Sometime next week I'll be getting the call to get a mammogram & breast ultrasound done. A "right of passage" generally reserved for females over the age of 40. I just turned 30 back in May. This isn't an elective scan.
Last year at my yearly lady check-up my doctor had noticed my breasts were lumpy & mildly tender. It was the first time a doctor had ever said anything about it, even though, from my recollection they've always felt this way and every year I've gone in for my yearly check-up. It's not like it's a single lump or on just one side. The lumpiness is fairly uniform & is worse at different stages of my monthly cycle. Some weeks it's highly pronounced lumpiness. Other weeks it's just mild lumpiness. What I neglected to remember, or be told, was that I was supposed to return in two weeks and have her examine them again to check for any changes. So it's been a year, since she last examined my breasts, and where her opinion is concerned, I was at a stage in my cycle when the lumpiness should have been at it's lowest point. Instead the lumps were quite hard & tender. Further complicating the matter is that the lumps area deep in my breast tissue, not far enough away from the general rib muscle to distinctively say that it's one thing or another.
The most likely culprit is that I have fibrocystic breast tissue, which is nothing really to worry about, except for the fact it makes traditional lump detection nearly impossible. But there's still that slight margin of possibility that it could be something more serious.
I do, mostly, have genetics working in my favor. My mom has had several breast ultrasounds done for spots that would show up on a mammogram, only for them to be found to just be water cysts. There is also no known cases of breast cancer in either side of my family. That's not to say there isn't cancer in my family.
My dad passed away just weeks after finding out he had stage 4 cancer. Due to the fact it wasn't caught until he was at the end stages of it and it had already spread through all of his digestive tract, there's nothing to say it started off as just throat cancer, or colon cancer, or pancreatic cancer, or stomach cancer, or any other organ cancer. He died of a heart attack, but that's not to say the cancer didn't help push him there quicker, at 45, plus other surrounding circumstances.
My dad had two uncles die of cancer. One had lung cancer, the other brain cancer.
Then there was my maternal grandmother who, at 75, was diagnosed with bone cancer. She refused treatments, even refused to tell anyone in the family, until she was at the end stages of it, a year after her diagnosis.
And that's it. No other cancers. No other genetic anomalies that put my family line at high risk for cancers. My grandmother had always dealt with osteoporosis, due to her slight build, extreme dieting she always did, and I'm sure her job also contributed, in addition to multiple pregnancies back to back when she was in her late 30s.
The great-uncle who died of lung cancer had always worked in construction, he died in 2002, not long after the tie was made to asbestos and cancers. The great-uncle who died of brain cancer was a military guy who was exposed to a great number of things. He was just in his late 50s, died in the mid-90s. My dad...he liked chewing tobacco, some say that's what his demise was from. But he also had a bad heart that wasn't diagnosed as such until he was in his mid-30s, then was on a number of medications for that that may have help hide some of the early symptoms plus the circumstances he was living in for the last several years of his life that likely didn't help any of the matters.
So, I'm technically not worried about it being cancer. At the same time though I'm not going to just blow it off. I just hope they can get solid answers without having to drag it out too long. Of course I do know that because of this I'll have to go in for regular scans, ultrasounds, and mammograms for the 'just in case' scenario. Best to be proactive than to be blasé about it.
But, I guess there's not much sense in worrying about something no one has any solid answers about, right?
Doesn't keep it from happening though.
Showing posts with label medical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical. Show all posts
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
List of Updates
I've been busy, to put it short. Life is also getting much busier and hectic, but such is normal I suppose.
The rundown: (If you have questions leave a comment & ask)
I'm having sinus surgery on the 28th. Recent scans & tests & all that revealed that I have what appears to be a lot of extra cartilage blocking fluids from properly draining, thus causing me to have a sinus infection that absolutely will not go away...for at least the last 20 years of my life that I can remember constantly having sinus issues..
I see an orthopedic specialist on Thursday about my knee. The base guess is that I have torn my ACL in my left knee. Not completely torn, but enough that it is very weak, constantly swollen, and VERY painful. Going down to the basement to do laundry is almost torture...add in the knee pain and it definitely qualifies as torture. I have no clue specifically how I did it. My knees always pop & occasionally I have some pretty bad pain in them from the arthritis, especially when the weather is being wonky, but it's normally just temporary & tolerable. This is not greatly tolerable & it's swollen & it is a weird burning type of pain down the muscles even, so it hits no markers for the arthritis blow-off. I'm not looking forward to this possible/probable surgery and the recovery process that will follow.
School is going well enough. Kinda boring right now & lots of work, but such is school life I presume. I'm hoping my next semester is better.
My BooMonkey Creations work is steady now. I'm not getting rich or anything of that nature from it, but it is enjoyable and puts a few bucks in my pocket for various things that we've gone without or put off getting. I'm hosting a fundraiser this month for a lovely gal. If you're interested please check it out here.
Brian is doing well enough. Work is still annoying and he still deals with his own pains from past surgeries, but such is the new normal.
Mikeal is doing well in school. He's up to over 300 AR points at school...AR points being points they get for reading books & passing tests over the books. I think he said there's a 5th grader with more points at his school, so not too shabby for being a 4th grader & having only read the books since school started. He's read ALL of the Harry Potter books, all the Narnia books, and almost all of another series or two, but they're not ones I'm all that familiar with so I couldn't tell you for sure. I LOVE that he loves to read so much....but I do occasionally find myself threatening to ground him from reading due to his pre-teen attitude & behaviors.
Mikaila is doing awesome. She's made great progress in her speech & the thought is she'll be able to drop speech therapy altogether by the time she starts Kindergarten. She starts Kindergarten in the late Summer of 2013, so another year of therapy. She is also getting ready to start physical therapy. It's quite probable that her early hearing/inner ear issues early in life affected the way she moves, walks, etc so they're going to work with her on improving her balance and coordination to get her caught up on par with her classmates.
I guess that's the gist of it. At least close enough.
The rundown: (If you have questions leave a comment & ask)
I'm having sinus surgery on the 28th. Recent scans & tests & all that revealed that I have what appears to be a lot of extra cartilage blocking fluids from properly draining, thus causing me to have a sinus infection that absolutely will not go away...for at least the last 20 years of my life that I can remember constantly having sinus issues..
I see an orthopedic specialist on Thursday about my knee. The base guess is that I have torn my ACL in my left knee. Not completely torn, but enough that it is very weak, constantly swollen, and VERY painful. Going down to the basement to do laundry is almost torture...add in the knee pain and it definitely qualifies as torture. I have no clue specifically how I did it. My knees always pop & occasionally I have some pretty bad pain in them from the arthritis, especially when the weather is being wonky, but it's normally just temporary & tolerable. This is not greatly tolerable & it's swollen & it is a weird burning type of pain down the muscles even, so it hits no markers for the arthritis blow-off. I'm not looking forward to this possible/probable surgery and the recovery process that will follow.
School is going well enough. Kinda boring right now & lots of work, but such is school life I presume. I'm hoping my next semester is better.
My BooMonkey Creations work is steady now. I'm not getting rich or anything of that nature from it, but it is enjoyable and puts a few bucks in my pocket for various things that we've gone without or put off getting. I'm hosting a fundraiser this month for a lovely gal. If you're interested please check it out here.
Brian is doing well enough. Work is still annoying and he still deals with his own pains from past surgeries, but such is the new normal.
Mikeal is doing well in school. He's up to over 300 AR points at school...AR points being points they get for reading books & passing tests over the books. I think he said there's a 5th grader with more points at his school, so not too shabby for being a 4th grader & having only read the books since school started. He's read ALL of the Harry Potter books, all the Narnia books, and almost all of another series or two, but they're not ones I'm all that familiar with so I couldn't tell you for sure. I LOVE that he loves to read so much....but I do occasionally find myself threatening to ground him from reading due to his pre-teen attitude & behaviors.
Mikaila is doing awesome. She's made great progress in her speech & the thought is she'll be able to drop speech therapy altogether by the time she starts Kindergarten. She starts Kindergarten in the late Summer of 2013, so another year of therapy. She is also getting ready to start physical therapy. It's quite probable that her early hearing/inner ear issues early in life affected the way she moves, walks, etc so they're going to work with her on improving her balance and coordination to get her caught up on par with her classmates.
I guess that's the gist of it. At least close enough.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Medical TailSpin
So...I just got a call about Mikeal's bloodwork that was done yesterday to check his thyroid levels. The results all came back within perfectly normal range. Which is great, except for the fact for the last 18 months he's been on thyroid medication, but has failed MISERABLY at taking it this summer, so hasn't taken it, and the last time I remember him taking it was while we were on vacation, back in June, and that's about his assessment as well - I know, horrible mother. So, he's not taken his thyroid med, every blood test we've had in the past, with him having taken the med, basically as he's supposed to has also came back within perfect range, but also so has this one where he's not taken the med. He is on the lowest possible dose of the thyroid medication anyways, so he's to not take it for the next 6 wks, then will have his levels checked again. This doc is also ordering an echocardiogram, since that's what I wanted in the first place, 18 months ago, when he was diagnosed as having hypothyroidism....
Back history on that involves Mikeal displaying some similar characteristics as my dad, when my dad was a kid, that included fainting spells, black-outs & the like, but wasn't diagnosed as having a congenial heart condition until he was in his early 30s, after having almost died from a massive heart attack & stroke...even then the condition wasn't caught until the second massive heart attack, after the doctor made him do the echo stress test for 3 solid hours. Mikeal was in wrestling when the fainting spells, etc started happening all the time, he's had no such spells since I've pulled him from wrestling...But what do I know, I'm just a high school educated "over protective-hypochondriac" mother...which, let me assure you, I am not.
