients they have that try to refuse meds, playing the tough guy. Their pain levels spike, blood pressure goes through the roof, etc., and they end stroking out and/or dying.

I will not go the 48 hours without. I take my narcotics and other painkillers and anti-seizures etc every 4 hours. I'm not risking anything. I'll just have to not have the test.

No pain meds for 48 hours

I received my written instruction letter a few minutes ago for Tuesday morning's VNG testing.

No pain meds Sunday and Monday. No meds (script or OTC) whatsoever except for heart/diabetes/seizures.

If I wasn't so pissed (something AHCCCS said in another piece of mail I got--they won't help with my week in the hospital last month because they refuse to count any of my thousands of dollars of medical bills we paid in April and May--that they only count medical bills I HAVE to pay; oh sorry didn't realize I didn't HAVE to pay the 20% I am responsible for as a Medicare patient--20% of every surgery, procedure, test, visit, hospitalization, etc) I would laugh. Instead I feel like I'm going to throw up.

48 hours without pain meds? I can't go 4.

Tornwaldt cyst update

I saw the ENT this morning and we can leave my Tornwaldt alone! He ended up scoping my nose and throat while I was there. Boy that is one funky-feeling test that I never want to repeat! So he got a much better look at it with the scope on the screen than on the MRI's. It actually looks to him more like a cluster of adenoid tissue that has grown back and for whatever reason is retaining fluid right now. It should be ok.

I had a hearing test immediately at his request and it went fairly well, nothing big enough to do anything about. I knew my hearing was different since the meningitis but that's a really common side effect.

I'm being scheduled for an ENG, where they'll put fluid in my ears and intentionally make me dizzy. I don't know yet when it is as they said they are booked out for a month for this test. That's fine with me since they said I'm required to have someone drive me as I'll likely be extremely dizzy and nauseated the rest of the day, and Sterling will need some warning to take the day off.

My grandma and my aunt Debbie flew to AZ due to my aunt Cyntitha's death on Monday. They came to spend the day with me today, which was wonderful. I love them dearly.

Off for now.