I find it so funny that after reviewing my last few posts it seems to be a roller coaster of ups and downs. I would write a post saying I was not feeling well then I would write a post that I was feeling better! Peppered in between was problems my kids were having! I hope my latest post saying that I have renewed hope and think I am feeling better is not just one of my ups only to be followed by a down!!! Wish me luck!!
An interesting point: in the past I've found people who go on and on about their medical problems a bit annoying. I'VE TURNED INTO THAT PERSON!!! EEEEK!!
Monday, October 06, 2008
SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED
So much has happened since the last time I have posted. The people who read my blog before were a very small group and I'm sure now those few have even stopped coming - including my husband. He was my number one fan but I doubt that he stops by anymore. He knows I have been feeling so lousy that I don't have the energy to post.
Well, so much has happened since I posted in April. I went to a new endocrinologist at the beginning of June. He discovered that I had low iron and put me on Slow Fe. It has taken a long time, however, slowly but surely it has seemed to help at least with some of my symptoms. I no longer huff and puff from just normal everyday activity. I would still say that I have some symptoms of low iron although I am sure that my lab numbers will show that I am well within range. I've decided that for me, I am going to not go by my lab numbers but just by how I am feeling. I am not worried about having too much iron because I am no where near the upper end of normal.
At the end of August I came down with Shingles! Talk about kicking someone when they are down! The worst of it was over in 4 weeks but I still have some slight itching and some numbness on my back where the rash was. For me the pain was not agonizing but really maddening. I had the pain first and then it was replaced by itching. For about a week or so I had both pain and itching and could not even slightly scratch it because it hurt so much even to rub my fingers over it. The doctor that diagnosed it recommended that I get a complete physical because shingles is usually seen in the elderly or people with compromised immune systems. I felt she was insinuating that I could have cancer when she recommended a mammogram. I figured it would be a good idea to get a physical and went to see an internist (not the same doctor). He listened to my long drawn out story of fatigue, migraines, under active thyroid, shingles, etc and seemed to be undecided whether I was crazy or I actually had something wrong with me. In the end he ran a bunch of tests just to be sure. I am still waiting for those results. If everything comes back negative he can jump onto the bandwagon that says I'm crazy.
During all of this I was still getting many migraines so I decided to keep my appointment that I had at the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. My visit there on September 30th went well. I had to take a personality test (370 questions) as well as speak to a psychologist to actually see if I am crazy! In reality, they are just seeing how stress may play a role in your headaches. They made sure I realized that they weren't saying that stress is causing my headaches but they were trying to see if the headaches may be exacerbated by stress. In the end the psychologist was actually impressed that I was so emotionally sound considering my not so lovely childhood. She gave me a card in case I want to try acupuncture and a book mark that says "Falun Dafa" on it. Its an ancient spiritual practice. I guess just using this book mark is supposed to relieve any stress I may experience. Hmmm.
My time with the nurse and neurologist was much more fruitful. I came away with a couple of new medications to take. He gave me something to replace the Imitrex I take when I actually get a migraine. Its Imitrex plus Aleve. More importantly, he gave me a prescription for an anti seizure medication that will hopefully prevent my migraines. Its called Lamictal and works to balance the neurotransmitters in the brain. Migraines have to do with the neurotransmitters firing out of control in the brain so it makes sense to try this medicine. He says that this particular medicine seems to be especially effective in migraines with aura. Since I always get the aura and sometimes I only get the aura without the headache, it should work well. Hopefully. If not there is always the book mark!
I try this medication for two and a half months and go back to see him. If it seems to be working, I will then stay on it for eight months. If it controls the headaches for that long I will then be weaned off from it. I can not take a full dose right away but will take a month to build up to the full dose. He said something about how this will help to avoid some sort of lethal rash you can get as a dangerous side effect...hee hee. Seriously, the rash thing is real but I really doubt I will have that problem. After all, I'm an optimist! So far I have been on the lowest dose for one week. My initial reaction is that it may already be helping a little bit. One week is too early to tell how much it may help me but I am hopeful for the first time in months.