ANYWAYS...
I had my check-up today - all that wonderful yearly girlie stuff & of course new doctor, so new guesses as to different things that may or may not be wrong with me. My shrink wants me checked out for PCOS as well. Of course the doc considered it, but doesn't think it's my issue, but she'll check it out just in case - so next week I get to go in for a wonderful glucose & insulin check, have my blood drawn & tests run on it for possible thyroid issues, etc. Of course she also did a hCg urine test because I'm on day 40 of my cycle, it came back negative, but if I don't start by the time I come in again she's going to order a blood hCg test, which I'm confident will still show me as negative.
My urine test also showed that my white blood count is higher than normal, but for as long as I can remember, at least since my pregnancy with Mikaila, it's always been slightly elevated when it's been checked, resulting in docs giving me antibiotics, all the freaking time for a UTI that I didn't have, trust me, I know if I have one, I've only ever had one...but she also did my breast exam & thought that my breasts were not completely as soft as they 'should' be & more tender than what she thinks they should be, so is going to wait until after all the lab tests come back & see if the tenderness/hardness lessens over the next week or two then will call in an order for me to have a mammogram or ultrasounds done of my boobs. Yay me. She said it was likely just fibrocystic something of another, but at the same time, when one adds in the elevated white blood count it could be something more gut wrenching. I'm fairly optimistic about it, especially since my mom has gone back and forth multiple times for extra screenings only for the lumps to be strictly water cysts...
Ugh...so over the last two days I've gone from being told my son has hypothyroidism to saying maybe he doesn't after all, but they'll check his thyroid levels again in 6 wks and we're also goign to do more extensive heart tests...and then me going from relatively healthy to "there may be something serious going on here".
Back history on that involves Mikeal displaying some similar characteristics as my dad, when my dad was a kid, that included fainting spells, black-outs & the like, but wasn't diagnosed as having a congenial heart condition until he was in his early 30s, after having almost died from a massive heart attack & stroke...even then the condition wasn't caught until the second massive heart attack, after the doctor made him do the echo stress test for 3 solid hours. Mikeal was in wrestling when the fainting spells, etc started happening all the time, he's had no such spells since I've pulled him from wrestling...But what do I know, I'm just a high school educated "over protective-hypochondriac" mother...which, let me assure you, I am not.
ANYWAYS...
I had my check-up today - all that wonderful yearly girlie stuff & of course new doctor, so new guesses as to different things that may or may not be wrong with me. My shrink wants me checked out for PCOS as well. Of course the doc considered it, but doesn't think it's my issue, but she'll check it out just in case - so next week I get to go in for a wonderful glucose & insulin check, have my blood drawn & tests run on it for possible thyroid issues, etc. Of course she also did a hCg urine test because I'm on day 40 of my cycle, it came back negative, but if I don't start by the time I come in again she's going to order a blood hCg test, which I'm confident will still show me as negative.
My urine test also showed that my white blood count is higher than normal, but for as long as I can remember, at least since my pregnancy with Mikaila, it's always been slightly elevated when it's been checked, resulting in docs giving me antibiotics, all the freaking time for a UTI that I didn't have, trust me, I know if I have one, I've only ever had one...but she also did my breast exam & thought that my breasts were not completely as soft as they 'should' be & more tender than what she thinks they should be, so is going to wait until after all the lab tests come back & see if the tenderness/hardness lessens over the next week or two then will call in an order for me to have a mammogram or ultrasounds done of my boobs. Yay me. She said it was likely just fibrocystic something of another, but at the same time, when one adds in the elevated white blood count it could be something more gut wrenching. I'm fairly optimistic about it, especially since my mom has gone back and forth multiple times for extra screenings only for the lumps to be strictly water cysts...
Ugh...so over the last two days I've gone from being told my son has hypothyroidism to saying maybe he doesn't after all, but they'll check his thyroid levels again in 6 wks and we're also goign to do more extensive heart tests...and then me going from relatively healthy to "there may be something serious going on here".
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The Kids Have Grown
Every year before school starts I take the kids in for physicals/wellness checks. Mikeal's wellness check is basically in line with his birthday, seeing as his birthday is at the end of August & school starts at the beginning of July. Mikaila's before school check is roughly 6 months before her birthday, but she's still at an age where docs want her to be seen to check for progress, etc every 6 months, so it works. It is also less hassle for me to just knock both out at the same time, but I'm sure next year I'll start doing Mikaila's in December, more in line with her actual yearly birthday.
This time LAST year Mikeal was 46 inches tall & weighed 80lbs. Today...Mikeal weighs 107lbs and is 55inches tall. Doc said his BMI was in perfect range, even if he does have a bit of a belly on him, even though the doc last year called Mikeal obese...oh I wanted to slug that jerk.
This time last year Mikaila was 37lbs and 36 inches tall. Today...Mikaila weighs 37lbs and is 40 inches tall. Same story with the BMI.
Otherwise the kids seem to be in good health. Mikeal had another blood test ran to check his thyroid levels, this time without having taken his medication this morning (pure accident, but still) and we'll determine how his levels compare without medication to with medication. He's on the lowest dose possible of the thyroid medication and seeing as he's on the thyroid medication as a result of testing being done to find out why he was having fainting spells about 18 months ago & the blood tests done then we'll see how it all really adds up. The new doc is also going to have him see the pediatric cardiologist & have an echo-cardiogram done to see how things look compared to his last one about 4 years ago. I want to believe he's as perfect as all these tests claim him to be, repeatedly, however I also know my dad had repeated tests come back perfect and it wasn't until he was given a 3hour stress test, while hooked up to the echo machine that they actually saw his heart valves hiccup, etc. I'm hoping that if Mikeal has the same thing as my dad that it's caught before he falls over from a massive heart attack at a very early age.
Mikaila is still pretty well good to go...showed off her gravity checking abilities, her jumping abilities, etc. She's a bit like her momma - she can run & hop across flat level surfaces, but try getting her to walk across that same level surface invokes a gravity check. It was noticed that within the last few months she lost the tube in her right ear, no clue when it may have fallen out..and she still barely has the tube in her left ear. She sees the ENT again on the 26th to see about having her tonsils removed and maybe a new set of tubes put in, but I won't know until the 26th.
But that's the new bits. Yay for reasonably healthy kids and intelligent doctors that actually listen to me and don't treat me like I don't know things, especially where it concerns my children & the health history of my family then how one mimics another, but because one was untreated it became very deadly when it was all 'perfect'.
This time LAST year Mikeal was 46 inches tall & weighed 80lbs. Today...Mikeal weighs 107lbs and is 55inches tall. Doc said his BMI was in perfect range, even if he does have a bit of a belly on him, even though the doc last year called Mikeal obese...oh I wanted to slug that jerk.
This time last year Mikaila was 37lbs and 36 inches tall. Today...Mikaila weighs 37lbs and is 40 inches tall. Same story with the BMI.
Otherwise the kids seem to be in good health. Mikeal had another blood test ran to check his thyroid levels, this time without having taken his medication this morning (pure accident, but still) and we'll determine how his levels compare without medication to with medication. He's on the lowest dose possible of the thyroid medication and seeing as he's on the thyroid medication as a result of testing being done to find out why he was having fainting spells about 18 months ago & the blood tests done then we'll see how it all really adds up. The new doc is also going to have him see the pediatric cardiologist & have an echo-cardiogram done to see how things look compared to his last one about 4 years ago. I want to believe he's as perfect as all these tests claim him to be, repeatedly, however I also know my dad had repeated tests come back perfect and it wasn't until he was given a 3hour stress test, while hooked up to the echo machine that they actually saw his heart valves hiccup, etc. I'm hoping that if Mikeal has the same thing as my dad that it's caught before he falls over from a massive heart attack at a very early age.
Mikaila is still pretty well good to go...showed off her gravity checking abilities, her jumping abilities, etc. She's a bit like her momma - she can run & hop across flat level surfaces, but try getting her to walk across that same level surface invokes a gravity check. It was noticed that within the last few months she lost the tube in her right ear, no clue when it may have fallen out..and she still barely has the tube in her left ear. She sees the ENT again on the 26th to see about having her tonsils removed and maybe a new set of tubes put in, but I won't know until the 26th.
But that's the new bits. Yay for reasonably healthy kids and intelligent doctors that actually listen to me and don't treat me like I don't know things, especially where it concerns my children & the health history of my family then how one mimics another, but because one was untreated it became very deadly when it was all 'perfect'.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Another Medical Update
Brace yourself!
This is going to come as a real shocker!
Do be sure to be sitting down.
Also, make sure all beverages are out of close reach!
The doctor ...
This is going to come as a real shocker!
Do be sure to be sitting down.
Also, make sure all beverages are out of close reach!
The doctor ...
...actually...
...LOOKED at...
and
...TOUCHED...
...my shoulder!
...LOOKED at...
and
...TOUCHED...
...my shoulder!
You know, only because I started going to the doc ABOUT my shoulder...some 6 months or so ago...
Over this last 6 months or so I have seen/been tested for :
An allergist about my consistent congestion in my head...determined I have an over sensitive nose, gave me nasal sprays, problem solved.
A neurologist to check for carpel tunnel in my hands...determined I do not have carpel tunnel.
A dermatologist about a rash on my leg that's been there for some 5+ years, treated with SEVERAL different types of OTC creams & prescription creams...they did a biopsy, gave me a more potent cream, and I go back in on Thursday to see what the result was of the biopsy.
A sleep specialist about my consistent lack of energy & extreme exhaustion...determined I ALMOST have a mild, VERY mild case of sleep apnea - sleeping with a CPAP machine now for the last few nights....I still only get about 3-4 hours of sleep a night, most nights of the week...one child keeps me up late and the other gets me up early, the late to bed one still gets up in the middle of the night, most of the time. Plus, the pain in my shoulder still disturbs my sleep, when I am able to pass out from exhaustion.
