Prognosis: Drugs Are Bad (Final Post)

Attention: this will be my final post in this blog, as I will be starting a new one.

Well, folks, the doctors have reached a verdict. The masses (whatever the hell you want to call them, it doesn't matter now) are benign and my hormones are normal now. But you are probably wondering, "What the hell happened?"

It started with lithium. I started taking it when I was 15 and at 18, I had developed hypothyroidism as a result. The cysts seem to have come about as my thyroid's attempt to create more hormone. I suppose in a way, they were working, but, enter prednisone. A year ago, (January 2011) I went to the ER with an asthma attack and was subsequently put on prednisone. My doctor at the time decided to keep me on prednisone for a while afterwards. This is, what was believed, to have caused the spike in my hormones, as the cysts themselves were producing enough for me. Alas, my condition was completely drug-induced and is not of concern to me anymore.

I am, however, having a whole new set of problems. Neurological ones, to be specific. I'm not sure if I will blog about those issues, but I will keep this blog here for reference for anyone with thyroid disease who has taken either of these drugs (lithium or prednisone). But now, it is time to say goodbye to this blog. The case is closed. All is well, thyroid-wise. So to all my wonderful readers (if any...), thank you for reading and sayonara.

Long Time, No Post

I apologise for the lack of updates. A lot of stuff has been going on and I've been very distracted and preoccupied.

I missed my sonogram a few weeks ago; I'd come down with a nasty cold and couldn't go. So the sonogram has been rescheduled for the morning of my birthday (November 10th). Not exactly the birthday present I was hoping for, but c'est la vie. My symptoms have been about the same. Being sick kind of distracted me from my neck lumps so I suppose that's slightly good in a way. Also having gotten my tongue pierced last week has made me focus more on my tongue than anything else. So I suppose these physical distractions can be sort of good.

In other news, I have the most amazing boyfriend as of October 14th. He is the kindest, sweetest guy I have ever been with and we are so much alike it's crazy. He's planning to bring me back home to WA in January and I'm pretty damn excited about that. I have never been happier with anyone else and that's no exaggeration.

I think my next post will probably be on my birthday after my sonogram, either that or when the results come back. My mind has been preoccupied, but I know I'll get nervous again.

Probably.

I saw my new general practitioner today and I love him already. He is helping me to finally get some answers. His theory is that one of my nodules probably became dominant and that is why it's pressing up against my neck. Of course, we can't be sure without the ultrasound. The only slightly alarming thing is that apparently my blood pressure is surprisingly low. That's unusual for hyperthyroidism; I'm wondering if maybe there's something else going on too.

I am very happy that I have a doctor who is not only local but respects me and everything I bring to the table. No more doctors judging me by my clothes or philosophy on life. That's the way it should be and I am very happy and satisfied. Hopefully everything will be fixed before 2012. I'm hoping that with a new year comes a new clean bill of health.

I'm not too worried about malignancy anymore because I know I'm going to be treated soon no matter what the case is. I'm also not too worried about my immediate danger because my doctor said the shaking was probably from my having taken Haldol, which can apparently cause a Parkinson's-like condition. I have not shaken in days and I've been off my Haldol for a while so I think I'll  be fine.

Breakthrough?

I went to the ER yesterday after all that. I spent about 4 hours there and they referred me for an endocrinology appointment today. In the ER, they took some blood out of me and looked me over a little. The doctor said my eyes are starting to bulge a little bit; it's in early stages so it's not very noticeable.

Today at my doctor's appointment, my doctor compared all of my blood results and decided she wanted another test because my symptoms and levels weren't matching up (the tests said normal while I presented as otherwise). I have a sonogram ordered for the 6th of October and I'm scheduled to see my endo again in December, but I predict she will want to see me sooner. I've been shaking again and a friend of mine had to walk me to the subway station after class; I was pretty embarrassed but I'm glad I'm making friends. Right now I'm just going to eat and drink something and try and relax, maybe my shaking will stop again. It is already stopping which is a good sign, but I want it to keep stopping.

