False-Positive

March 26, 2008

Good afternoon my casual interested reader. The above is an expression (I have learned) that doctors use when they 'goof up' or do doctors make mistakes. How did all this begin?

If you have read my chronicals of pain and tests and just bad stuff going on right now, we wonder in part as to how does this begin. It begins with the usual physical done by your GP on a regular basis. It is blood tests, xrays, usual exam, and his or hers listening to your complaints or symptoms. All seemed to go alright and I left with a pretty good feeling about my physical.

Ring! Ring! I answer the phone just as it flips into the answering machine. But I am one click away from talking to the doctor and it is the doctor calling, not his nurse! Believe me when the doctor calls and not his nurse, something is wrong. I called the number that came up on my caller ID, and after 3 or 4 rings, I get his answering service telling me his office is now closed.

Just how much anxiety is associated with the unknown is unfathomable. I talked to Karen about this when she got home and she said I was building bridges of worry across rivers that were not there. Good advice, and I am reasonably content to call his office the next morning.

The next day I called and my blood study is out of the norm. My liver functions are now changed, and instead of my PSA being less than <1, he tells me it is now 2.6. Four (4) or less is still considered normal but for me, 2.6 is greatly elevated and indicating something going on.

I am saying now some of the tests were needed but some were not. I talked again to to the doctor and he tells me later to come by his office and have the blood work done again. I told him I would be there the next morning. The took blood again, but told me it would be several days before they got all the results back. This delay (I was told later) was sent to a different lab, making sure we got good and accurate testing.

Some days later, I called his office and ask his physians assistant if she had the results back on the second blood test. She had pulled my file and then she said "Jeff, I should have called you?? The PSA was <1, the kidney and liver functions were all normal, and everything looks GREAT!"

I thanked her and call my wife of the good news as I had worried over a week about the 'bad tests results' they first told me. Now I am wondering who they gave the good results to if they tested my blood and got mine mixed up with someone elses? I would guess they need to retest all the blood they took that morning, as someone else got the wrong tests results.

Thanks for reading my message today....

Jeff the Knutt in the Ham

An Attorney's Security Advise

Attorney's ADVICE - NO CHARGE


If you dislike attorneys... You will love them for these tips.

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. May be we should all take some of his advice!



A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

1. Do not sign the back of your credit ca rds. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For' line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes

Through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address.
Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine.
Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. < /B>



I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad.

We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(s) ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.



But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc ., were stolen.
This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step
toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)



7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the internet in my name.



The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:


1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union: 1-800-680 7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about everything.

If you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help someone that you care about.

Urologist, new doctor

Saturday 3/8/2008: 2:30pm CST

Hi friends and family,

After an ultasound of my 'privates, something shows some scarey stuff called at first a 'mass'. Uggg! I go to the basement of UAB West, the hospital in Bessemer for tests. This is a different experience for lack of other words.

You disrobe from the waist down and told to put a sheet around you and lie on the exam table. My only plus to add to this at the beginning is a very attractive young lady is my tech. She is very professional and I listen quietly to her instructions. I am given two towels, one to place over your lower abdomen with my stevenson lying under the towel. The other towel I place under my 'butt' and then here goes.

She is seated to my right and a warm flat instument is placed under the towels with her feeling for the targets. She is watching a computer monitor and slowly moves the sensor over and around each of my family jewels. Surprisingly, the instument is warm and it feels like she is using K-Y jell so it slides over the family jewels on each side and front and back.

She talked to me at the beginning about what she was going to do. I told her she was not the first lady doctor or nurse I had no secrets from. My Dr. Elizabeth Ennis and my lady MVP doctor, each gave me a thorough physical years ago, so a lady doctor or nurse in my pants is not a new experience. We laughed. It sure helped that both she and I kept some humor in this.

It took about 20 minutes for this ultrasound and some irregularity is observed, forwarding me to Dr. Christine, my urologist of record. There are two cyst, not masses in this sensitive area, and Dr. Christine found the sore spot that was really hurting me in the groin and into my back and legs.

He told me the good news, and that is to watch these two locations, treating one with anti-inflamatory drugs and the other with just pain medication. He said he saw nothing (right now) that needed surgery, but both spots needed to be watched over the next 2 months. He has me scheduled for another ultasound in May to see if any changes over this period.

It was a good visit but I must admit, he did hurt me in order to find just where I was hurting. Yesterday was meds for pain and a lot of rest after this doctor visit. He said I should be feeling better over the next few days to a week after following his instructions.

Keep me in your prayers as this is all new to me. It may be something I have had for years and just sitting there for me to hit with a new bicycle seat. Then again, it all may be new as older scans some years ago showed no problem. Not having a urologist of record, not having problems, does not give him an older baseline to base his diagnosis on. But the flip side of that, is most men in their 70's have had urologists for years. Now past problems or rare symptoms is really a good thing.

See ya later, so News will be at 11:00,

Jeff the Knutt

Pain

Sunday March 2, 2008

Pain is a wonderful thing. It lets you know you are still alive. I have been suffering some pain for some time, taking Ultram for pain, and another precription medication for muscle spasms. These were given to be by my GP Dr. Chris P. He knows me better than anyone taking over Dr. Holt's practice some years ago.