I had a CT scan done that showed that I have a VERY small cyst in one of my sinus cavities...no real treatment for that outside of the nasal sprays.
Then of course I've had bloodwork done that has determined that I have perfect cholesterol, my hormone levels are all perfect, yada yada...one test did come back showing I had an overgrowth of a bacterium in my stomach that causes ulcers, was treated for that, all is well again...plus not taking any NSAIDs on a many times a day basis has done wonders for not irritating my ulcers.
Imagine the uttersurprise FRUSTRATION that all of these tests and all of these treatments have done NADA, ZIP, ZILCH for the pain in my arm and shoulder! If anything, because I'm no longer taking the NSAIDs, neurontin, yada yada for the pain, the pain is actually WORSE. Now, I'm not talking about some piddly bruise type of pain. I'm talking pain that feels like someone has taken a simple wooden pencil, lined it thickly with dull barbs, and someone sits there, rotating it as if it was a spit over a fire, through the muscle that runs just above my shoulder blade.
I have dealt with this now for 10 years now. In fact, the original injury date was November 21, 2000. I fell down a flight of stairs. The first ER x-rayed my leg, told me it wasn't broke, have a nice day. The second ER, later that evening, discovered that I was pregnant, hence the reason for my extreme shortness of breath. Two days later I saw a doctor about not being able to really use my arm without this pain...she gave me some exercises to do, on my own, sent me on my way. Every fucking doctor since then has blown me off in similar nature. Treating me like I was just in there for pain killers, etc.
A whole fucking DECADE of dealing with this, and after seeing this doctor now for about 6 weeks, she running every other freaking test, up to and including sending me to a psychologist, has FINALLY TOUCHED my SHOULDER!
And guess what!
She noticed something!
*GASP!*
I have this HUGE knotted bulge EXACTLY where I have been saying my problem lies. *GASP*
Its so bad that she's going to send me to have an MRI done OF MY SHOULDER! My LEFT SHOULDER! The one that bloody hurts worst than 100% natural childbirth all.the.fucking.time! I've had a 100% natural child birth, I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! When I tell these docs that I rank child birth as a 7 on the pain scale and this pain in my shoulder is an 11 you'd think they'd get the hint! Especially since everyone says child birth is so ungodly painful! ...I had my natural childbirth 3 weeks after the injury to my shoulder.
She is also sending me for a second opinion, with a different neurologist, to not only check for nerve damage in my arm/shoulder, but to also see about the frequent migraines that I have. She wanted to put me on amitriptaline for the migraines. I haven't personally taken it, but I know all too VERY well how Brian was both on that and then when he came off of it...that scared the SHIT out of me! I am terrified of having a similar reaction, so we're going to try to figure out a root cause and go from there.
I also see my therapist in the morning. Last time I saw her she asked me to come up with just one thing to try working on right now. I still haven't figured that out, so we'll see how it goes.
Over this last 6 months or so I have seen/been tested for :
An allergist about my consistent congestion in my head...determined I have an over sensitive nose, gave me nasal sprays, problem solved.
A neurologist to check for carpel tunnel in my hands...determined I do not have carpel tunnel.
A dermatologist about a rash on my leg that's been there for some 5+ years, treated with SEVERAL different types of OTC creams & prescription creams...they did a biopsy, gave me a more potent cream, and I go back in on Thursday to see what the result was of the biopsy.
A sleep specialist about my consistent lack of energy & extreme exhaustion...determined I ALMOST have a mild, VERY mild case of sleep apnea - sleeping with a CPAP machine now for the last few nights....I still only get about 3-4 hours of sleep a night, most nights of the week...one child keeps me up late and the other gets me up early, the late to bed one still gets up in the middle of the night, most of the time. Plus, the pain in my shoulder still disturbs my sleep, when I am able to pass out from exhaustion.
I had a CT scan done that showed that I have a VERY small cyst in one of my sinus cavities...no real treatment for that outside of the nasal sprays.
Then of course I've had bloodwork done that has determined that I have perfect cholesterol, my hormone levels are all perfect, yada yada...one test did come back showing I had an overgrowth of a bacterium in my stomach that causes ulcers, was treated for that, all is well again...plus not taking any NSAIDs on a many times a day basis has done wonders for not irritating my ulcers.
Imagine the utter
I have dealt with this now for 10 years now. In fact, the original injury date was November 21, 2000. I fell down a flight of stairs. The first ER x-rayed my leg, told me it wasn't broke, have a nice day. The second ER, later that evening, discovered that I was pregnant, hence the reason for my extreme shortness of breath. Two days later I saw a doctor about not being able to really use my arm without this pain...she gave me some exercises to do, on my own, sent me on my way. Every fucking doctor since then has blown me off in similar nature. Treating me like I was just in there for pain killers, etc.
A whole fucking DECADE of dealing with this, and after seeing this doctor now for about 6 weeks, she running every other freaking test, up to and including sending me to a psychologist, has FINALLY TOUCHED my SHOULDER!
And guess what!
She noticed something!
*GASP!*
I have this HUGE knotted bulge EXACTLY where I have been saying my problem lies. *GASP*
Its so bad that she's going to send me to have an MRI done OF MY SHOULDER! My LEFT SHOULDER! The one that bloody hurts worst than 100% natural childbirth all.the.fucking.time! I've had a 100% natural child birth, I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about! When I tell these docs that I rank child birth as a 7 on the pain scale and this pain in my shoulder is an 11 you'd think they'd get the hint! Especially since everyone says child birth is so ungodly painful! ...I had my natural childbirth 3 weeks after the injury to my shoulder.
She is also sending me for a second opinion, with a different neurologist, to not only check for nerve damage in my arm/shoulder, but to also see about the frequent migraines that I have. She wanted to put me on amitriptaline for the migraines. I haven't personally taken it, but I know all too VERY well how Brian was both on that and then when he came off of it...that scared the SHIT out of me! I am terrified of having a similar reaction, so we're going to try to figure out a root cause and go from there.
I also see my therapist in the morning. Last time I saw her she asked me to come up with just one thing to try working on right now. I still haven't figured that out, so we'll see how it goes.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Different Medical Related update
I neglected to mention that as part of my new treatment avenue my doc suggested I see a therapist.
I've so far gone twice. The first time I think I was there for almost two hours as the bases were touched upon.
The second time it was just a 30 minute session.
She wants me to find one subject to work on at a time.
Yes, to say I have a minor issue with that is another understatement in itself.
Do I just focus on the medical stuff?
Or the crap from my past? Lord knows I have just a few lingering issues from my past.
Do I focus on my marriage? Although, I do have to say that Brian and I did make great strides with seeing closer to eye to eye...or he meeting me eye to eye...the night before my latest session.
Or do I dive into other things that I haven't even mentioned to her yet?
She did touch a small bit of a nerve the other day as she was highlighting on the different things I have brought up....something that I can't let rest and keeps playing like a broken record, over and over in my head and to others who have been so patient as to listen as I turn it over out loud with them.
See, I feel obligated to keep up with some persons even though I feel like they really don't care to hear from me, about me. They're great if I call them up to hear how they're doing, but the moment I mention my stuff or the kids' stuff or Brian's stuff it's like they can't be off the phone quick enough. My therapist asked me if these persons weren't someone I felt obligated to spend my time on, would I? My quick, non-thought out answer was simply 'no'. I can't think of too many 'good' times I've had when either of them were involved. I can't think of any hobbies or activities that I enjoy that they enjoy. I don't share secrets with them. Bad things happen to me and they brush me aside or under the rug, but expect me to drop everything for them.
Its a constant fight of imbalances. I don't know if I'm looking for their approval or a way to close the book on the relationship altogether. In some ways I wish I could do both.
For now I'm not on any medications. I don't see the actual psychiatrist until December. I just get the therapy sessions in the meantime. I'm hoping to be able to work out the issues without medications but I'm fairly sure that won't be the case. It becomes a matter of do I need an anti-depressant? Maybe. An anti-anxiety med? I really don't think so. Maybe they'll skip all the way up to an anti-psychotic? I feel like it some days.
I really don't feel like I'm depressed. I do enjoy a great deal of my life and I do get a bit upset or irritated with not having answers, who wouldn't? But to go as far as to say that I need something to function through my day to day? I don't think so, maybe.
I've so far gone twice. The first time I think I was there for almost two hours as the bases were touched upon.
The second time it was just a 30 minute session.
She wants me to find one subject to work on at a time.
Yes, to say I have a minor issue with that is another understatement in itself.
Do I just focus on the medical stuff?
Or the crap from my past? Lord knows I have just a few lingering issues from my past.
Do I focus on my marriage? Although, I do have to say that Brian and I did make great strides with seeing closer to eye to eye...or he meeting me eye to eye...the night before my latest session.
Or do I dive into other things that I haven't even mentioned to her yet?
She did touch a small bit of a nerve the other day as she was highlighting on the different things I have brought up....something that I can't let rest and keeps playing like a broken record, over and over in my head and to others who have been so patient as to listen as I turn it over out loud with them.
See, I feel obligated to keep up with some persons even though I feel like they really don't care to hear from me, about me. They're great if I call them up to hear how they're doing, but the moment I mention my stuff or the kids' stuff or Brian's stuff it's like they can't be off the phone quick enough. My therapist asked me if these persons weren't someone I felt obligated to spend my time on, would I? My quick, non-thought out answer was simply 'no'. I can't think of too many 'good' times I've had when either of them were involved. I can't think of any hobbies or activities that I enjoy that they enjoy. I don't share secrets with them. Bad things happen to me and they brush me aside or under the rug, but expect me to drop everything for them.
