Good News!

Hear ye! Hear ye.  Come one come all, gather round, I have some good news to share!  After getting the medical ring around from the medical fraternity I have finally got all the information required to send something of substance to Chicago for evaluation.

I went and saw my GP and he gave me the last two letters of correspondence from my neurologist, my last two nerve conduction studies and the full summary of my medical history.  It was a huge relief as knowing the medical system here if I had followed procedure I would not have been in a comfortable position to send everything across to Chicago until May.

I can feel you asking, "Shouldn't you just have done that in the first place?"  Well, call me old fashioned, but I would have preferred to do this with a referral from my neurologist, that way upon return, the management of my care would have been much more seamless.  However, I have to do what I believe is best for me. And that means doing what it takes to be evaluated for the trial in Chicago.

Just for the record, if she didn't believe my CIDP was bad enough for the trial, why did she write"there is still evidence of a severe demyelinating polyneuropathy"?  Food for thought anyway.  Until next time, stay well:)

The future is in safe hands

Today's training day was for three final year medical students who were competing for the Billings prize.  They all had a turn at examining me in front of a practising neurologist and at the end of it they were scored and the winner announced.

I have to say, all three students did a really good job.  Seeing as though none of them had any specialist training I did not expect them to have a complete understanding of my conditions, but they all did a fantastic job showing good practical skills and a wide knowledge base that they were able to apply.

However, nobody hit the nail right on the head and nobody got the diagnosis completely right, but what impressed me was the methodology they used and the thinking behind the conclusions they made.  Also nobody made any really wacky diagnosis that made me think, "Wow! I'm glad he's not my doctor!"

Saying that though these were the top three students out of about sixty, so if I were to be examined by the bottom three I might be a little more panicky.

After the exam we all had lunch together as well and it was really good to have a general chat with the guys to get a more informal understanding.  All three of them seemed like genuinely nice people who who had a genuine interest in my condition.  I think it is safe to say that from this little corner of the medical world, the future is in safe hands.

Someone however did get my diagnosis completely wrong.  The cab driver on the way home had a crack at it and his preferred treatment option was to rub mustard into my head.  Maybe there is merit in it as an alternative therapy.  I might research.  Until next time, stay well:)

I feel sorry for the students

So tomorrow is my chance to give something back to the medical fraternity that has done so much for me.  I am off to St Vincent's Hospital to be poked, prodded and examined by medical students so an examiner can assess their ability to diagnose my conditions.

In all honesty I pity the poor buggers that have to examine me because out of about 20 students only four will get the privilege. And I am one tough case.  I not only have one but two neurological conditions and a kidney disorder thrown in to boot (but for the purposes of this exam they are only looking at the neurology.

The other reason I feel sorry for them is that there are questions about my diagnosis that even the leading experts with decades of experience can't answer so what hope does a medical student have.  Questions the expert can't answer include the cause of my neuropathy and whether my tremor and neuropathy are related.

It can also be disconcerting hearing what the med students come up with.  I have been sorely misdiagnosed in the past but I have learned to take it with a pinch of salt.  I will promise to let you all know how it goes.  Until then, stay well:)