Medical Update on Paul's Mom...

Paul's Mom has been suffering for the better part of a decade from degenerative spondylolisthesis. Back in Austin, she had seen a pain specialist at a "spine clinic" with no real success. So we suggested she visit the Mayo Clinic when they came up here for the family South Dakota 2008 trip. They Mayo Clinic neurology department is rated #1 in the country. Her Austin doctor agreed to send a referral to the clinic, but it did not arrive in time.

So after we returned from South Dakota, we went to the admissions desk at the Gonda building of the Mayo Clinic. The admissions lady, though nice, said basically since we didn't have an appointment (and the referral had not been processed yet) the best she could do is have a nurse talk to us and possibly get an appointment in the internal medicine department. Not good. We eventually got her to agree that all internal medicine would do is refer us to neurology...so why not send us up there. She got on the phone to the desk at the neurology department and sent us up there.

Up to the 8th floor of the Mayo Building we went (attached to the Gonda building). A nurse spoke with Paul's Mom to do a triage of her condition. Then it was out to the waiting room. Eventually we were called back to the desk. They were able to pull up the referral from Austin and have a neurologist look at it. We were told it would probably (and no exaggeration or malice here...) take about two years to get an appointment (since she was not from Minnesota or a bordering state and they are overbooked). So we waited the rest of the day stand-by in the waiting room hoping for someone to cancel their appointment that day so we could get their slot. No luck. We went home that night.

The next day, it was back to the 8th floor of the Mayo Building to stand-by for a possible opening. By 11:30 we had given up hope and figured we'd call it a day as Paul's Mom's back was bothering her. We went up to the desk to tell them we were leaving for the day...and then things began to happen. The desk lady looked at the patient notes and said in astonishment, "Two years? Hold on a moment, please don't leave." Then she got on the phone to the scheduling people and all Paul can remember is her saying into the phone, "Two years? This lady is in pain! What is she supposed to do for two years?" Then the desk lady asked us to go to lunch and come back and see what she could do.

After lunch we came back and were told Mom now had the following appointments over the next week:

1. with a neurologist
2. to have a cat-scan
3. to have some nerve testing
4. with a neurosurgeon

At the neurologist appointment, he did an examination, explained her condition, and said that about the only relief they could offer was by way of surgery.

Today we met with the neurosurgeon where he explained what plan-A and plan-B would be. Since Michele has co-workers in the neurology department, word was that this guy was very good at what he does. Turns out he's Italian too. He came across as quite concerned about Mom's condition and situation. His approach seems measured and conservative...which is probably good given the constraints of her health.

So the next step is for Mom to decide what she wants to do and when. We'll keep you posted.

Sometimes it is a very good thing...
...to work for a premier medical facility...
...that has an Italian neurosurgeon...
...and extremely nice ladies at the 8th floor neurology desk...