Its a constant fight of imbalances. I don't know if I'm looking for their approval or a way to close the book on the relationship altogether. In some ways I wish I could do both.
For now I'm not on any medications. I don't see the actual psychiatrist until December. I just get the therapy sessions in the meantime. I'm hoping to be able to work out the issues without medications but I'm fairly sure that won't be the case. It becomes a matter of do I need an anti-depressant? Maybe. An anti-anxiety med? I really don't think so. Maybe they'll skip all the way up to an anti-psychotic? I feel like it some days.
I really don't feel like I'm depressed. I do enjoy a great deal of my life and I do get a bit upset or irritated with not having answers, who wouldn't? But to go as far as to say that I need something to function through my day to day? I don't think so, maybe.
Medical Update
I know I've been slacking, but I have my list of excuses...
Excuse list:
1-tons of doctor appointments
2-school and homework, for both myself and Mikeal
3-Mikeal being on Fall Break when my classes started back up
4-I've started posts only to get distracted mid-way
5-house rearrangements
6-eh, think of an excuse I've used or can use, be creative, share the excuse with me...I really do need some new ones...
Anyways, onto the update.
This is the last update I made, back in mid-September...since then everything was twisted upside down. I didn't blog about the canoe being flipped because I was fairly depressed, pissed off, and no, not just pissed off.... REALLY pissed the fuck off!
So now I must play catch up with you...
In July I had the blasted Mirena removed. Brian and I both decided that we're okay with it if I wind up pregnant again, the effects of pregnancy on my body are nothing compared to the continuing to get worse effects of the Mirena, or so we thought. You'll soon understand the importance of this Mirena removal mention...
Then of course I had, yes, HAD, been seeing the Nurse Practitioner down the road here about the arthritis and other issues I've had for ages.
At my last update that I linked above I mentioned him putting me on some new medications...I went later that day to pick up the medications. Upon getting home with my new month's supply of new medications, complete with multiple refills this time, I read the inserts. I've picked up this life saving habit ever since I found out the death of my oldest child was most likely a result of prescription medications that I blindly took at the advice of my physician. So I read the first insert...used for arthritis inflammation, blah blah blah, this is an NSAID, do not take if you have ulcers, etc blah blah blah... Ok, fine and dandy. I only have ulcers, but whatever, nurse practitioner gave me a medication to offset the effects of the NSAID on my stomach. A heavy duty ulcer medication to go with my new heavy duty NSAID. I go to read the insert for the ulcer medication. There's a black box label warning from the FDA. This lovely medication for my ulcers is not only used for controlling stomach acid, but is also used for early abortions and starting labor. Only 800mcg of this medication is needed to induce labor, used alone in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy for abortions, used in the last week of pregnancy to induce labor. Here I was only 9 days past ovulation. Meaning I was far enough in my cycle to have gotten pregnant, seeing as Brian and I do have a healthy sex life for a married couple, but not quite far enough along in my cycle to check for pregnancy and the test results be completely reliable.
Add in the fact that the black label warning put in BIG BOLD LETTERS to NOT take this medication if you are not using a contraceptive and to not stop using the contraceptive for AT LEAST a month after stopping the medication. Brian and I of course were not using any contraceptives....kinda defeats the purpose of 'leaving the option open'... The nurse practitioner was well aware of this, seeing as just MINUTES prior to him giving me these prescriptions we had discussed where I was in my cycle and if I was pregnant or not. My answer of course being that I was at the point that I'm too far to rule it out and its still too soon to know for sure without a blood test.
I immediately get on the phone with the NP's office and question the reasoning. I also let him know that I flat out refuse to take this medication until after my uterus is completely removed. There is NO WAY in any sort of imagination to think that I will take an abortion medication while the possibility of me getting pregnant is there. It will not matter if I am 80 years old, so long as I have a uterus it is completely possible, albeit slim possibility, for me to become pregnant. Me knowingly taking an abortion medication is absolutely out of the question!!! Especially a medication that it only takes 800mcg in one day to cause an abortion and I was to take 200mcg, 4 times a day, everyday, with either 3 or 6 refills on the label. His answer was just simply: "I think this is the best medication for your condition, I will not be changing it." Disregarding the fact that not maybe 2 months before he had me on a medication cocktail that I felt really GREAT on. Not that the medications weren't without their own risks to pregnancy, seeing as most of them were class B & C medications...I'll take class B & C medications over a class X medication any day of the month.
I promptly changed doctors.
I took some time to write out all of my 'issues'. The numbness of my hands, the frequent dizziness, the pain, the migraines, etc. I also wrote her out a list of all the medication combinations I have been given for my issues, the benefits I felt with each one, my refusal to take others, etc. I also had a page of all the specialists I had seen and the results of the tests. Neurologist ruled out carpel tunnel and pinched nerves in my neck. Allergist ruled out any and all allergies. I listed what medications I knew caused bad adverse reactions with me. I listed everything I could think of that I knew she was bound to ask me. Then I brought my lists with me. Four pages of information.
The new doctor...an actual doctor this time...made a copy of my list, talked with me for a bit, then ordered a series of tests. Blood tests were first on the list. She also ordered a sleep study.
I went and had about 5 viles of blood drawn for about 15 different tests. I know the tests included checks for everything from my blood sugars to hormone levels to cholesterol, as well as tests for some bacterias and general blood cell counts.
Everything came back within perfect range, except for one of the bacterium tests. It came back to say that I have an abundance of h. pylori bacteria. A bacteria that causes ulcers. OH MY GOSH! There was actually a reason behind me having ulcers! I was given two antibiotics and Prilosec to treat this bacterium that lives in the lining of your stomach. The side effects of the antibiotics were anything but fun, but I endured. I've since been able to actually ENJOY things like a chocolate chip cookie or a cup of coffee...even Tabasco sauce on my beans and cornbread, with regret or having to take a pill before or after the fact.
During the two weeks of taking this antibiotic regimen I had my sleep studies. My first study showed that I never really entered REM sleep and that I had sleep apnea, albeit a mild case of apnea, but anything that causes you to stop breathing is enough to cause concern. I was fitted for a CPAP machine during my second sleep study. Sleeping with a whole plethora of wires attached to me the first time was enough of a hassle in itself, this second time I not only got all the lovely wires but I also was given a very sexy mask that blows air into my face, constantly. When I was awakened at 5am after 'sleeping' with the mask on my face I actually didn't feel like I was caught in the Twilight zone of I should be awake, but I'm really not and you expect me to drive 10 miles home groggy like this?! I actually felt like I had slept or at least had rested my body and mind. It actually took me about an hour to go back to sleep after I got home, where as after my first study I was nearly asleep before I even pulled in the driveway. I'm actually looking forward to using the machine on a regular basis... I'm currently awaiting approval from the insurance company, which could take another week, before I can go pick up my very own CPAP machine.
Earlier this week I had my follow-up appointment with the doctor. I told her about weaning myself off of the neurontin and stopping taking the ibuprofen and any other medication I had been on. I did express to her that I have had no issue with heartburn or ulcer flare-ups since about a week into my two weeks of antibiotics, but I also was completely off the NSAIDs by then, so I didn't know if I was to start NSAIDs again if the ulcers would return. I've been dealing, marginally, with the pain and inflammation as best I can without pain medications because I don't want the medications to interfere with test results...and if you were to step in my house you can see how that's going...
She further questioned me about what medications I was still using. I told her I was still using the nasal sprays I was given from the allergist when he determined my sinus & nasal allergy type issues weren't allergies but just an overly-sensitive nose, but that I was quickly running out. I do notice a HUGE difference between using it and not using it. Anyone that has ever had the displeasure of seeing me first thing of a morning, or really any time during the day, can tell you that I'm always sneezing, my face is always swollen and stuffy, etc. With the nasal spray I'm right as gold! 'Allergies' is no longer my catch-phrase when someone looks at me like I've lost my mind for going out in public while having to blow my nose. There for a few years I would have never left the house if I let a runny nose or sneezing stop me.
I also told her that I had a few migraine pills left, but I restrict myself on taking them for only the migraines that really knock me down. This lead into more detailed questioning from her. What triggers the migraines? (Nothing I can pinpoint, it can be anything from watching TV to driving down the road, to having a fight, to just sleeping even) When was the last time I had my eyes checked? (Last February, same script that I've worn since I was 14 years old, no worse, no better) Where do they start? (aligned with my ears, towards the center of my head, radiating from there) This answer stopped her in her tracks of questioning...She double checked my answers, asked if I was sure that they didn't start closer to the base of my skull or closer to the front of my skull. Then she started mumbling as she looked back over my chart...it was almost as if a light bulb turned on in her head. She then asked about dizziness...I answered her just as she saw that note in my chart...yes, I did have dizziness. Then she read more of my chart...walked out of the room for a minute, came back and told me she was going to order me to have a CT scan done of my head. Asked if I had ever had one. I have...about 6 years ago, at a military base hospital. The CT scan they did was rudimentary at best, just a small machine set up in a truck trailer...a mobile CT scan machine. Best I could remember they found nothing noteworthy. I'd had the CT scan because earlier that evening I was complaining about extreme dizziness and a migraine, told my roommate at the time that I felt that it was significant to go to the ER about...started getting Mikeal ready to head out and the next thing I knew my bedroom was flooded with EMTs. I had lingering dizziness and disorientation for a few days, one point bad enough that I guess I passed out in the bathroom at work and they sent me home, but only if Brian came and picked me up. But nothing was found out to be a cause...but of course I only had the one rudimentary scan done.
