There’s a reason why this is my permanent address. Here’s my latest conundrum.
I’ve had a hoarse voice for the last two months. I sound like a combination of Marge Simpson and a wimpy little girl. I’m not even calling it laryngitis anymore, because I don’t think it is. I found out recently that MS can cause a hoarse voice. That’s MS for you: same s**t, different body part. If it is MS, it would be my first flareup in more than 11 years. Crap! There’s a good chance it was triggered by the trauma of my accident. If it is a flareup then maybe a course of steroids will tell my overactive immune system to chill out. The task ahead of me is daunting.
First I have to convince my neurologist there’s a problem. That means a phone call with his iron-fisted gatekeeper of a receptionist. I spent an entire week trying to phone but only got a recorded message. Finally, on Friday at 9:07 AM, she finally answered the phone. When I tell her about my hoarseness, I get a patronizing lecture that MS doesn’t cause hoarseness and it’s probably just the dry winter air affecting my throat. GGRRRR!! I agree that it doesn’t happen often but according to the MS Society website it does happen. She tells me it’s probably a throat infection and I should contact my family doctor. I counter it by saying it never started with a sore throat or any kind of upper respiratory issue. And, I don’t have a family doctor anymore. Then I get another patronizing lecture about how my neurologist can’t replace a family doc. I should call one of the 1-800 numbers set up to replace family doctors. GGRRRR!! She tells me there’s no evidence that my immune system is overactive.
I wonder where her medical degree came from? By this time she’s talking nonstop and not letting me get a word in edgewise. I want to yell at her but I’m determined not to stoop to her level. In hindsight, I probably should have yelled. GGRRRRRR!!
When I explain the hoarseness came a few days after I broke my hip and the trauma may have triggered my MS, and that a patch of psoriasis had been found recently on my scalp – also an autoimmune disease – she finally sounds a little more convinced. She says she will pass this on to the doctor but can’t make any promises.
I realize that if a miracle occurs and the neurologist actually calls me, in order to convince him it’s an MS problem, first I have to rule out that it’s not an infection. That means calling a 1-800 number and talking to a Nurse Practitioner. Maybe he or she will see fit to prescribe an antibiotic. When I spoke to an NP just a few days after it started two months ago, he told me that since hoarseness is a symptom of Covid, I must go into isolation until a test proves I don’t have it. Last time that took five days. Then I can call again and request an antibiotic. I need to get my hands on one of those Rapid Screening Kits.
OMG. I’m dizzy from chasing my tail and getting nowhere fast. All this craziness is caused by Covid, and by the cracks in the healthcare system that have opened up because of its pressure. How will I ever get this taken care of? Stay tuned for the next post ….