I realize that this blog may not really explain all I've been through in the past two years regarding my health. I'm sure it doesn't portray how much I have lost of myself. I have become the sick person and I don't like that. I wish I was my old self but at this point I still feel far away from the old Elise. I know that in the past few months I have learned to ignore many of my problems and continue living my life. Because of this I'm not sure if the medicines are helping or if its just a case of mind over matter.
One of my hopes is that I can start to post a bit more here without always talking about my poor health. The best way to do that would be to start feeling more healthy! Well, if that is not possible then I would still like to find something more positive to write about. Regardless of audience size, I like to write about my everyday happenings.
Well, so much has happened since I posted in April. I went to a new endocrinologist at the beginning of June. He discovered that I had low iron and put me on Slow Fe. It has taken a long time, however, slowly but surely it has seemed to help at least with some of my symptoms. I no longer huff and puff from just normal everyday activity. I would still say that I have some symptoms of low iron although I am sure that my lab numbers will show that I am well within range. I've decided that for me, I am going to not go by my lab numbers but just by how I am feeling. I am not worried about having too much iron because I am no where near the upper end of normal.
At the end of August I came down with Shingles! Talk about kicking someone when they are down! The worst of it was over in 4 weeks but I still have some slight itching and some numbness on my back where the rash was. For me the pain was not agonizing but really maddening. I had the pain first and then it was replaced by itching. For about a week or so I had both pain and itching and could not even slightly scratch it because it hurt so much even to rub my fingers over it. The doctor that diagnosed it recommended that I get a complete physical because shingles is usually seen in the elderly or people with compromised immune systems. I felt she was insinuating that I could have cancer when she recommended a mammogram. I figured it would be a good idea to get a physical and went to see an internist (not the same doctor). He listened to my long drawn out story of fatigue, migraines, under active thyroid, shingles, etc and seemed to be undecided whether I was crazy or I actually had something wrong with me. In the end he ran a bunch of tests just to be sure. I am still waiting for those results. If everything comes back negative he can jump onto the bandwagon that says I'm crazy.
During all of this I was still getting many migraines so I decided to keep my appointment that I had at the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. My visit there on September 30th went well. I had to take a personality test (370 questions) as well as speak to a psychologist to actually see if I am crazy! In reality, they are just seeing how stress may play a role in your headaches. They made sure I realized that they weren't saying that stress is causing my headaches but they were trying to see if the headaches may be exacerbated by stress. In the end the psychologist was actually impressed that I was so emotionally sound considering my not so lovely childhood. She gave me a card in case I want to try acupuncture and a book mark that says "Falun Dafa" on it. Its an ancient spiritual practice. I guess just using this book mark is supposed to relieve any stress I may experience. Hmmm.
My time with the nurse and neurologist was much more fruitful. I came away with a couple of new medications to take. He gave me something to replace the Imitrex I take when I actually get a migraine. Its Imitrex plus Aleve. More importantly, he gave me a prescription for an anti seizure medication that will hopefully prevent my migraines. Its called Lamictal and works to balance the neurotransmitters in the brain. Migraines have to do with the neurotransmitters firing out of control in the brain so it makes sense to try this medicine. He says that this particular medicine seems to be especially effective in migraines with aura. Since I always get the aura and sometimes I only get the aura without the headache, it should work well. Hopefully. If not there is always the book mark!
I try this medication for two and a half months and go back to see him. If it seems to be working, I will then stay on it for eight months. If it controls the headaches for that long I will then be weaned off from it. I can not take a full dose right away but will take a month to build up to the full dose. He said something about how this will help to avoid some sort of lethal rash you can get as a dangerous side effect...hee hee. Seriously, the rash thing is real but I really doubt I will have that problem. After all, I'm an optimist! So far I have been on the lowest dose for one week. My initial reaction is that it may already be helping a little bit. One week is too early to tell how much it may help me but I am hopeful for the first time in months.
