8.24.2012

Appointment with the Neurologist at UAMS

It went pretty good. We liked the Dr. and even though she was young, she seemed to really know what she was talking about, and spent about an hour and a half with us. We didn’t learn anything new really, which is what I assumed would happen. She did rule out the idea that my “episode” might have been migraine related. She said it just didn’t meet the criteria. And she also didn’t really think it was related to a blood sugar issue, either. She did a simple evaluation on me, and apparently I passed! After discussing the episode and evaluating me she didn’t really seemed too worried, she said she had actually seen 5 or 6 similar cases in pregnant women and it turned out to be nothing. But since the problems I had did sound a lot like some sort of stroke it would be negligent not to go ahead and do some further testing to make sure there isn’t anything going on. The only way they can determine if I might have had some kind of stroke or similar episode is to do an MRI. She also wants me to see a Neuro-Ophthalmologist, to make sure everything is ok in my eyes and optics. And she also ordered a echocardiogram just to check and make sure my heart functions are normal. We will have to go back to UAMS sometime for the MRI and to see the Ophthalmologist, but I am having the echocardiogram done Monday morning here in Jonesboro. I am really hoping that we can get all this done soon! I am ready to have all this over and done with and I’m already tired of driving back and forth to Little Rock! They are supposed to be calling me with the appointment times, since I am pregnant the computer wouldn’t let them schedule the MRI, they will have to call and set it up. Of course the MRI that they will do doesn’t have any of the dye and will be totally harmless to the baby, but I guess they have to be extra cautious about all that with patients. I am really hoping that we can get the scheduled on a day that we are already having to see Dr. Smith, but I realize I shouldn’t get my hopes up. 

The doctor said that she fully anticipated for the results of the tests would be fine and hopefully the episode was just a weird one time thing. But if it did show that I had some sort of stroke-like episode, since there doesn’t seem to be an lasting effects, maybe all I’d have to do would be take medicine to keep it from happening again. So, if nothing shows up on the tests, I will follow up with her in 6 months. She did recommend that if everything turns out to be ok after Arden is born to start on an aspirin regiment (she actually strongly encouraged this and said everyone should be one on?!) and have my cholesterol tested.