WE NEED A LOWER RIO GRANDE MEDICAL ADVISORY BOARD TO BRING BETTER CARE TO THE LRGV

Yesterday it came to my attention a local person fell and hit her head.  There was no care available, so she was medivac to MD Anderson in Houston.

Medicine is changing and our needs are changing.  No one hospital can fix the problem.  It has to be a community effort between Hidalgo and Cameron County through an advisory board.

My brain issue scares me more and more each day.  The VA doctor who treats my circadian rhythm disorder was dumbfounded the VA does not have a neurologist in San Antonio handle the read of my brain CT scan and lateral headshot.  She told me the local radiologist is to refer any read she cannot handle to specialists in San Antonio.

I am very happy with the ER help I received from Valley Regional.  The radiologist through no fault of his own could not properly read the CT scan or the lateral head shot.  On the latter it is about reading the setting on the shunt, not if the shunt is in place.  

That number will tell the ER doctor if my shunt is over draining or under draining.  This then gives context to the CT Scan read. We need to be fair.  An ER doctor and local radiologist can go their entire career and never see a patient with my problem. 

Both the radiologist here, and in San Antonio misread part of the CT scan.  Their reads got me the emergency care I needed- so thank you.  It really takes a brain neurologist to understand the subtle difference between a hematoma and a sac filled with brain fluid.  It was in fact the latter.  This is so rare it is impossible for almost any ER doctor or radiologist to get it right.  They need help and we should work together to help them.

The brain fluid sacs were even worse than a hematoma.  Mine were deemed severe requiring an immediate change of the pressure valve from 70 to 150.  That is a big change.  I can tell you based on how I feel, I am still in trouble.  

I have been sleeping 11 hours. It takes an hour to rehydrate me before I can get just a few hours work done.

THE SOLUTION

A medical advisory board can help all local hospitals to associate with specialists in San Antonio and Houston who can help with the advanced reads of MRI's, CT scans and basic x-rays. The need is there and we need a strong community-based Board to help the doctors.

The MAB also needs to work with all ER professionals to learn about rare conditions they are seeing in the ER.  We need PCP to also make such identifications.

With this data in hand the MAB can work with the hospitals to try and recruit specialists who can address these rare conditions. Our population is growing and changing.