I realize that this blog may not really explain all I've been through in the past two years regarding my health. I'm sure it doesn't portray how much I have lost of myself. I have become the sick person and I don't like that. I wish I was my old self but at this point I still feel far away from the old Elise. I know that in the past few months I have learned to ignore many of my problems and continue living my life. Because of this I'm not sure if the medicines are helping or if its just a case of mind over matter.
One of my hopes is that I can start to post a bit more here without always talking about my poor health. The best way to do that would be to start feeling more healthy! Well, if that is not possible then I would still like to find something more positive to write about. Regardless of audience size, I like to write about my everyday happenings.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
FEELING BETTER.....I HOPE
My first migraine of this last bunch of migraines was on February 21, 2008. It was followed by five more migraines early in march for a total of six migraines, ending with the last two on March 12, 2008. During the entire time of getting and recovering from the migraines I have a major brain fog. The migraines were followed by over a week of dizzy spells. This was followed by a period of just feeling out of it. I really didn't start to feel significantly better until late last week. I still have moments where I feel odd as if I may get another migraine at any moment. So five weeks of my life gone. Right now I am able to pretty much function but I am pampering myself a bit in order to make sure the migraines don't return.
I have been reading a lot about migraines and have confirmed the connection that I suspected between my under active thyroid and the migraines. It gives me hope that once I FINALLY have my thyroid under control I will not get all these crazy migraines!
A side note, Sarah's numb feet (while running in gym) are a bit better but it's still happening.
UPDATE MAY 29,2008:
I ended up having 10 migraines in April. Eight of those were in one six day period. That was the week that I decided to stop taking my cabergoline. My last two migraines were on April 30, 2008. I am still feeling pretty crummy but have a renewed hope. I have an appointment with a new endocrinologist on June 3, 2008. My hope is he can stabilize my thyroid and I will get rid of these migraines. I have an appointment with Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia for September 30, 2008 just in case. I'm hoping by then I can cancel it because I am feeling better.
In the meantime I am tired, have hardly any stamina, my eyes keep twitching and I'm still seeing sort of funny. I hope no more migraines.
I have been reading a lot about migraines and have confirmed the connection that I suspected between my under active thyroid and the migraines. It gives me hope that once I FINALLY have my thyroid under control I will not get all these crazy migraines!
A side note, Sarah's numb feet (while running in gym) are a bit better but it's still happening.
UPDATE MAY 29,2008:
I ended up having 10 migraines in April. Eight of those were in one six day period. That was the week that I decided to stop taking my cabergoline. My last two migraines were on April 30, 2008. I am still feeling pretty crummy but have a renewed hope. I have an appointment with a new endocrinologist on June 3, 2008. My hope is he can stabilize my thyroid and I will get rid of these migraines. I have an appointment with Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia for September 30, 2008 just in case. I'm hoping by then I can cancel it because I am feeling better.
In the meantime I am tired, have hardly any stamina, my eyes keep twitching and I'm still seeing sort of funny. I hope no more migraines.
Monday, March 03, 2008
SARAH'S NUMB FEET
In the future, this will be a post about how Sarah's feet went numb anytime she ran. Hopefully, by the time I get around to actually writing it, I will have the good news that the problem was resolved. I think we may almost be there.
Another reason why I haven't posted....this blog could easily turn into one depressing post after another!
Another reason why I haven't posted....this blog could easily turn into one depressing post after another!
WHY I HARDLY EVER POST ANYMORE
I haven't been posting much because I really haven't been feeling well. Its been almost two years now that I've been dealing with out of whack hormones. It seems like every three or four months I have some new difficulty. It started in the spring of 2006 when I began having migraine headaches and my period started coming every three weeks. I've had a pituitary tumor removed in the past. Since the pituitary is the master gland located in your head and attached to your brain, it can cause some hormonal problems. Among other things, these hormone troubles can mess up your period. I was worried in 2006 that it had come back (50% of pituitary tumors grow back after surgery).
