So I see the neurologist last Thursday. I'm still not certain why I need his opinion. The surgeon has told me both in December and July that a neurologist was going to tell me NOT to have the surgery because neurology had done a study and found that there was no benefit to women to have the procedure, however that the study was flawed because there were so few women in it that results weren't valid. So why send me there unless you are looking for an excuse to NOT do the surgery.

Anyway, so I meet with this guy. Can't say I like him. First thing he says is he wants to go over my meds with me 'to see if I know why I am taking each of these drugs'. I say the list with the correct dosages is in the computer. He says 'We don't use that computer, we have our own.' Well up to this past February, that was true but this bigass fancy hospital finally got smart and put all depts on the same system, but no I got a wise guy who doesn't want to use the system. They still make you fill out a form every time you get there but I don't bother memorizing the dosages anymore. Turns out he had looked them up 'on other computer. Then I have to sit there and explain to him what each of my meds are for. How dumb does he think I am?

Then he goes into his speil about the study and how they can't do surgery on my carotid because of the radiation and neck dissection and as far as he is concerned stenting the carotid is still and experimental procedure and in my case extremely dangerous because it is 95% blocked. The surgeon said 1-2% chance of stroke. Neurologist does NOT recommend I have the surgery. He wished it was a 100% blocked and says I'm probably not getting any blood to the brain on that side anyway. I said, 'what are we going to do when the other one blocks? It is already partially blocked? Leave me a vegetable like my father because you can't operate because one is 100% blocked and the other 80%?'. I then burst in sobbing tears out of both eyes. I haven't been able to cry since radation in 1997. That was sheer fear.

These guys are telling me the narrowing is caused radiation and neck diseection and then they seem to think that my left one which is already partially blocked isn't gonna do an 80% also. Cut me a break.

So he finally agrees to schedule an MRI and review the results with surgeon before making up his mind. I don't do MRIs but I've got no choice in this one. He wants some fancy new test run and it can only be run on the little MRI. I take a deep breath, schedule it 7:am the following morning that way I don't have to think about it for days, get my script for knockout pills and leave. Go to fill script and jerk left off the date and DOA number. Two hours at the pharmacy trying to get someone from hospital to call in new script which they finally did.

I DID it, I ACTUALLY DID it and survived. Talk about mind over matter. I took one pill a half hour before MRI. Looked at the MRI and it didn't look to be much tighter than a CT machine. Remember, I'm tiny, 108. I wouldn't want to be a 200 lb man in one of them. But then they got out the head mask and I freaked. You would think they would have warned a H&N cancer patient about that. So I popped another pill and in I went. Whoever wrote the symphony that those machines play will never get work in a concert hall. No wonder you need ear plugs and cotton buffers on the sides of your head. Sweet music it ain't. Slept like a log for 5 hours after I got home. Those pills knock you out.

Liz, the statins aren't the problem with the legs. I'm been on Pravachol for so many years with NO problems, probably 20-30 at least. Problem started aftr I added the Zetia which I'm going to ask to stop.

So tomorrow I meet with the surgeon at 1:45 to get results of MRI. Whether they do the carotid or not, they still have to do my legs. He he doesn't want to do the procedure I need a real reason, any BS about a study that says if has no effect because I'm a woman. How many woman in that study have had XRT to BOTH sides and neck dissections on BOTH sides. I need to know what the surgeon thinks my chance of stroke is from procedure and if they will be able to do procedure on left if we don't do right one before it gets 100% clogged.

Do you think this surgeon is just looking for an excuse for not doing this? Something here is fishy. Will let you know what happens.

Take care
Eileen