Hick Can't Catch a Break. Or Breath.

Hick continues his quest for an MRI. You know, the MRI that was ordered by his Nurse Practitioner after she called him on Monday, March 30, saying his x-rays suggested that he had either a partially-collapsed lung, or the beginnings of pneumonia. 

Hick went back to his NP on Wednesday, April 1, because the lab said they couldn't give him an appointment sooner than two weeks. The NP and staff thought they had figured out that it was the hospital lab's misunderstanding about needing insurance approval. Hick said he'd rather change it to the imaging center. The NP said the imaging center would call him on Thursday, April 2.

That was quite a little April Fool's joke, I guess. Nobody called on Thursday. Nobody called on Good Friday. Today (Monday, April 6), Hick called his NP again. She said she would call the imaging center again. 

The imaging center called Hick, and said they could not give him an appointment for his MRI until it was approved by his insurance. So Hick called his NP, slightly irate, I would imagine, over the audacity of the imaging center to require insurance approval when his NP says it isn't necessary.

The NP called the imaging center again, stating that insurance approval was NOT necessary. 

The imaging center called Hick, giving him an appointment for an MRI on Thursday, April 9, at 3:30. 

Hick declared (to me) that he might as well have taken the appointment the hospital had offered him for next Tuesday! Since this had not gotten him an appointment much earlier. He says once they do the MRI, it will take his NP at least two business days before she reads it and contacts him.

Meanwhile, Hick is sounding a bit wheezy. He tries to do his deep breathing like his NP instructed, but that makes him dizzy. He sounds more wheezy to me. He says his upper right lung feels like some fluid is trying to come up when he coughs.

My whole point all along has been that his NP could have given Hick an antibiotic (for the possible pneumonia), and it wouldn't have hurt anything if he turned out to have a partially-collapsed lung. Whereas treating him for a possible partially-collapsed lung might not have been good for pneumonia.

That's how I see it. It's not like Hick is demanding unnecessary antibiotics for a common cold. The NP is the one who suggested pneumonia, after reading his chest x-ray. Dr. Val will step down off her soapbox now. Hopefull not injuring her fragile knees.