I had the CT scan today. The technician told me that she had to send the film off to the radiologist in Nashville and he should have the results on Monday. My doctor's office should call me when they get the results back. I have an appointment set up for the 9th of November as a follow-up. The tech also mentioned that it's likely that the next step will be an MRI. Then the poor gal nearly had to catch me as I sat up and nearly toppled over from sitting up too quickly and the room swam around me. I know better than to stand or sit up too quickly. I just wasn't thinking, again.
To say I have a bit of anxiety over all of this is an understatement. I am so used to hearing that nothing is wrong with me or I'm just looking for attention or that my tests all come back within normal. Now I have a doctor who sends me for tests and every time I've gone for a series of tests or even just one test I've come back with 'something'. First the h. pylori in my stomach. Then the sleep apnea. I'm worried about what they may find with the CT scan all while I'm worried that they won't find anything. Ten plus years of dealing with these symptoms and having different doctors treat the different symptoms takes a toll on a girl...especially a mom who has access to Dr. Google.
I have done well with staying away from Dr. Google while the testing is going on. I've been waiting until I hear a diagnosis before I consult Dr. Google...that's the great thing about Dr. Google. It doesn't get annoyed with multiple questions and it doesn't downplay anything. If there's a worst case scenario you can bet Dr. Google will give it to you and you'll walk away convinced you're ailing to the worst.
So that's the (long) nutshell. I'm stuck waiting on yet another test result to come back....
Excuse list:
1-tons of doctor appointments
2-school and homework, for both myself and Mikeal
3-Mikeal being on Fall Break when my classes started back up
4-I've started posts only to get distracted mid-way
5-house rearrangements
6-eh, think of an excuse I've used or can use, be creative, share the excuse with me...I really do need some new ones...
Anyways, onto the update.
This is the last update I made, back in mid-September...since then everything was twisted upside down. I didn't blog about the canoe being flipped because I was fairly depressed, pissed off, and no, not just pissed off.... REALLY pissed the fuck off!
So now I must play catch up with you...
In July I had the blasted Mirena removed. Brian and I both decided that we're okay with it if I wind up pregnant again, the effects of pregnancy on my body are nothing compared to the continuing to get worse effects of the Mirena, or so we thought. You'll soon understand the importance of this Mirena removal mention...
Then of course I had, yes, HAD, been seeing the Nurse Practitioner down the road here about the arthritis and other issues I've had for ages.
At my last update that I linked above I mentioned him putting me on some new medications...I went later that day to pick up the medications. Upon getting home with my new month's supply of new medications, complete with multiple refills this time, I read the inserts. I've picked up this life saving habit ever since I found out the death of my oldest child was most likely a result of prescription medications that I blindly took at the advice of my physician. So I read the first insert...used for arthritis inflammation, blah blah blah, this is an NSAID, do not take if you have ulcers, etc blah blah blah... Ok, fine and dandy. I only have ulcers, but whatever, nurse practitioner gave me a medication to offset the effects of the NSAID on my stomach. A heavy duty ulcer medication to go with my new heavy duty NSAID. I go to read the insert for the ulcer medication. There's a black box label warning from the FDA. This lovely medication for my ulcers is not only used for controlling stomach acid, but is also used for early abortions and starting labor. Only 800mcg of this medication is needed to induce labor, used alone in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy for abortions, used in the last week of pregnancy to induce labor. Here I was only 9 days past ovulation. Meaning I was far enough in my cycle to have gotten pregnant, seeing as Brian and I do have a healthy sex life for a married couple, but not quite far enough along in my cycle to check for pregnancy and the test results be completely reliable.
Add in the fact that the black label warning put in BIG BOLD LETTERS to NOT take this medication if you are not using a contraceptive and to not stop using the contraceptive for AT LEAST a month after stopping the medication. Brian and I of course were not using any contraceptives....kinda defeats the purpose of 'leaving the option open'... The nurse practitioner was well aware of this, seeing as just MINUTES prior to him giving me these prescriptions we had discussed where I was in my cycle and if I was pregnant or not. My answer of course being that I was at the point that I'm too far to rule it out and its still too soon to know for sure without a blood test.
I immediately get on the phone with the NP's office and question the reasoning. I also let him know that I flat out refuse to take this medication until after my uterus is completely removed. There is NO WAY in any sort of imagination to think that I will take an abortion medication while the possibility of me getting pregnant is there. It will not matter if I am 80 years old, so long as I have a uterus it is completely possible, albeit slim possibility, for me to become pregnant. Me knowingly taking an abortion medication is absolutely out of the question!!! Especially a medication that it only takes 800mcg in one day to cause an abortion and I was to take 200mcg, 4 times a day, everyday, with either 3 or 6 refills on the label. His answer was just simply: "I think this is the best medication for your condition, I will not be changing it." Disregarding the fact that not maybe 2 months before he had me on a medication cocktail that I felt really GREAT on. Not that the medications weren't without their own risks to pregnancy, seeing as most of them were class B & C medications...I'll take class B & C medications over a class X medication any day of the month.
I promptly changed doctors.
I took some time to write out all of my 'issues'. The numbness of my hands, the frequent dizziness, the pain, the migraines, etc. I also wrote her out a list of all the medication combinations I have been given for my issues, the benefits I felt with each one, my refusal to take others, etc. I also had a page of all the specialists I had seen and the results of the tests. Neurologist ruled out carpel tunnel and pinched nerves in my neck. Allergist ruled out any and all allergies. I listed what medications I knew caused bad adverse reactions with me. I listed everything I could think of that I knew she was bound to ask me. Then I brought my lists with me. Four pages of information.
The new doctor...an actual doctor this time...made a copy of my list, talked with me for a bit, then ordered a series of tests. Blood tests were first on the list. She also ordered a sleep study.
I went and had about 5 viles of blood drawn for about 15 different tests. I know the tests included checks for everything from my blood sugars to hormone levels to cholesterol, as well as tests for some bacterias and general blood cell counts.
Everything came back within perfect range, except for one of the bacterium tests. It came back to say that I have an abundance of h. pylori bacteria. A bacteria that causes ulcers. OH MY GOSH! There was actually a reason behind me having ulcers! I was given two antibiotics and Prilosec to treat this bacterium that lives in the lining of your stomach. The side effects of the antibiotics were anything but fun, but I endured. I've since been able to actually ENJOY things like a chocolate chip cookie or a cup of coffee...even Tabasco sauce on my beans and cornbread, with regret or having to take a pill before or after the fact.
During the two weeks of taking this antibiotic regimen I had my sleep studies. My first study showed that I never really entered REM sleep and that I had sleep apnea, albeit a mild case of apnea, but anything that causes you to stop breathing is enough to cause concern. I was fitted for a CPAP machine during my second sleep study. Sleeping with a whole plethora of wires attached to me the first time was enough of a hassle in itself, this second time I not only got all the lovely wires but I also was given a very sexy mask that blows air into my face, constantly. When I was awakened at 5am after 'sleeping' with the mask on my face I actually didn't feel like I was caught in the Twilight zone of I should be awake, but I'm really not and you expect me to drive 10 miles home groggy like this?! I actually felt like I had slept or at least had rested my body and mind. It actually took me about an hour to go back to sleep after I got home, where as after my first study I was nearly asleep before I even pulled in the driveway. I'm actually looking forward to using the machine on a regular basis... I'm currently awaiting approval from the insurance company, which could take another week, before I can go pick up my very own CPAP machine.
Earlier this week I had my follow-up appointment with the doctor. I told her about weaning myself off of the neurontin and stopping taking the ibuprofen and any other medication I had been on. I did express to her that I have had no issue with heartburn or ulcer flare-ups since about a week into my two weeks of antibiotics, but I also was completely off the NSAIDs by then, so I didn't know if I was to start NSAIDs again if the ulcers would return. I've been dealing, marginally, with the pain and inflammation as best I can without pain medications because I don't want the medications to interfere with test results...and if you were to step in my house you can see how that's going...
She further questioned me about what medications I was still using. I told her I was still using the nasal sprays I was given from the allergist when he determined my sinus & nasal allergy type issues weren't allergies but just an overly-sensitive nose, but that I was quickly running out. I do notice a HUGE difference between using it and not using it. Anyone that has ever had the displeasure of seeing me first thing of a morning, or really any time during the day, can tell you that I'm always sneezing, my face is always swollen and stuffy, etc. With the nasal spray I'm right as gold! 'Allergies' is no longer my catch-phrase when someone looks at me like I've lost my mind for going out in public while having to blow my nose. There for a few years I would have never left the house if I let a runny nose or sneezing stop me.
I also told her that I had a few migraine pills left, but I restrict myself on taking them for only the migraines that really knock me down. This lead into more detailed questioning from her. What triggers the migraines? (Nothing I can pinpoint, it can be anything from watching TV to driving down the road, to having a fight, to just sleeping even) When was the last time I had my eyes checked? (Last February, same script that I've worn since I was 14 years old, no worse, no better) Where do they start? (aligned with my ears, towards the center of my head, radiating from there) This answer stopped her in her tracks of questioning...She double checked my answers, asked if I was sure that they didn't start closer to the base of my skull or closer to the front of my skull. Then she started mumbling as she looked back over my chart...it was almost as if a light bulb turned on in her head. She then asked about dizziness...I answered her just as she saw that note in my chart...yes, I did have dizziness. Then she read more of my chart...walked out of the room for a minute, came back and told me she was going to order me to have a CT scan done of my head. Asked if I had ever had one. I have...about 6 years ago, at a military base hospital. The CT scan they did was rudimentary at best, just a small machine set up in a truck trailer...a mobile CT scan machine. Best I could remember they found nothing noteworthy. I'd had the CT scan because earlier that evening I was complaining about extreme dizziness and a migraine, told my roommate at the time that I felt that it was significant to go to the ER about...started getting Mikeal ready to head out and the next thing I knew my bedroom was flooded with EMTs. I had lingering dizziness and disorientation for a few days, one point bad enough that I guess I passed out in the bathroom at work and they sent me home, but only if Brian came and picked me up. But nothing was found out to be a cause...but of course I only had the one rudimentary scan done.
