Patiently Waiting...
I went to see my neurologist's PA in early November and explained that I was having some left eye pain. Both the doctor and the PA decided it was necessary to order a MRI/MRA. But they needed the operative notes to clear my clip for the MRI. I have gone around and around with them, the hospital, the surgeon (leaving messages) and cannot get cleared! Why? Because no one seems to be able to specify what type of aneurysm clip I have in my head. Should I have known it was going to be such an ordeal to get a MRI, I would have demanded that someone give me that info when I had the surgery. That was a year ago! Where does the information go? In my medical record? Who knows?
***AN UPDATE***
I learned why it has been such an ordeal to be "cleared" for this MRI/MRA. Apparently, some clips are not MRI compatible and complications may occur if this testing is attempted without the pertinent info. Say I had one of these incompatible clips. If they attempted to perform the MRI, the clip could heat up, causing a significant amount of pain or it could shift, again, causing a significant amount of pain. I'd prefer to not deal with that so please, make sure my clip is compatible. Thanks!
I finally got to speak to my neurosurgeon's secretary, Elizabeth yesterday and she provided some insight and relief to this whole crazy situation. She said that for the last several years, the manufacturers of the aneurysm clips have not been including the medical implant cards because they are all MRI compatible. Why on earth would anyone make a clip that's not compatible much less implant it in someone's head? I don't know. But Elizabeth told me we could expedite this in one of two ways: 1) She could contact the medical records department at the hospital to try to locate some info on this clip of mine or 2) She could just schedule me with Duke Radiology for the MRI/MRA, I could get a disk with the images, take it to Raleigh Neurology and they could make a copy for their records, and then, I will be cleared from here on.
I opted for #2! So I am scheduled for December 12 at 11:30am. I'm praying that everything will go smoothly and all results will be fine.
***AN UPDATE***
I learned why it has been such an ordeal to be "cleared" for this MRI/MRA. Apparently, some clips are not MRI compatible and complications may occur if this testing is attempted without the pertinent info. Say I had one of these incompatible clips. If they attempted to perform the MRI, the clip could heat up, causing a significant amount of pain or it could shift, again, causing a significant amount of pain. I'd prefer to not deal with that so please, make sure my clip is compatible. Thanks!
I finally got to speak to my neurosurgeon's secretary, Elizabeth yesterday and she provided some insight and relief to this whole crazy situation. She said that for the last several years, the manufacturers of the aneurysm clips have not been including the medical implant cards because they are all MRI compatible. Why on earth would anyone make a clip that's not compatible much less implant it in someone's head? I don't know. But Elizabeth told me we could expedite this in one of two ways: 1) She could contact the medical records department at the hospital to try to locate some info on this clip of mine or 2) She could just schedule me with Duke Radiology for the MRI/MRA, I could get a disk with the images, take it to Raleigh Neurology and they could make a copy for their records, and then, I will be cleared from here on.
I opted for #2! So I am scheduled for December 12 at 11:30am. I'm praying that everything will go smoothly and all results will be fine.
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