PauseAndEject

Happy to help!

More than likely the CD will have the raw .dcm files on there, yes. Every time I've requested it, it's been given to me on a CD, which means I have to dig out my old computer from storage just to read the damn thing 😅

Best of luck with it! And thanks again for a fascinating rabbit hole.

The plot thickens! I wonder how far back in your scan history abnormalities can be seen with the advantage of hindsight.

One thing I have had luck with in the past when it comes to medical scans is to request a copy of them in "DICOM format" - DICOM is a standardized file format for medical imaging & communications data, literally files you can open on Windows or Mac at home (with the right free software installed) that have a ".dcm" file extension. The DICOM data is the most complete set of information about your scan available, literally you will be working with the exact same if not more data than your doctors. I had an MRI done last year and the DICOM data let's me see every individual image in the set, details about the machine at the time that image was taken, and even make a 3D reconstruction of my head! X-Rays absolutely use the same format - all medical imaging systems do, unless there's some obscure ones I don't know about.

I can't speak for everywhere in the world but many places will have DICOM data going back years, filed against your patient file, so it should be simple enough for your G.P. to collate all your historical X-Rays and give you complete copies of the .dcm files.

Then you would be able to load them up in chronological order and compare/contrast any significant developments between scans from the comfort of your own home! I'm familiar with the process of loading and viewing the files now, so if that is something that interests you but you don't know where to start, I'd be happy to assist if you can obtain the files :)

After reading the link you provided, I'm surprised that your diagnosis is so recent! (Although, I've experienced my fair share of oblivious doctors, so maybe not too surprising...)

From your link:

In those with the condition, there is typically unilateral absence of the pectoralis minor and the sternal or breastbone portion of the pectoralis major.

Have you ever had a chest X-Ray prior to your diagnosis? I am guessing your case is quite mild compared to others, as I imagine such absences or even underdevelopments of those muscles and bones to be pretty obvious to medical professionals.

Thanks for sharing, I'm officially counting Poland Syndrome as the new thing I learned about today :)

Have you come across "Post Traumatic Embitterment Disorder" or "PTED" in your career at all?

If so, how does it differ from PTSD? And are there more variations of "Post Traumatic" Disorders?