I had the CT scan today. The technician told me that she had to send the film off to the radiologist in Nashville and he should have the results on Monday. My doctor's office should call me when they get the results back. I have an appointment set up for the 9th of November as a follow-up. The tech also mentioned that it's likely that the next step will be an MRI. Then the poor gal nearly had to catch me as I sat up and nearly toppled over from sitting up too quickly and the room swam around me. I know better than to stand or sit up too quickly. I just wasn't thinking, again.
To say I have a bit of anxiety over all of this is an understatement. I am so used to hearing that nothing is wrong with me or I'm just looking for attention or that my tests all come back within normal. Now I have a doctor who sends me for tests and every time I've gone for a series of tests or even just one test I've come back with 'something'. First the h. pylori in my stomach. Then the sleep apnea. I'm worried about what they may find with the CT scan all while I'm worried that they won't find anything. Ten plus years of dealing with these symptoms and having different doctors treat the different symptoms takes a toll on a girl...especially a mom who has access to Dr. Google.
I have done well with staying away from Dr. Google while the testing is going on. I've been waiting until I hear a diagnosis before I consult Dr. Google...that's the great thing about Dr. Google. It doesn't get annoyed with multiple questions and it doesn't downplay anything. If there's a worst case scenario you can bet Dr. Google will give it to you and you'll walk away convinced you're ailing to the worst.
So that's the (long) nutshell. I'm stuck waiting on yet another test result to come back....
Thursday, June 17, 2010
A Post a Day
HA! Who am I kidding?! If you're an avid reader of my blog you know that's me doing more of that crazy talk I do once in a while. I can count you lucky though if you catch more than five new posts from me a month, much less anything more than that, especially lately.
So some quick updates:
1) I'm not pregnant at this time. I'm going to be seeing a "real" gynecologist sometime next month to get to the bottom of getting this Mirena removed.
2) Mikaila goes in on the 1st of July to have surgery done to remove her adenoids and have tubes put in her ears. I guess I haven't given y'all that news... Because of her speech and behavioral issues we've been seeing a number of different therapists and specialists. A hearing test was ordered, but before her doc would sign off on it he wanted her to be seen by an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist). The ENT noticed a lot of fluid built up, gave me a script of antibiotics to give her, followed up about 3 weeks later, there was zero change in the fluid, so the surgery was scheduled. The general consensus is that her tonsils and adenoids are larger than is necessary for a gal her size...likely have been all her life since she has snored every sleeping moment of her life. She's a big mouth breather as well, always has been, hence contributing to our problems with her being able to latch on comfortably to breastfeed, bottle feeding was slightly better, but I still had to hold the bottle just so. She's always ALWAYS had sleep issues...some months are WAY worse than others. She's always, ALWAYS, had a runny nose. There really is a long list and had she had a competent doctor to begin with most of these problems could of been taken care of a long time ago. Ironically it wasn't apparent or brought up in the traditional sense because she's only ever had two diagnosed ear infections. The fluid was always mentioned at her well-checks and other visits with her previous incompetent doctor's office, but nothing worthy of more note than that, apparently. UGH!
3) My ex has moved out of Oklahoma. He's supposedly living in Missouri now...and I just won't get into that whole can of "what the fuck" right now. There went my $200 a month child support payment...can I get a "big whoopdeedoo"/"what did you expect"?
4) Brian and I both have awesome health insurance now!
5) This week has been one positive after one negative bombshell all week long.
I'd go into more of the details, but I have an ugly stalker and care not to indulge her with everything too.
Later lovies!
So some quick updates:
1) I'm not pregnant at this time. I'm going to be seeing a "real" gynecologist sometime next month to get to the bottom of getting this Mirena removed.
2) Mikaila goes in on the 1st of July to have surgery done to remove her adenoids and have tubes put in her ears. I guess I haven't given y'all that news... Because of her speech and behavioral issues we've been seeing a number of different therapists and specialists. A hearing test was ordered, but before her doc would sign off on it he wanted her to be seen by an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist). The ENT noticed a lot of fluid built up, gave me a script of antibiotics to give her, followed up about 3 weeks later, there was zero change in the fluid, so the surgery was scheduled. The general consensus is that her tonsils and adenoids are larger than is necessary for a gal her size...likely have been all her life since she has snored every sleeping moment of her life. She's a big mouth breather as well, always has been, hence contributing to our problems with her being able to latch on comfortably to breastfeed, bottle feeding was slightly better, but I still had to hold the bottle just so. She's always ALWAYS had sleep issues...some months are WAY worse than others. She's always, ALWAYS, had a runny nose. There really is a long list and had she had a competent doctor to begin with most of these problems could of been taken care of a long time ago. Ironically it wasn't apparent or brought up in the traditional sense because she's only ever had two diagnosed ear infections. The fluid was always mentioned at her well-checks and other visits with her previous incompetent doctor's office, but nothing worthy of more note than that, apparently. UGH!
3) My ex has moved out of Oklahoma. He's supposedly living in Missouri now...and I just won't get into that whole can of "what the fuck" right now. There went my $200 a month child support payment...can I get a "big whoopdeedoo"/"what did you expect"?
4) Brian and I both have awesome health insurance now!
5) This week has been one positive after one negative bombshell all week long.
I'd go into more of the details, but I have an ugly stalker and care not to indulge her with everything too.
Later lovies!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Explaining it all...
I know I've been vague in some of my posts recently. Just a lot has been going on and a lot of things were up in the air. I don't like to be an alarmist and try not to freak out or worry others before I have all the information, it's just not my style. I like to get all my information, all my facts, and have a better handle on things before I share with everyone. There are some people that know my play by play, but only because they're key elements in me being able to get to the other side to share with everyone.
Here I talked about Big Changes. Now that we're two week down the road and have everything rolling in that direction and getting ready to take off I'll share. We're moving to Tennessee. Brian is going to be transferring out there, so there is no issue on that front, he'll still have his years of tenure at his employer, still eligible for his benefits, raises, and promotions...there's just better opportunity for those raises and promotions to take place in an area where there has been steady and substantial growth in his field, as well as it's a much more populated area, all things that work in our favor...MUCH more so than being in this stagnant area that we've been in for the last few years. There's not going to be much growth here, period. This town and area is likely about as big as it's ever going to be - maybe 25,000 people for the whole county, with anything to do, jobs included being a minimum of a 30 minute drive, move of it being over a 2 hour drive, one way. We'll be living right outside of Nashville.
I'll also have the opportunity to put the kids into daycare, so that I can go to work, HUGE bonus there, not just because of the money I could bring in but also because I'll be able to get out and feel like I'm contributing to society. Nothing against stay-at-home-moms, but it's just not in my personality.
We're leaving out on Tuesday, after I'm done testifying against my ex-husband in court.
That moves me onto my next part of this...the court hearing.
My ex was released on a felony charge, with 4 years probation, back on the 23rd of December. Now I'd warned the judge that he wasn't going to follow through with paying it. After all this now makes the 3rd time she's released him in the last year...the last time he made a payment was on the 24th of February of 2009, almost a year ago. He's made almost THREE payments since the child support was first ordered in February of 2006. He's now trying to take me to court. Now mind you, he was released in December on probation, probation that states he's not allowed to miss a single payment for the next 4 years or he goes straight back to jail for the duration of that four years OR he pays the $10,000+ that he owes in back support, whichever comes first. It's nearing the end of February, still haven't received a payment...so he's taking me to court.
Why is he taking me to court?
I asked my caseworker about this...my ex is claiming that I haven't allowed him any visits with Mikeal. Unfortunately that just proves that my ex is incapable of reading what the divorce decree states.
The decree states:
The Petitioner is granted custody of the parties' minor child, Mikeal ****.
The Respondent's right to visitation is suspended due to his incarceration, and that upon the Respondent's release he shall be entitled to SUPERVISED visitation with the parties' minor child on the second Saturday of each month, beginning the month after his release, from 2:00pm until 4:00pm. The Respondent may not modify the custody or visitation provisions of this Decree until he has filed with the Court proof of his completion of the Helping Children Cope with Divorce, or similar program.
Added by the judge in writing: Both parties are required to complete Helping Children Cope with Divorce within 30 days of this order and much file a completion certificate before seeking relief from this decree.
The dumbass has yet to take the course, much less file with the courts a certificate of completion, so he can't change it, for one. SECONDLY...it states SUPERVISED visits on the 2nd Saturday of the month, from 2-4pm. Meaning he has to petition the court for a court approved supervisor to oversee the visitations, another thing that he has yet to do. This is all for my son's protection. My ex is a registered sex offender who, with the help of his mother, has kidnapped Mikeal and ran off with him for a few months, when he was just barely two years old.
I'm going to get the biggest kick out of seeing him actually show up for this hearing and try to convince the judge that because he's not made an attempt at either of these two conditions of visitation gives him the right to not have to pay child support...child support that he's currently on probation for not paying, and has not paid since being released on probation. The judge here she stops giving a person a chance after they've fucked up so many times, ESPECIALLY when she's been as gracious as she can be with such a loser. She's going to laugh at him, tell him tough titty, and have the bailiff escort him down to the county jail - which sits in the basement of the courthouse.
OK. Moving on.
