Mayo Clinic-Day 1

Mayo Clinic-Day 1 (Tuesday October 17, 2017)
Waking up on Tuesday was very difficult. It took all night to get to Rochester and we had to be at the clinic at 7 am in order to get paperwork completed prior to seeing the doctor. We went to bed around 2-2:30 am and decided that we needed to be up by 5:30 in order to get ready, eat and head to the clinic. Our hotel is about 10-15 mins from the clinic. We arrived at the clinic and what a remarkable place this is. I have never seen such a massive place before. We parked in the garage and headed down to what they call the Subway Level. This is the underground tunnel system that connects all of the buildings so you don't have to walk around outside. We found a information desk and they printed our schedule for us. The only thing that was on the schedule was an appointment with the Neurologist at 7 am. We were directed to the Mayo Clinic building and headed up to the 8th floor. We checked in with the desk and they gave a book of paperwork to complete. I have been taking care of most of the paperwork because it is difficult for Brianna to write as she is right handed and that is the side of her body that is weak. We diligently worked on paperwork until we were called back by the nurse. Vitals were taken and the nurse told us that the doctor would be with us shortly. We heard a knock on the door and then entered a doctor who was completing his fellowship here. He let us know that he would be doing the initial work up and then our physician would come in and talk more in depth about the plan. The Fellows name was Dr. Jolliffe. He asked Brianna the history of what has been going on. We explained everything from our last post to help him understand how quickly off this had come about. He then did a physical exam. He had Brianna walk a straight line and noticed how she stumbled. He had her hold her hands up and noticed how her right hand dropped some. He tested and checked her eyes and confirmed the 3rd Cranial nerve palsy pupil sparing. He tested the strength of her hands and arms as well as her feet. He also tested her reflexes, her sensitivity to hot and cold and the pain sensors comparing her right side to her left side. It was determined that she could feel the difference between hot and cold as well as feel the prick of the needle on both sides of the body. He then told us that he would go speak with the doctor and they would come in shortly together.

We waited for what felt like an eternity (about 30 mins) for them to return together. The physician who is taking care of Brianna is Dr. Flanagan. He is one of the nicest, most caring doctor I have ever met. If anything, this experience has been wonderful because of the care given by Dr. Flanagan. He came in and repeated most of the exams that Dr. Jolliffe had completed. He agreed with his findings and he seemed perplexed. He stated that even for the Mayo Clinic (where they see a lot of medical issues) this seemed pretty rare. He discussed with us about the several options of what the cause of Brianna's issues could be. He mentioned that this could MS, and autoimmune response, or a tumor. He felt strongly that this was not MS as it didn't follow the normal symptoms. He stated that typically during pregnancy, anyone with MS typically they feel better and the disease is not as active. He also felt that by looking at the scan it just didn't make much sense to be MS and that is where he does most of his research. However, he wasn't certain and felt that the first step that we needed to take was to repeat the MRI. As most of the symptoms seem to have gotten worse since the last MRI, he stated that it would be beneficial to compare changes. He also stated that the first MRI was not as clear nor did it have as much detail as he would prefer. As MRI with contrast is controversial for pregnant woman, it was decided that this MRI would be completed without contrast and determine any changes from there. He also decided that an MRI of the spine needed to be completed as well as a Lumbar Puncture (Spinal Tap) in order to truly know if MS was an option. A spinal tap is where they put a needle into the spinal fluid and pull the fluid out. They are then able to check for autoimmune as well as proteins that may be present for MS. He also ordered a ton of lab work to rule out any "obvious" answers. He told us that following the MRI of the brain, if they felt that it wasn't MS for sure the lumbar puncture would be taken off the schedule. The MRI of the brain was scheduled for Wednesday evening and the MRI of the spine for Thursday morning both the soonest available appointment.

By this time our stomaches were telling us it was time for lunch. We headed downstairs and decided to blood work first. We went over to the lab and were quickly seen and Brianna was done in about 5 minutes. We then went to the cafeteria. Nothing spectacular but had a lot of options which was nice. We were exhausted and very hungry so we decided to FEAST! We got a bunch of everything which I feel was good boost for us. It cost us a pretty penny but totally worth it! After eating our feast we decided to not eat as much any more haha. When Brianna and I travel, we enjoy wearing our BYUI apparel. We do this for two reasons, 1. It is very comfy! and 2. we love being able to see members when they ask us if we went to BYU. During lunch, there were two very nice gentlemen who came and talked with us. They were from Rexburg, ID of all places! It was nice talking with them and we felt very relaxed talking with them. They gave us good encouragement and told us that they would be praying for us.

Following lunch we decided to head over to the MRI area to see if we could be seen sooner. We learned that here at the Mayo Clinic they do "standby" or what they call "Checking". This is similar to being put on standby for a airplane flight. If someone doesn't come or they cancel, they can get you seen sooner. As we didn't want to wait till Wednesday night for the MRI we came to wait and see if we could be seen sooner. We quickly learned that the Imaging department does not work the same as the rest of the clinic. They do not do checking just due to the massive amount of appointments. They did however call scheduling and were able to get us in for Wednesday morning at 6 am. We were really grateful for this change as that allowed Dr. Flanagan to get results faster especially as he will be out of the office Thursday afternoon and all day Friday.

Knowing that we weren't going to get into an MRI any sooner we decided that it was time to head to the hotel and finally catch up on some lost sleep. I took a pretty short nap as I have had a lot on my mind. Brianna was completely exhausted and thus took a really long nap. She slept from about 3 till 6 which was rest that she really needed. We then talked with family, especially our precious son Watson! We really miss him and his wonderful personality. We then went and ate dinner and had an emotional conversation in the car prior to dinner. It doesn't take much to make our hearts soft right now but we continue to trust in the Lord. Following dinner we went to Walmart to get a couple of items but more importantly to spend time together and to relax. We walked around walmart and spent some precious time together. We then headed back to the hotel and talked with Watson one more time. We then got ready for bed after talking with some more family as we had to get up early for the MRI of the brain at 6:15.

We trust in the Lord and know that regardless of outcome, He has a plan and that as we accept His will we can truly understand. I have a testimony that God lives and that He loves us. He knows each of us personally and we are His children. This is not a punishment but an opportunity to draw closer to Him and to gain a better knowledge that our Family is Forever. Thank you for your continued love and support. May we all grow together during these times. Day 2 of Mayo clinic will come soon.