I went to an endocrinologist to find out if it had grown back. She ran some blood tests and had an MRI done. While I was there she looked at my neck and felt it. She found a thyroid nodule that needed to be checked out with an ultrasound and then a fine needle biopsy. She also had some blood work done for possible thyroid disease.
My follow-up visit was filled with bad news. I had a mass on my pituitary and I had an under active thyroid caused by Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disease where my own body is destroying my thyroid. I've been trying to control my thyroid hormone levels ever since. Its bounced between under active and overactive. Mostly just under active and slowly getting worse. Each time my blood work shows numbers that are out of the normal range I feel crummy. It takes several weeks for me to feel better from a new dose of medicine. I recently started taking a higher dose 5 days ago. One of the signals that something is not right is that I get migraines. I also have major brain fog. I also feel exhausted and often times fall asleep during the day. There are other symptoms that I get but those are the worse to deal with.
The mass on my pituitary was not definitively found to be a tumor. However, one of the signs that it is a tumor is that the level of your hormone prolactin is elevated. Mine has been going up and down for the past two years. We figured out that when it goes up it causes me some of the same symptoms as the thyroid does. Mainly, migraine headaches and brain fog. In November we decided to start treating it and with medication we've lowered it into the normal range. In the first six months after finding the pituitary mass, it did not grow. I will be having another MRI in March to see what it looks like now. I've taken to calling it "the tumor" instead of "the mass". I really hope it hasn't grown. It's 1.1 cm, anything over a cm is considered a macro tumor as opposed to a micro tumor.
Since it takes me weeks to recover from either my thyroid hormone being off or my prolactin level being off, I spend much of my time not feeling really well. I know that it could be worse but another symptom is feeling down in the dumps. I think a lot of it is hormonal but there's also the fact that I'm just plain sick of all of this. Whenever I get another migraine, I just think "not again."
Note: I've read this over but I don't have the mental fortitude to try to make sure it makes complete sense.
UPDATE MAY 29, 2008: I spoke to my neurosurgeon and he is almost 100% sure that the mass on my pituitary is not a tumor. Possibly just scar tissue. He had said this before but I was worried because of my elevated prolactin. He said that my prolactin level is not really high enough to be indicative of a tumor. He said it would be at least 75 - mine's always less than 50 but more than 30 - it bounces all over the place. I really trust him and believe that he is right. So now I call it "the blob" on my pituitary. Actually its really adjacent to the pituitary. After feeling really sick and having side effects that I am pretty sure were because of the cabergoline, I decided to stop taking it. A lot of those side effects have gone away although I am still feeling badly.
I am seeing a new endocrinologist soon because I am sick of feeling lousy. I'm hoping a new doctor with more experience will be able to help me. He is around 2 1/2 hours away in Philadelphia but I've read a lot of great recommendations on him. I'm hoping it will be worth the trip and I will feel better. I'm hoping a switch in thyroid medication will help me. I am filled with hope...I feel like I've lost these past two years of my life.
I went to an endocrinologist to find out if it had grown back. She ran some blood tests and had an MRI done. While I was there she looked at my neck and felt it. She found a thyroid nodule that needed to be checked out with an ultrasound and then a fine needle biopsy. She also had some blood work done for possible thyroid disease.
My follow-up visit was filled with bad news. I had a mass on my pituitary and I had an under active thyroid caused by Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disease where my own body is destroying my thyroid. I've been trying to control my thyroid hormone levels ever since. Its bounced between under active and overactive. Mostly just under active and slowly getting worse. Each time my blood work shows numbers that are out of the normal range I feel crummy. It takes several weeks for me to feel better from a new dose of medicine. I recently started taking a higher dose 5 days ago. One of the signals that something is not right is that I get migraines. I also have major brain fog. I also feel exhausted and often times fall asleep during the day. There are other symptoms that I get but those are the worse to deal with.