I'll probably report back soon about my symptoms. I don't know if they're going to come back again and, if so, how frequently they will be coming back.

Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

My entire body's been trembling since yesterday and I don't know why. I usually have a tremor in my hands, but I feel my head shaking and my legs shake uncontrollably sometimes when I'm standing up. I don't know what to do. I have no doctor. I was talking to a family friend and she suggested to just truck myself over to my local ER. I just might do that, considering that my local ER is amazing.

My muscles are like Jell-O. I feel like I can't control my movement anymore. I'm clumsy and can barely type right. I'm sweating and my hair is still falling out like crazy. I need help already. That's it. I'm ending this post and calling the doctor and/or going to the ER now. This is ridiculous.

Losing My Head (Actually, Just My Hair)

I started noticing it a few days ago. I am wondering if it could be related to having dyed my hair a few weeks ago, but dye couldn't cause THAT much hair to be lost...could it? It's incredibly disconcerting. I do all this work to try and grow my hair out and now it's falling out. I'm really hoping it's the hair dye, but I do know that hair loss is a common symptom of hyperthyroidism, and I am losing hair in small patches on other parts of my body, so it is very possible that my thyroid is doing this.

I have horrible stomach cramps today and am accepting the diarrhea that come with it, but it hurts so bad I've been sweating. Thyroid disease really does affect everything. That's the worst part. My stomach is fucked up, my temperature is fucked up, my cardiovascular system is fucked up...Now that Irene is gone, I am going to be more vigilant about calling doctors since offices will be opening again. Because this hair loss is the last straw. I've had it up to here, not gonna lie. It's embarrassing, as well as debilitating. Really embarrassing.

If anyone reading this is familiar with thyroid disease and hair loss, could they be connected in what I'm experiencing?

Symptoms and Signs

So basically, I'm done with my doctor. I received my last blood test results and my TSH is far away from normal. It's worse than it was a few months before, too, granted only by 0.008 points, but changes like that should not warrant "no treatment", especially when those hormone levels are worse than before. Unlike hypothyroidism, when left untreated for a long time, hyperthyroidism CAN KILL YOU. That being said, I am still EXTREMELY uncomfortable.

I still have neck lumps. I still have ear pain. I still have trouble talking sometimes. My AC broke, I sleep with two fans on, no covers, minimal clothing...and I still feel like I'm in an inferno. My heart started pounding last night in my sleep. IN MY SLEEP. I've had my share of stomach problems; they are getting far more troublesome than they have been. I am spending way too much time in the bathroom. Can there just be like ONE day where I can be free from all this? I beg and I plead and nothing ever happens. School is starting in 12 days and I can't live like this. What makes anyone think I can focus in school when I can barely focus on anything else but what happens to me physically? I'm incredibly worried. Worried I'm not going to make it. I'm terrified I'm going to fail out. They didn't want me sick in school but it's going to happen anyway. And they better not turn me away at that door. I'm not letting my health interfere with my productivity any more than it already does. I'm not going to let people boss me around.

I don't care if I'm held up on the phone for hours. I'm calling the ENT department at my local hospital. Their ER is the best I've ever been to and I believe they're going to give me good treatment and I think everything will be fine. I'm off the whole calcification theory thing because I can't trust my doctor, so essentially I'm back where I was a few months ago: clueless and scared. I keep putting this off but I know I can't afford to anymore. It's for my own good. I need to stop being scared and just get it over with already. Because clearly, I can't function like this no matter where I am; home, school, the supermarket...wherever I am, my thyroid goes with me, and there's nothing I can do about it.

I know the thyroid is an extremely complicated organ and it can fuck around with you in so many different ways, and often people don't know what to think, even doctors. But I still believe there's an answer for me out there. There's always an answer for everything.