Real blues

[gball]

Gahr, sorry to hear this and sending you best wishes. Stay confident that the medical professionals will remedy the problem in short order.

 

[Tony M.]

Late to this thread.
As Don said, diagnosis is done and there is a fix.
Sounds like there is a good chance that a long term
problem your wife has had is going to be taken care of.
Hoping for her speedy recovery and yours as well.

 

[Gahr]

Again, thanks everyone. Your kind words really mean a lot even though most of you are half a world away.

My wife is doing pretty well, all things considered. She has undergone some more MRI scans, and I think she will have another tomorrow. She has has regained some of the strength in the leg, and is now able to stand on it. She's in a lot less pain as well. The thing now is really to establish who is going to go ahead with the surgical procedures. Anything located in the back is for the hospital's neurologists to look at, while the problems regarding the leg is the orthopedists' responsibility. They are looking at how they want to treat her together, and we will hopefully know a bit more tomorrow. She is a little proud at the moment, because it turns out her condition is actually rather rare, and the doctors have brought in several medical students (the hospital is a university hospital) to look at her to learn.

All in all, we are in good spirits.

 

[gasket]

the doctors have brought in several medical students (the hospital is a university hospital) to look at her to learn.

That is very good!
The medical practice I'm registered with is a teaching practice, attached to the local university. A couple of years back I presented to my doctor with a bleed in the eye, on the day my Dr had two students with him and I gave permission to be treated in their presence. My Dr considered and discussed EVERY possible reason for my condition and then referred me for extensive specialist testing. Result they found some well hidden issues that were then treated early.
The student presence prompted the extra treatment and I sure hope your wife has the same good result from a teaching situation.

 

[DonP]

When I got avalanched in '84 I ended up with a punctured and collapsed lung in a Swiss Hospital. The doctor who was going to insert the chest drain came in with his long scalpel and eight students. They were all armed with stethoscopes so they could listen to the air leaving my chest cavity as he pushed the knife in. Well, I wasn't going to be left out of that so I asked for a stethoscope of my own - I wanted to hear it too. Someone had a spare so I got to hear it. It was very disappointing - just the faintest gurgle.

But senior doctors don't normally bring students to patients they aren't convinced will have a good outcome. They have an image to maintain.