After two and half hours of 4 different catheters and a camera (and some
unmentionable positions and directions), the decision is that my prolapse is
only a Grade II and we're going to try medicating the problem first.  I have
some irritation or inflammation at the base of my bladder and my urethra is
narrower than normal.  The doctor put in a tool that he called a stretcher
and tried to enlarge it, but that caused such pain that I yelped.  He
apologized, which surprised me.  There are no abnormalities other than
those.

Anyway, I have a daily pill for one year that is to calm my bladder
(Tolterodine - generic Detrol) and a daily pill for 90 days to clear up the
irritation (Nitrofurantoin - generic Macrobid).  He said that the
incontinence could have been caused by an undetected bladder infection of
which the irritation is the remains.  Of course, if the symptoms get worse
instead of better, we'll try something else.

It turns out that the test was the easy part.  I then waited three and a
half hours to get my medication filled.  (Walter Reed is renovating the main
pharmacy.)  The loud speaker was the hardest part of the waiting with a
mechanical voice intoning, "Now serving number C244 at window number 4." or
variations of the same over and over for the 3.5 hours.  I finally got my
meds and started to leave.

Now, at Walter Reed, the handicapped get free valet parking.  It's a godsend
as you can pull up to the front door, they give you a piece of paper and
take your car and go find a parking space for you.  I went to get my car and
they cannot find the keys.  The valet closes at 4:00 pm and all keys left
are given to the information desk.  The desk sergeant had them all lined up
but we could not match the number on my ticket to any of the numbers on the
keys he had.  So I 'have a seat in the waiting room' (did I mention the
obnoxious voice on the loud speaker?) and they call the parking attendant.
An hour and a half later, the manager comes back to the office, searches the
office then comes to the keys.  She started turning them over looking at the
backs of the tickets and, sure enough, one says, "This is not the ticket
number.  These keys became separated from their original ticket.  These are
for a light green Chevy, Maryland EHV 248."  Now I drive a Ford Focus ZX5,
Maryland EHV 248.  She brought the keys to me, they WERE mine and I was
finally able to escape the voice.  A nearly eight hour day for a relatively
short test.

Today I am hurting from the test and the five hours of sitting, but it's
over, I have my medicine, I have my car, there will be no surgery, and all
is well.

DeeTee
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DeeTee and Bob Taggart
http://www.marykay.com/dtaggart3
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze8fwov/
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