Yesterday my mom and I went up to Swedish Medical Center for my second appointment with Dr. Hanscom. We started out in x-ray, at 8:30. Left school at 7, and arrived with about a minute to spare- yay traffic!
Check-in went smoothly, and I was soon being whisked away to the ER for a series of x-rays, taken by one of the x-ray techs, Kevin, with assistance from intern Zoe. I wouldn't bother mentioning these people by name, but I really liked them. Kevin had the most legit mutton chops of all time, and he was really nice and respectful. I think I got called "miss" about 12 times within the span of 20 minutes. Zoe was sweet, as well. Apparently she's almost done with her internship, and hopes to get hired at Swedish.
We went to the ER because the other x-ray facilities were filled, (at least, that's the impression I got.) Thanks to some hospital renovations, I got to walk back through all of the hallways and rooms with "STAFF ONLY" signs, and limited access. We took the huge elevator that the gurneys ride on, and on the way back down, we actually rode along with a guy transporting a hospital bed. It was kind of interesting- particularly because I got to see just how ugly all of the rooms in a hospital that aren't typically seen by the public can be. The elevators to and from the lobby, for instance, are all fancy frosted glass and wood paneling. The "STAFF ONLY" elevators in the back were stainless steel and stained white something. Bummerskie.
Anywho, the x-rays were a little more involved then my typical x-ray experience is. They took front standing, and side standing films. Oddly, in this ER they lacked the ability to take a full chest x-ray. So they had to take 2, top and bottom, then "stitch" them together on the computer. I'd just like to note that this bites, cuz I got exposed to twice as much radiation (and considering that I've easily had 50+ x-rays taken of me through the years, I don't need that) and it was a lot more work for Kevin.
They then had me lay on my back for a few more x-rays, these were taken as I bent against my curves, first to the left for the lower/lumbar curve, then to the right for the upper/thoracic curve. I can't bend very far right, but the x-ray techs found it funny that I bend so far left that I was literally hanging in air off the table. They had to swivel the table around to accommodate that. Hahaa. These shots gave Dr. Hanscom the ability to evaluate the flexibility of my curves, and determine the amount of surgical correction that would be possible.
My favorite part of the x-ray experience was laying down on the table, and looking up to see a Winnie the Pooh sticker on the ceiling above my head :)
After x-rays, mom and I headed up to Dr. Hanscom's office on the 5th floor of the James Tower, for my 9:45 appointment with him. We checked in, and were soon informed that he was running about 45 minutes behind schedule. Luckily, we had both brought books. Even better, my afternoon class had been cancelled, so we had nowhere to get to. God arranged that quite nicely!
In the end, we saw Dr. Hanscom a bit after 11. He walked in and informed us that he had set a personal record in falling behind schedule that morning. But he said it with a smile. After our first appointment, I felt like I hadn't been able to get a good read on him. He was only with us for about a half hour, and we went over so much stuff, which stressed me out a lot. It was hard to say whether or not I really liked him at all. Though I know it's most important to have a technically excellelent surgeon, I also really was hoping to find someone that I am comfortable around outside of the operating room. Thankfully, yesterday's appointment cleared those concerns up! Although he was running incredibly late, I felt like he was totally present and focused on my mom and I, and the task at hand.
We discussed the x-rays from that morning, briefly. He said that they were essentially what he was expecting to see- my upper curve is fairly rigid, only correcting to about 30 degrees bending, but the lower curve is very flexible- which is good.
I read about 175 out of 200 pages of his book between our first and second appointment, so he asked me a lot of questions about my understanding of the concepts presented in it. I absolutely love that he takes the approach of asking questions, and letting the patient share where they're at. I once saw a specialist who only liked asking questions so that he could answer them himself, and look more intelligent. (I can't tell you how much I wanted to smack that guy.)
Between now and my next appointment, I am supposed to get into the gym daily, work with my regular physician to do something along the lines of a sleep aid, (I quote Dr. Hanscom, "No sleep is not an option") and start into some writing exercises for him, to help evaluate my mental state. I already went to the gym with my housemate Jess yesterday afternoon, which was a blast! Can't wait to go again today.
However, I forgot to do my evening writing exercises last night. I'll admit I'm not thrilled to start them. Dr. Hanscom suggests that I spend 15 minutes a day writing down every negative thought I can come up with, and then throw them away. The concept is that we expend more energy, and cause ourselves more stress, when we just stuff away our negative thoughts than we would actually acknowledging their existence. So, we'll see how that goes. I may or may not share much about that process, particularly considering that, (and again, I quote,) "The crazier the thoughts, the better." Hahhaaha O.O
We barely discussed surgery yesterday, which was great. Hanscom's attitude about my case, from a surgical perspective, is that it would be prudent for me to have a conservative upper thoracic fusion sometime in the next 2 years, but that there is no immediate reason to rush into surgery. He wants to see me get in great physical shape and have my sleeping patterns and stress levels well under control before going into an operating room.
I am loving this approach, because I have spent so many years with negative associations about surgeons. I always thought of them as these scary people who just want to throw me under the surgical bus, so to speak. (Aka, they want to do surgery on you, but don't spend any time addressing the rest of your life and health.) Dr. Hanscom's holistic approach makes me feel like I am in good hands. Also, he has strongly encouraged me to get active and says that I should be capable of doing anything that doesn't significantly increase my pain. Getting a professional's go-ahead to get out, be active, and stop thinking about myself as fragile is awesome! I have been so afraid to do certain things in the last few years, and this shift in thinking is really exciting.
PS: I am done wearing a back brace forever. That's F.O.R.E.V.E.R. The end. I seriously haven't processed this, and just typing the words is strange. But the more I realize the truth of it, the more I am super-incredibly-ridiculously beyond excited!!!
PPS: More to come later on :)