Here I blogged about many things in our world coming crashing down. At that particular time we were given some fairly grim news about Brian's legs. He's had a bum knee for a while, sometime during Christmas he slipped and started wearing his fancy brace full time on that knee. Well, as a result of the combined slip and favoring that knee his shin on the other leg became QUITE inflamed. We tried to treat it for a month and it just wasn't getting better, instead seemed to be getting worse. So he went to be seen, after we had the money for the doctor's visit. They did x-rays, but because of all the swelling and inflammation they we're able to tell what all was going on, they were quite sure this his tendons had ruptured, meaning surgery. And because they were going to be doing surgery on the one they might as well as do the surgery on his bad knee at the same time to cut down on the chance of re-injury by favoring the bad one, visa versa. He does definitely need surgery on the one knee, eventually. So here I was sitting on thinking my husband is going to be out of work for a while for double leg surgery, I have a 2 year old that I haven't been able to find childcare for, in an area where finding a job is like finding a needle in a haystack - DIFFICULT - all that to be known in less than a week's time, on whether he'd need the surgery or not.
He rested up best he could, called in from work one day, had the next two days off, went back to the doctor who'd splinted it up pretty good and had asked he come back in a week to see if the swelling and inflammation had come down. THANKFULLY the swelling went down and the doc was better able to see what was going on with him; turned out to just be shin splints. Told Brian to go on light duty for a month, check back in, and it should be healed enough for him to go back to work as normal. His employer stated they weren't able to accommodate him with light duty, so gave him the month off under FMLA. NO big deal, seeing as we'd just gotten our income tax refund so had a bit of a cushion from that to pay up and ahead on all of our bills for a few months.
That brings us back to why we're moving. That morning BEFORE we knew what was going on with Brian having to have surgery or not our landlord's husband - who REFUSES to even take the rent payment if his wife isn't home - comes POUNDING on our door at 6am, before we're even out of bed, to chew us out over we better not be trying to screw over his wife, because Brian missed ONE day of work in over TWO years of even being at this job, AND to add insult to that rent wasn't even DUE for another 48 hours, wasn't even late for another 7 days, we've NEVER missed a payment NOR have we even been late in almost 2 years of living here. - THAT was the catalyst to us deciding to move and make such an extreme move. Later that day, after the doctor's appointment and Brian talking to his boss about the restrictions, it was confirmed that this was the best timing for us to move. Brian being off from work for a month, a house being open and in our price range, that we can move into by the end of the month, then a week later the job transfer was confirmed. Of course we were detained here by my having to show for court next week, so that sucked.
Another thing that came crashing down at the VERY same time that Brian first went to the doctor was Mikeal started having some VERY noticeable health issues. Passing out being the BIG thing. I talked to my mom about it at that point, eventually, and I found out that according to her that was how my dad's heart issues started presenting themselves, so I panicked a bit. This is my baby. My daddy died at age 44 from a heart attack, his heart issue wasn't diagnosed until he was in his early 30s, but the clues of it had been there all his life. So I got Mikeal into the doctor, insisted that the doc not take me lightly, and to my surprise he didn't argue with me, he knew I wasn't messing around with this. Blood work was done there and an appointment was set for March to follow up with a pediatric cardiologist...I'll have to transfer that to his new doc in the Nashville area, but that's not a big deal. From the blood work we found out that Mikeal has a thyroid issue, blogged about here.
Lengthy, I know. But I had to wait until we got closer to this point. Nearly everything is packed up. Monday we get the rental truck and load it. Tuesday I go to court at 10am. Directly after being done there we're headed down the road. We should be in our destination city by roughly 10pm.
Have a good day. I'll post more details of our move and our new house once we get settled in and everything turned on. :D
Here I talked about Big Changes. Now that we're two week down the road and have everything rolling in that direction and getting ready to take off I'll share. We're moving to Tennessee. Brian is going to be transferring out there, so there is no issue on that front, he'll still have his years of tenure at his employer, still eligible for his benefits, raises, and promotions...there's just better opportunity for those raises and promotions to take place in an area where there has been steady and substantial growth in his field, as well as it's a much more populated area, all things that work in our favor...MUCH more so than being in this stagnant area that we've been in for the last few years. There's not going to be much growth here, period. This town and area is likely about as big as it's ever going to be - maybe 25,000 people for the whole county, with anything to do, jobs included being a minimum of a 30 minute drive, move of it being over a 2 hour drive, one way. We'll be living right outside of Nashville.
I'll also have the opportunity to put the kids into daycare, so that I can go to work, HUGE bonus there, not just because of the money I could bring in but also because I'll be able to get out and feel like I'm contributing to society. Nothing against stay-at-home-moms, but it's just not in my personality.
We're leaving out on Tuesday, after I'm done testifying against my ex-husband in court.
That moves me onto my next part of this...the court hearing.
My ex was released on a felony charge, with 4 years probation, back on the 23rd of December. Now I'd warned the judge that he wasn't going to follow through with paying it. After all this now makes the 3rd time she's released him in the last year...the last time he made a payment was on the 24th of February of 2009, almost a year ago. He's made almost THREE payments since the child support was first ordered in February of 2006. He's now trying to take me to court. Now mind you, he was released in December on probation, probation that states he's not allowed to miss a single payment for the next 4 years or he goes straight back to jail for the duration of that four years OR he pays the $10,000+ that he owes in back support, whichever comes first. It's nearing the end of February, still haven't received a payment...so he's taking me to court.
Why is he taking me to court?
I asked my caseworker about this...my ex is claiming that I haven't allowed him any visits with Mikeal. Unfortunately that just proves that my ex is incapable of reading what the divorce decree states.
The decree states:
The Petitioner is granted custody of the parties' minor child, Mikeal ****.
The Respondent's right to visitation is suspended due to his incarceration, and that upon the Respondent's release he shall be entitled to SUPERVISED visitation with the parties' minor child on the second Saturday of each month, beginning the month after his release, from 2:00pm until 4:00pm. The Respondent may not modify the custody or visitation provisions of this Decree until he has filed with the Court proof of his completion of the Helping Children Cope with Divorce, or similar program.
Added by the judge in writing: Both parties are required to complete Helping Children Cope with Divorce within 30 days of this order and much file a completion certificate before seeking relief from this decree.
The dumbass has yet to take the course, much less file with the courts a certificate of completion, so he can't change it, for one. SECONDLY...it states SUPERVISED visits on the 2nd Saturday of the month, from 2-4pm. Meaning he has to petition the court for a court approved supervisor to oversee the visitations, another thing that he has yet to do. This is all for my son's protection. My ex is a registered sex offender who, with the help of his mother, has kidnapped Mikeal and ran off with him for a few months, when he was just barely two years old.
I'm going to get the biggest kick out of seeing him actually show up for this hearing and try to convince the judge that because he's not made an attempt at either of these two conditions of visitation gives him the right to not have to pay child support...child support that he's currently on probation for not paying, and has not paid since being released on probation. The judge here she stops giving a person a chance after they've fucked up so many times, ESPECIALLY when she's been as gracious as she can be with such a loser. She's going to laugh at him, tell him tough titty, and have the bailiff escort him down to the county jail - which sits in the basement of the courthouse.
OK. Moving on.
Here I blogged about many things in our world coming crashing down. At that particular time we were given some fairly grim news about Brian's legs. He's had a bum knee for a while, sometime during Christmas he slipped and started wearing his fancy brace full time on that knee. Well, as a result of the combined slip and favoring that knee his shin on the other leg became QUITE inflamed. We tried to treat it for a month and it just wasn't getting better, instead seemed to be getting worse. So he went to be seen, after we had the money for the doctor's visit. They did x-rays, but because of all the swelling and inflammation they we're able to tell what all was going on, they were quite sure this his tendons had ruptured, meaning surgery. And because they were going to be doing surgery on the one they might as well as do the surgery on his bad knee at the same time to cut down on the chance of re-injury by favoring the bad one, visa versa. He does definitely need surgery on the one knee, eventually. So here I was sitting on thinking my husband is going to be out of work for a while for double leg surgery, I have a 2 year old that I haven't been able to find childcare for, in an area where finding a job is like finding a needle in a haystack - DIFFICULT - all that to be known in less than a week's time, on whether he'd need the surgery or not.
He rested up best he could, called in from work one day, had the next two days off, went back to the doctor who'd splinted it up pretty good and had asked he come back in a week to see if the swelling and inflammation had come down. THANKFULLY the swelling went down and the doc was better able to see what was going on with him; turned out to just be shin splints. Told Brian to go on light duty for a month, check back in, and it should be healed enough for him to go back to work as normal. His employer stated they weren't able to accommodate him with light duty, so gave him the month off under FMLA. NO big deal, seeing as we'd just gotten our income tax refund so had a bit of a cushion from that to pay up and ahead on all of our bills for a few months.
That brings us back to why we're moving. That morning BEFORE we knew what was going on with Brian having to have surgery or not our landlord's husband - who REFUSES to even take the rent payment if his wife isn't home - comes POUNDING on our door at 6am, before we're even out of bed, to chew us out over we better not be trying to screw over his wife, because Brian missed ONE day of work in over TWO years of even being at this job, AND to add insult to that rent wasn't even DUE for another 48 hours, wasn't even late for another 7 days, we've NEVER missed a payment NOR have we even been late in almost 2 years of living here. - THAT was the catalyst to us deciding to move and make such an extreme move. Later that day, after the doctor's appointment and Brian talking to his boss about the restrictions, it was confirmed that this was the best timing for us to move. Brian being off from work for a month, a house being open and in our price range, that we can move into by the end of the month, then a week later the job transfer was confirmed. Of course we were detained here by my having to show for court next week, so that sucked.