The mass on my pituitary was not definitively found to be a tumor. However, one of the signs that it is a tumor is that the level of your hormone prolactin is elevated. Mine has been going up and down for the past two years. We figured out that when it goes up it causes me some of the same symptoms as the thyroid does. Mainly, migraine headaches and brain fog. In November we decided to start treating it and with medication we've lowered it into the normal range. In the first six months after finding the pituitary mass, it did not grow. I will be having another MRI in March to see what it looks like now. I've taken to calling it "the tumor" instead of "the mass". I really hope it hasn't grown. It's 1.1 cm, anything over a cm is considered a macro tumor as opposed to a micro tumor.
Since it takes me weeks to recover from either my thyroid hormone being off or my prolactin level being off, I spend much of my time not feeling really well. I know that it could be worse but another symptom is feeling down in the dumps. I think a lot of it is hormonal but there's also the fact that I'm just plain sick of all of this. Whenever I get another migraine, I just think "not again."
Note: I've read this over but I don't have the mental fortitude to try to make sure it makes complete sense.
UPDATE MAY 29, 2008: I spoke to my neurosurgeon and he is almost 100% sure that the mass on my pituitary is not a tumor. Possibly just scar tissue. He had said this before but I was worried because of my elevated prolactin. He said that my prolactin level is not really high enough to be indicative of a tumor. He said it would be at least 75 - mine's always less than 50 but more than 30 - it bounces all over the place. I really trust him and believe that he is right. So now I call it "the blob" on my pituitary. Actually its really adjacent to the pituitary. After feeling really sick and having side effects that I am pretty sure were because of the cabergoline, I decided to stop taking it. A lot of those side effects have gone away although I am still feeling badly.
I am seeing a new endocrinologist soon because I am sick of feeling lousy. I'm hoping a new doctor with more experience will be able to help me. He is around 2 1/2 hours away in Philadelphia but I've read a lot of great recommendations on him. I'm hoping it will be worth the trip and I will feel better. I'm hoping a switch in thyroid medication will help me. I am filled with hope...I feel like I've lost these past two years of my life.
SARAH'S EAR TUBE MAKES HER HEARING EXTRA SENSITIVE
Well, Sarah had her tube put in on January 7, 2008. She was mostly worried about not eating and not sleeping well and having it cause her a migraine headache. This did not happen. We arrived at the hospital at the scheduled time and then had to wait in the waiting area for a half hour. We got called back to the surgery area and asked a few questions. She had to put on her hospital Johnny and then was put into a bed to wait some more. It wasn't long before the Anesthesiologist came by and told us he was going to insert the IV before he put her to sleep. When Erin had had tubes put in (twice) they had put her to sleep with gas and then inserted the IV. I had told Sarah that this was what would happen so we were both quite surprised. He felt her arm and told us that she had a good vein. OOPS he missed it. Things went down hill from there. Sarah's eyes were bugged out of her head as he tried to do it again into her hand. I was holding the other hand and felt it go from warm to cold and knew that they wouldn't have much luck. Her veins had collapsed in her panic. She didn't cry but she did feel feint. Then she felt sick to her stomach. Finally, they decided to put her to sleep with gas and then put it in. Both hands were really bruised up and stayed that way for weeks. They must have hit some nerves because she had some weird numbness in her pinkies for a least a month following.
The news from the actual surgery was better. No tumor blocking the Eustachian tube. No fluid in the other ear. Just the one tube and it went in fine.
Things were quite sore afterwards. She had quite a bit of hearing loss beforehand so things seemed quite loud to her after the tube was put in. I knew that when a tube is put in your ear there can be hypersensitivity in your hearing so it was no surprised. I knew that she would have trouble at school, especially in the lunch room. I wanted to make arrangements for her to eat some place else until her hearing was less sensitive. When the nurse from the hospital called I asked her if she knew how long things would seem extra loud for Sarah. She didn't know and recommended that I send Sarah to school with cotton to stuff in her ear. I then called the doctors office and spoke to the nurse there. She not only didn't know, she was amazed that this was happening. I also checked out the internet and was surprised I couldn't find out a lot of information about it. This is surprising because I know it must happen quite frequently. My husband had tubes when he was a kid and he can remember that his hearing was so sensitive that it actually hurt his ears. I finally gave up and figured we would just deal with however long it took. I want to write what happened in regards to this so that if someone else out there ends up at this website they will know how long to expect things to seem loud. During the first day Sarah's hearing was so sensitive that it did indeed hurt. I had to whisper everything. The sensitivity seemed to ebb and flow a bit, probably due to the fact that there may have been some fluid or blood building up and draining. In turn that would block and unblock the hearing. At least that is my guess. The next day she didn't complain about pain from noise although things were still sore in general. We still were talking quietly to her but not keeping things super quiet. She stayed home from school the second day but went back on the third. I arranged for her to eat in a room next to the nurses room (yes, germ heaven). The fourth day she decided on her own to eat in the lunch room Things still seemed a bit loud to her but she knew that she could plug her ear if it got to be too much. I would say that in about a week her hearing seemed normal to her.