He has seen me through lots of injuries and delimias keeping good records on my health. He runs test periodically to make sure any existing problems are being cared for and checks me to make sure there are not any changes.

This last week or ten days have been pretty tough with tests after test during my annual physical turned up some possible changes he cannot account for. I gave him my records of other specialist I see that look at specific problems and up to this time, nothing was noted in xrays and blood tests as recents as 2-1/2 months showed no problems?

Now they or he finds I may have been 'under-diagnosed' with pain problems being accedited to existing ones. Now we find my PSA is elevated slightly and checking back now with another doctors blood test, my sodium levels was low and my red blood count was slightly lower than normal but no flags noted or calls from the doctor or labs telling me to check on these? Why?

Doctors are good guys and have your best interest and health at heart but they are falable like all of us are and things slip through the crackes. I have learned now to take control of your health and be aggressive in pushing them to look further and let me know of any changes, be them ever so slight.

Now I find myself with a possible major health problem and the wait is terrible. They run test after test and now the weekend is filled with anxiety and fear of the unknown. I know now I may face some surgery and what they may find is scary. I share this with you, my faithful reader, hoping someone may gain by my problem and take control of their health issues.

Get the results of test in writing or film or something like I do having the results on a '2 gig thumb drive' I now keep in my pocket and insist on keeping these with me after each test. You now have control and current results of tests that guide the doctors in how they may take care of you.

Keep me in your prayers and I will find in the blanks as I know more as the days go by. I love you all and hope this is some help to you if mine fails. Let me know of your experiences in diagnosis and post them on my page. Good luck to all....

Jeff the Knutt in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, USA

Xanax Anyone

A long night in March

When was your last physical? Mine was last week, an annual one if get from my GP. I have not been feeling my best, fighting stuff that comes on as you get older. Much of the aches and pains I could write off to just that, but here goes with my story.

The physical went pretty much as usual except with some tests they do every 2 or 3 years just checking on past problems that bothered me. I left the doctors office with good news that my bad chlesterol was down from 221 to 186 with anything <200 is desired. My good chlesterol was up and triclysarides were great and my ratio was 4.6 with <5 desired. I was having a good day and good evening relating this good news to Karen.

The next afternoon I got home from having an annual chest xray at the hospital and I settled in the watch a movie. I heard the phone ring but was half asleep and did not discover it was my doctor who left a message on my answering machine. He said "this is Dr. P and call me at the office to discuss your blood test results"! Let me begin that if the nurse calls everything is OK. IF THE DCOTOR CALLS, things are NOT OK.

I immediately called his office but of course I got his answering service and his office was closed. That, I can tell you was a long night. I called his office the next morning and he returned my call about 4:00pm. So it was about 18 hours of true anxiety and several Xanax later. He said my PSA had changed, whereas in the past it was <1.0 and now was 2.6. Normal is anything 4 or less so it has changed but still (for me) is high and shows change for some reason.

He then went into numbers concerning liver functions and ran numbers past me that really did not mean anything, except...they too had changed and outside the norm for me. He wanted to recheck my blood and since I had a CTscan scheduled for the next day, I could come by his office before going to the hospital. Again another night of not much sleep.

That was Thursday and I went by his office, did the CTscan and was back home at 2:30 not having eaten since the night before. His nurse Joyce calls about 4:00pm and theye find a small mass in the most sensitive part of a man's anatomy. He now wants me back at the hospital Friday for an ultrasound of this little area to get an idea of what is going on. Again another sleepless night.

Friday I am back at the hospital now a 3rd time in 5 days, and down to the office where they mammograms and ultrasounds on women. It felt pretty peculiar sitting in the women's clinic and the ladies around me looking at me kinda funny! The only bight part of my day, was when the door opened and a pretty blond, about 25 or 30, cute, petite, and welcomed me into her lair.

Janice talked to me a little bit about what she was going to do and she gave me a sheet and 2 towels and told me to take off everything from the waist down. Everything? Yes, everything! I did as I was told and sat myself of the table waiting for her to return. If you have read this far, you are wondering where I go from here.

I am sitting on the table in my birthday suit except for a t-shirt. She said she wanted me to take 'it' and put it on my abdomen and place the 1st towel over it. It was cold downstairs and I could hardly find 'it' to do as she ask. She then tucked the other towel under the two friends I have and then tells me to just lie still. I know your imagination is going crazy right now as was mine.

Now she tells me the jelly may be little chilly but the 'instument' was warm. She has one hand on the computer keys and one hand moving my two around with the 'instrument' moving in a circular motion up and down my left one then the right one. I had set my watch when I came in and it was exactly 40 minutes. Under ordinary circumstances this was probably be a delightful experience and I must say, she added a new dimension to this very intimate test.

She finished up and said I did fine under the circumstances. Believe it or not, she and I talked and well, I don't have any secrets from Janice at UABWest. I would like to be a fly on the wall when she talks shop with her RN friends after I left. I bet she had never seen one that tiny before.......cool things do that to a man. Or at least this man.

Keep this boy in your prayers as I will get the results and what they plan to do Monday. As I have said in the past....News at 11:00. And I'll bet you will be listening! Jeff the knutt.