Stump The Doc Day

After about six months of taking meds and adding more to the mix to try and control my spams I decided to go to another Neurologist to see if another set of eyes might see things differently or have different views on the medication I am on so here is my tale to tell :-)

I go to the office I was referred to by a trusted co-worker who said the doctor had excellent "bedside\listening" manner. Apparently the office had tried to get in touch with me (no, I do not answer my cell when I do not recognize the caller!) for they switched me to another physician in their office who specializes in Dystonia. That was cool for me and I went along with it. Very short wait time and then I am with a doctor named Maureen Watts (I am in Dallas, TX).

I go through all the normal stuff, along with walking, bending my arms and sticking my tongue out (current, or can we say previous, head doc did not do this). We sit down and she just looks at me. I sit there, fidgeting, joining my fingers together so they do not twist and overlap, teeth playing with my lips as I habitually do this when my jaw starts pulling in different directions, shifting positions in the chair as my back hurts, feeling the bottom lid of my eye trying to curl in as we talk about my history and current medications.

I have a list of times I have hit my head or noticed when things started acting strange with my muscles or fine motor skills. She seemed very interested at the time I hit my head at age 14 as this is when the tremors started in my hands (can no longer draw, paint, play various instruments, crochet or needle point due to first shaking then added pain). I was high, from mary jane or huffed something from my friends house (ok, I was not a good girl in my teens!) and I hit my head while diving. I do not remember getting to the other side of the pool, just diving, hitting the top of my head on the dome light then somehow I was sitting on the steps at the other side talking with my friend. I did not tell my friend I hit my head because I was messed up and afraid of being discovered. A few days later I had went through a bottle of Tylenol and my parents asked why so I only told them about how I hit my head and that it still hurt. Was then taken to ER, had a CT scan and discovered I had bruised my brain.

After all is said and done Dr. Watt looked at me and said "Well Mellissa, it is official - you have stumped the doctor today"

Okay - no one, no matter why they go to a doctor, every wants to hear something like that!!!!!!!

She said I do have dystonic posturing but their is something else, most likely a primary diagnosis that has stumped her. She said something like "keen posturing" in my arms. I misheard her and asked how she knew my toes were posturing. She chuckled and said she was speaking about my arms\elbows. I also have tremors in my hands and most of the time one hand shakes up and down, while the other is side to side (I do not know if that makes a difference though, for they are still shaking).

Then she ask me if I can go to Houston to see a doctor. I look at her, a million thoughts running through my brain. My husband is gone six weeks at a time driving a truck, Houston is four to five hours away, no one to keep my children so they would have to come and then who could come with me? This would be a long drive and I cannot sit in a car for more than a two hours without discomfort\pain as I know upon standing my body will be stuck in a sitting position (bad habit of my body molding upon sudden movement or staying still from being in one position).

I look at her and stated if I have to then I will make a way.

On weekends I always go into denial for being at home, sitting and watching the kids, I do not have nearly as much problems and pain within my body. I start to think "this doctor is a quack and does not know what in the world she is saying." So I decided to look her up, thinking she just came out of med school since she looked fairly young for a doctor. Welllll - I find her and discover she has specialized in Dystonia for about 18 years. The "quack" thought died a quick death. Then I look up the doctor she is sending me to, the doctor she stated trained her in movement disorders. He is a Dr. Joseph Jankovic and from his website it looks like this is the granddaddy of all, the "best" of the litter so to speak and I have an appointment to see him on August 11.

http://www.jankovic.org/

Aye, aye, aye is all I can say at this point ~

Mellissa