It's confirmed...Grave's Disease is what ails me
So my endocrinologist, Dr. Reyes, says I have Grave's Disease - or hyperthyroidism. I'm fortunate to not have a big-ass bump in my neck (goiter), or protruding eyes from my sockets (exopthalmos), but my thyroid is in a super-hyper-overactive state. My diagnostic labs are completely off the charts, and my radioactive iodine uptake scan shows that my thyroid works so hard and fast, as if there's no tomorrow.
So what caused this? Well, the disease is really an auto-immune disorder - where my body thinks my thyroid is foreign and starts to attack it. My thyroid feels this and its reaction is to crank out the hormones...which is a metabolic hell.
I lost 20 pounds last year, in the span of just over 1 month. The rapid loss has been stabilized and pretty much stopped now. The other symptoms I experienced are happily gone as well, when I started medication in late November - early December.
And what's my treatment options? I'm already doing temporary therapy - which is just medications to control the symptoms and reduce the amount of thyroid hormone in my body. The permanent therapy and preferred treatment modality is Radioactive Iodine Ablation therapy.
What the hell is that? Well, they thyroid gland is the only part of the body that uses iodine. So because of this, radioactivity is added to it - thus radioactive iodine. I swallow a pill or drink liquid full of this stuff, and my thyroid devours it. No other part of my body will touch the iodine - so it's a very specific treatment. Once the thyroid takes up the iodine, it slowly gets killed by the radioactivity.
My doc says she wants me to be in isolation for 5 days, even though the dose of radioactivity is relatively small. The problem is, there's no place (a controlled environment) for me to do such treatment (GMH is not capable of this - there is no room lined with lead). Some patients on Guam were able to do it as an outpatient (at home), but lots of precautions were taken. For me to do something like this at home is not feasible. And Val doesn't want me to bring radioactivity into the house.
So what's my other option? Doc says I can go to the Philippines - St. Luke's Medical Center in Manila. She says my health insurance will cover it. But the extent of the coverage is something I need to find out. I also need to come up with the funds to bring my ass over there, along with my escort - which is Mommy, of course :-)
So, I probably would stay a week or more in the PI. This is just a plan. I haven't given my final decision to Doctor Reyes yet. I've got to get me a passport. I've got to get me leave from work. My mom has to get leave from work too. I've got to get me tickets, and make arrangements for mom to stay over there somewhere too. The referral has yet to begin - papers need to be filled out, the receiving doctor in the PI needs to make arrangements over there too.
All this work and money, just to kill my thyroid.
So what caused this? Well, the disease is really an auto-immune disorder - where my body thinks my thyroid is foreign and starts to attack it. My thyroid feels this and its reaction is to crank out the hormones...which is a metabolic hell.
I lost 20 pounds last year, in the span of just over 1 month. The rapid loss has been stabilized and pretty much stopped now. The other symptoms I experienced are happily gone as well, when I started medication in late November - early December.
And what's my treatment options? I'm already doing temporary therapy - which is just medications to control the symptoms and reduce the amount of thyroid hormone in my body. The permanent therapy and preferred treatment modality is Radioactive Iodine Ablation therapy.
What the hell is that? Well, they thyroid gland is the only part of the body that uses iodine. So because of this, radioactivity is added to it - thus radioactive iodine. I swallow a pill or drink liquid full of this stuff, and my thyroid devours it. No other part of my body will touch the iodine - so it's a very specific treatment. Once the thyroid takes up the iodine, it slowly gets killed by the radioactivity.
My doc says she wants me to be in isolation for 5 days, even though the dose of radioactivity is relatively small. The problem is, there's no place (a controlled environment) for me to do such treatment (GMH is not capable of this - there is no room lined with lead). Some patients on Guam were able to do it as an outpatient (at home), but lots of precautions were taken. For me to do something like this at home is not feasible. And Val doesn't want me to bring radioactivity into the house.
So what's my other option? Doc says I can go to the Philippines - St. Luke's Medical Center in Manila. She says my health insurance will cover it. But the extent of the coverage is something I need to find out. I also need to come up with the funds to bring my ass over there, along with my escort - which is Mommy, of course :-)
So, I probably would stay a week or more in the PI. This is just a plan. I haven't given my final decision to Doctor Reyes yet. I've got to get me a passport. I've got to get me leave from work. My mom has to get leave from work too. I've got to get me tickets, and make arrangements for mom to stay over there somewhere too. The referral has yet to begin - papers need to be filled out, the receiving doctor in the PI needs to make arrangements over there too.
All this work and money, just to kill my thyroid.
Let's hear it for fucked up immune systems! We should start a club.
Oh ... and should you gain any superpowers from the radiation, you have to promise you'll let me be your super sidekick.
Posted by
sabete |
2/13/2006 11:16:00 PM
I think my immune system is really fucked up now. The PTU that I was on has a side effect of lowering white blood cell (WBC) count, which really means my immune system can become suppressed (sp?)
I'm feeling sick now, with a bad sore throat and cough, and sick feeling in my chest area (like bronchitis or something)
So I did labs to check my WBC. NO word back from the doc.
Fucking auto-immune disorders. Bleh.
Posted by
ronnie |
2/15/2006 11:25:00 AM
okay...doc says the labs are normal. I must have some viral shit going on. I'm still hacking away endlessly, and it hurts my chest and throat.
bleh...better write another blog entry :p
Posted by
ronnie |
2/16/2006 10:37:00 PM