Harvard, Harvard, may I come?

Upon my request, HEI doctors are now in the process of refering me to Harvard Medical School’s NF2 Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts for a second opinion. Dr. Adelyne, who is Dr. Lekovic’s assistant, is contacting the nurse at Harvard to schedule a February appointment for me.

I figured that Mom will not be too happy if I make her travel during the Chinese New Year season, so that was why I decided to visit Harvard in February and not sooner.

For your information, the NF2 gene was first cloned at Harvard University. They have an NF2 clinic wholly dedicated to Neurofibromatosis Type 2 diagnosis, treatment and research. Their team, made up of doctors across various medical disciplines, is specialized in NF2.

I have been eyeing the NF2 clinic at Harvard for a couple of years but found no reason to visit it since I could be treated at HEI and NIH previously. But now that even doctors at HEI and NIH could not find the cause of my deterioration, I have a good enough reason to visit Harvard.

Dr. Lekovic had repeatedly suggest that I should see an Opthalmologist for my vision changes. But from my last visit with the Opthalmologist at NIH in October 2011, my vision was found to have improved since October 2010. It’s now 20/50 as compared to 20/100 or something like that previously. My vision disturbance is not testable using standard eye exams. Hence, I believe it is not due to my eye per se.

But trying to visit this and that opthalmologist all over the places can be draining and frustrating, especially if they have only basic understanding of NF2. And then, I might also require the attention of specialists in other medical disciplines which would mean I have to go to other doctors all over the places, explain to them my medical history all over again and try to consolidate everyone’s findings.

To avoid all that headache, I decided it is best to visit the NF2 Clinic at Harvard Medical School – Massachusetts General Hospital.

Say, is anyone reading this residing in Boston, Massachusetts? It will be very helpful to have someone familiar with the area as our host and guide.