Tag Archives: medical testing

Tests, Treatments, and Nerves

In case I haven’t harped upon this enough in the last few days, I’m having an ultrasound this afternoon. And I’m a little nervous. Long story short: after my recent pelvic exam, my doctor suspects I have fibroids. I’m having an ultrasound today to confirm the diagnosis, so we can figure out a treatment plan. I’m glad to know that there’s a reason for my monthly misery — irregular periods, painful cramps, and other symptoms. I’m glad to know there is a wide variety of treatment options available. But I’m still nervous about the test. Let’s be honest: I get … Continue reading →

What Is an Ultrasound?

I’ve got ultrasounds on the brain at the moment, since I’m having one on Monday afternoon to confirm my doctor’s diagnosis of fibroids. Also known as sonography, ultrasound imaging uses sound waves to create pictures of the inside of the body. One big advantage of an ultrasound over other kinds of imaging is that an ultrasound does not use ionizing radiation (like an x-ray does) and is generally non-invasive. Ultrasound images are captured in real time, so they can even show the movement of blood through vessels! Conventional ultrasound displays the images in thin, flat sections. There are also 3D … Continue reading →

Resisting Medical Care

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One of the biggest challenges in helping to take care of my grandmother is when she refuses to get tests or take medicine prescribed by her team of doctors. My grandmother’s memory problems have become a major concern for the rest of the family. We asked her general practitioner about what we could do about it. He requested an MRI before he would prescribe any medicine — he mentioned Aricept as a possibility for halting the memory loss where it was. She refused to get the MRI. A year later, the prescription is still hanging on the fridge. Another doctor, … Continue reading →