The test results are back and there is good news and bad news, I think?

The good news is that there are no new lesions in my cervical region showing MS is responsible for my symptoms. On the other hand the… I won't say bad news but inconclusive news, until I see a neurosurgeon to straighten out the confusion to me of the report that hubby picked up from the imaging center. I called them this morning and asked them if my Dr. had received the report and they said she had it since yesterday and that they were going to bring the CD over this morning. So I called my doctor's office and got the nurse’s voicemail and left a message. Friday's they leave early, at noon. And so when I didn't hear from them by 12:30 PM, I called back the imaging center asking if maybe we could pick up the report and they said, sure. Wouldn't you know it that within the hour after hubby brought home the report the nurse from the doctor's office called and said everything was normal? I said everything was normal; we picked up the report and it says a whole bunch of stuff about my spinal stenosis from my C3 to my C7, things that are not normal, and there some hypertrophy which is like hyperplasia in my neck and moderate cervical stenosis especially between C5-6. And other not normal stuff; of course a lot of what was written can be due to normal aging, but much of it isn't, like what I mentioned here. That's when the nurse suggested she speak to my neurologist and thought perhaps I might need to see her partner the neurosurgeon. PS she was reading the same report in front of her at the same times as me. And since they're in the same office I can get a 20% discount, but if I needed surgery…She asked about me getting any insurance yet…I was up the creek without a paddle, due to no insurance, I thought. Due to this new turn of events I bit the bullet I hate that expression about ‘biting the bullet’; and so I contacted the government pre-existing insurance site, and called their toll-free number to ask some questions. There premiums did not change, they are still $376 a month with a $2000 deductible for the year; I guess I had that wrong, I thought it was per incident. After finding out that I might need a safety net, just in case of course I will have to reconsider my original way of thinking. The whole process takes about a month and you have to have a denial letter from an insurance company first to start the whole process. Gosh, if I only knew that sooner, I could have had dozens. Meanwhile, while I was enjoying my guilty pleasure of General Hospital, hubby called an insurance company and asked them if they would take me and he got the receptionist, since it's Friday, but he was able to leave a voicemail that was going to go to the proper person with the request. Geez, what did we ever do before we had voicemail? I know we all had answering machines that worked most of the time, but before that what did we have? Most of you kids can't remember that far back, but I do… If we had missed the call, we had missed the call and that was just it and people usually called back if it was important. At least that is the way we thought. I suppose to some of you that is shocking, that is not to know if or when someone called or who...any-who we wanted to believe if it was important enough they would call back, but it was a different time and we weren't supposed to get upset about things like that, no, not at all. And so in closing tonight I guess I'm no closer to knowing for sure what to do, except from experience using my brace like the orthopedic surgeon told me to do six years ago and icepacks on painful areas when necessary. Interestingly enough when I looked up what to do today again for cervical stenosis what I had been doing was correct. Rest seems to be an important component as well as physical therapy, which years ago I was given an exercise using a pillow around your neck holding it with your hands and pushing from side to side. Also anti-inflammatories or steroids even Tylenol and anti-seizure medication, is like what I am already taking, the gabapentin, oddly enough qualifies. I suppose when your symptoms become unbearable like anything else that's when the suggestion of surgical intervention comes up by the surgeon who does that sort of thing and neurosurgeons as well as orthopedic surgeons are the docs to go to for this. Now, I feel better informed and as we all know knowledge is power no one will argue that and so until I hear from my neurologist next week I will do my home treatments and that should suffice until I need professional intervention; or not. I am very happy to know that my MS is not progressing and that apparently my daily injections of my Copaxone is working. What more can I say tonight except, that sadly many illnesses have similar symptoms and mistakes do happen. But knowing that makes this all the wiser and also makes us realize that the human body can withstand an awful lot. On that grasp of more than one ill co-existing in the same body, allow me to be the first to wish you a very happy good night and ask you kindly to count all your blessings and share all your overages and we will too! And next time be here or be square, ya hear!