Another thing that came crashing down at the VERY same time that Brian first went to the doctor was Mikeal started having some VERY noticeable health issues. Passing out being the BIG thing. I talked to my mom about it at that point, eventually, and I found out that according to her that was how my dad's heart issues started presenting themselves, so I panicked a bit. This is my baby. My daddy died at age 44 from a heart attack, his heart issue wasn't diagnosed until he was in his early 30s, but the clues of it had been there all his life. So I got Mikeal into the doctor, insisted that the doc not take me lightly, and to my surprise he didn't argue with me, he knew I wasn't messing around with this. Blood work was done there and an appointment was set for March to follow up with a pediatric cardiologist...I'll have to transfer that to his new doc in the Nashville area, but that's not a big deal. From the blood work we found out that Mikeal has a thyroid issue, blogged about here.
Lengthy, I know. But I had to wait until we got closer to this point. Nearly everything is packed up. Monday we get the rental truck and load it. Tuesday I go to court at 10am. Directly after being done there we're headed down the road. We should be in our destination city by roughly 10pm.
Have a good day. I'll post more details of our move and our new house once we get settled in and everything turned on. :D
Friday, February 12, 2010
Mikeal has Hypothyroidism
Google is my worst enemy today...
A few weeks ago Mikeal told me that he was having passing out spells, three total that we're aware of to be exact, since around Christmas. Because of him starting wrestling around the same time that these things were going on I at first chalked it up to dehydration. We hydrated him, things seemed to be "fine", but then again there was no specific rhyme or reason to the black out spells, so didn't know what to think of it. Earlier this month my mom had a package for me on my child support stuff, so I had to go over there and get it....now my mom and I haven't talked AT ALL since Thanksgiving, so she didn't know of any of this stuff, etc. While I was there to get my mail from her we talked for a bit, it was actually a pleasant time, so I told her about all that was going on with the kids, what was going on with Mikaila starting therapy, my health issues and how they were resolved, and indulged her in some of the points of Mikeal's new issues. I left her place scared out of my gourd because she was able to tell me that a lot of what I had described about Mikeal was quite similar to my dad's starting issues. In case it's not known my dad had a heart condition that he had all of his life, but it was never detected until he'd undergone some serious tests, at age 32 when he had his first major heart attack. He died at age 44 from heart related issues and cancer.
Today I was called about the results of his blood work. The nurse said that Mikeal's blood levels and thyroid levels were low, so want to start him on a thyroid medication and to check back in 6 weeks for more blood work. Of course we're going to be moving during this time so I'll have to reschedule with a cardiologist in our new area and a doctor there for the follow-ups...
I went ahead and googled a bit to get more information...
BUT the information I got doesn't seem to really "fit" Mikeal...the information mentions things like stunted growth - he's in the 95% for both height and weight - and learning problems - he's in 2nd grade, top of his class, doing most things at a 4th-6th grade level - being the two big "clues" that there may be something going on. Other things mentioned were an increased sensitivity to cold...I have to FIGHT with him to put a coat on, and it's a battle to get him to wear gloves and a hat, even when it's only in the single digits outside and he'd play outside all day in such temps if I let him. It did mention fatigue, but he sleeps from about 8pm until 6-8am (depending on if he's trying to get out of riding the bus to school). Other things that were mentioned were autoimmune disorders such as Graves disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis or associated with diabetes and celiac disease.
I just feel a bit overwhelmed with it all.
Supposedly the nurse is going to give me a call back later, after she's done seeing patients, to answer my questions (I hope) but I don't feel really all that "great" about getting to the probable cause of Mikeal's recent black out spells... 
that or maybe I'm just a bit disappointed that it came back with something I wasn't expecting, instead of what I was preparing myself to hear.
And now I'm full of every sort of question about this, follow-ups, ways to check for maybe one of the other things as being the cause, etc...and feel like I'm going to be brushed off...I'm not fond of the nurse because at Mikeal's last well check-up I had mentioned some things that seemed a bit "off" about Mikeal and she blew it off as just "normal" 7 year old boy stuff. I feel awful now for just rolling with it because Mikeal has never been able to be classified as "normal" ...I really thought that people were exaggerating "terrible twos" because Mikeal was a blessing, and his 3 year old year was only really terrible for about a month...Mikaila has given me a whole new take on "normal"...but Mikeal, no.
And now having googled, and thinking more about it, the concerns I'd brought up with her, back in August, actually match more with the information I've ran across with my google searches.
But because she said these were normal things I let it go and didn't pay attention to it anymore as a concern.
Ugh.
****
So since starting to make that portion of the post I have talked to a nurse at his doctor's office.
I asked her about the possible cause, specifically the auto immune disease possibilities & diabetes, she reassured me the the only "not good" or concerning parts of the blood tests were his low red blood count (RBC) & low thyroid levels, so he JUST has thyroid problems, RBC should go back up when his thyroid levels go up on the meds. He has to take the med daily then retest in 6-8 weeks to make sure the meds are a high enough dose, etc. She said it is most likely hereditary as his bio father's side has thyroid issues everywhere. Also because it was caught in "later" childhood and caught in its early warning stage phase he should not have any permanent damage...such as newborns can have thyroid issues and if untreated or caught later could cause permanent brain damage. If his issues were to go undetected and untreated into adulthood it could cause a lot of issues as well, such as heart problems, weight issues, behavioral issues, and academic problems..where he's excelling now he could be way behind in a few years.
Treatment is just a pill a day and regular blood work, most likely for the rest of his life.
For more information on Hypothyroidism in children I found this website to be quite informational.
A few weeks ago Mikeal told me that he was having passing out spells, three total that we're aware of to be exact, since around Christmas. Because of him starting wrestling around the same time that these things were going on I at first chalked it up to dehydration. We hydrated him, things seemed to be "fine", but then again there was no specific rhyme or reason to the black out spells, so didn't know what to think of it. Earlier this month my mom had a package for me on my child support stuff, so I had to go over there and get it....now my mom and I haven't talked AT ALL since Thanksgiving, so she didn't know of any of this stuff, etc. While I was there to get my mail from her we talked for a bit, it was actually a pleasant time, so I told her about all that was going on with the kids, what was going on with Mikaila starting therapy, my health issues and how they were resolved, and indulged her in some of the points of Mikeal's new issues. I left her place scared out of my gourd because she was able to tell me that a lot of what I had described about Mikeal was quite similar to my dad's starting issues. In case it's not known my dad had a heart condition that he had all of his life, but it was never detected until he'd undergone some serious tests, at age 32 when he had his first major heart attack. He died at age 44 from heart related issues and cancer.
Today I was called about the results of his blood work. The nurse said that Mikeal's blood levels and thyroid levels were low, so want to start him on a thyroid medication and to check back in 6 weeks for more blood work. Of course we're going to be moving during this time so I'll have to reschedule with a cardiologist in our new area and a doctor there for the follow-ups...
I went ahead and googled a bit to get more information...
BUT the information I got doesn't seem to really "fit" Mikeal...the information mentions things like stunted growth - he's in the 95% for both height and weight - and learning problems - he's in 2nd grade, top of his class, doing most things at a 4th-6th grade level - being the two big "clues" that there may be something going on. Other things mentioned were an increased sensitivity to cold...I have to FIGHT with him to put a coat on, and it's a battle to get him to wear gloves and a hat, even when it's only in the single digits outside and he'd play outside all day in such temps if I let him. It did mention fatigue, but he sleeps from about 8pm until 6-8am (depending on if he's trying to get out of riding the bus to school). Other things that were mentioned were autoimmune disorders such as Graves disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis or associated with diabetes and celiac disease.
I just feel a bit overwhelmed with it all.
Supposedly the nurse is going to give me a call back later, after she's done seeing patients, to answer my questions (I hope) but I don't feel really all that "great" about getting to the probable cause of Mikeal's recent black out spells... that or maybe I'm just a bit disappointed that it came back with something I wasn't expecting, instead of what I was preparing myself to hear.And now I'm full of every sort of question about this, follow-ups, ways to check for maybe one of the other things as being the cause, etc...and feel like I'm going to be brushed off...I'm not fond of the nurse because at Mikeal's last well check-up I had mentioned some things that seemed a bit "off" about Mikeal and she blew it off as just "normal" 7 year old boy stuff. I feel awful now for just rolling with it because Mikeal has never been able to be classified as "normal" ...I really thought that people were exaggerating "terrible twos" because Mikeal was a blessing, and his 3 year old year was only really terrible for about a month...Mikaila has given me a whole new take on "normal"...but Mikeal, no.
And now having googled, and thinking more about it, the concerns I'd brought up with her, back in August, actually match more with the information I've ran across with my google searches.
But because she said these were normal things I let it go and didn't pay attention to it anymore as a concern.Ugh.
****
So since starting to make that portion of the post I have talked to a nurse at his doctor's office.
I asked her about the possible cause, specifically the auto immune disease possibilities & diabetes, she reassured me the the only "not good" or concerning parts of the blood tests were his low red blood count (RBC) & low thyroid levels, so he JUST has thyroid problems, RBC should go back up when his thyroid levels go up on the meds. He has to take the med daily then retest in 6-8 weeks to make sure the meds are a high enough dose, etc. She said it is most likely hereditary as his bio father's side has thyroid issues everywhere. Also because it was caught in "later" childhood and caught in its early warning stage phase he should not have any permanent damage...such as newborns can have thyroid issues and if untreated or caught later could cause permanent brain damage. If his issues were to go undetected and untreated into adulthood it could cause a lot of issues as well, such as heart problems, weight issues, behavioral issues, and academic problems..where he's excelling now he could be way behind in a few years.
Treatment is just a pill a day and regular blood work, most likely for the rest of his life.
For more information on Hypothyroidism in children I found this website to be quite informational.
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