The news from the actual surgery was better. No tumor blocking the Eustachian tube. No fluid in the other ear. Just the one tube and it went in fine.
Things were quite sore afterwards. She had quite a bit of hearing loss beforehand so things seemed quite loud to her after the tube was put in. I knew that when a tube is put in your ear there can be hypersensitivity in your hearing so it was no surprised. I knew that she would have trouble at school, especially in the lunch room. I wanted to make arrangements for her to eat some place else until her hearing was less sensitive. When the nurse from the hospital called I asked her if she knew how long things would seem extra loud for Sarah. She didn't know and recommended that I send Sarah to school with cotton to stuff in her ear. I then called the doctors office and spoke to the nurse there. She not only didn't know, she was amazed that this was happening. I also checked out the internet and was surprised I couldn't find out a lot of information about it. This is surprising because I know it must happen quite frequently. My husband had tubes when he was a kid and he can remember that his hearing was so sensitive that it actually hurt his ears. I finally gave up and figured we would just deal with however long it took. I want to write what happened in regards to this so that if someone else out there ends up at this website they will know how long to expect things to seem loud. During the first day Sarah's hearing was so sensitive that it did indeed hurt. I had to whisper everything. The sensitivity seemed to ebb and flow a bit, probably due to the fact that there may have been some fluid or blood building up and draining. In turn that would block and unblock the hearing. At least that is my guess. The next day she didn't complain about pain from noise although things were still sore in general. We still were talking quietly to her but not keeping things super quiet. She stayed home from school the second day but went back on the third. I arranged for her to eat in a room next to the nurses room (yes, germ heaven). The fourth day she decided on her own to eat in the lunch room Things still seemed a bit loud to her but she knew that she could plug her ear if it got to be too much. I would say that in about a week her hearing seemed normal to her.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
SARAH'S EAR
Tomorrow Sarah goes to have surgery to have a tube put in her ear. It all started at the end of September when she told me that she was having trouble hearing out of one ear. Like a good mother I ignored her the first time she told me. The second time (a couple weeks later) she told me again and I had her plug her good ear and tell me if she could hear the TV with the bad ear. She couldn't. I'm no Sherlock Holmes so it took me a day to figure out that it could be an ear infection. Last fall she had gotten an ear infection and did not have any pain until the infection was so bad the eardrum was about to burst. I know that it was about to burst because she described the pain as "throbbing" and said it felt like something in her ear was "growing." Now you would think I would be very tuned in to any sort of thing happening with her ears. So although she didn't have any pain, I decided a trip to the pediatrician was in order. Of course she did indeed have an ear infection. Quite bad actually. The course of treatment followed a similar path to last year. It took two or three rounds of progressively stronger antibiotics to cure the infection. Afterwards she had to be on six weeks of maintenance antibiotics because of residual fluid left over in the ear. Last year after the six weeks the fluid was gone but this year the fluid was still there.
Fortunately, we have an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist that we are familiar with (Tom has on going sinus problems and Erin had tubes in her ears when she was younger). I made an appointment and I wasn't surprised when he tested her hearing and she was having trouble hearing with that ear. We already knew this but hey, why not pay for an expensive test to tell us the same thing! Just joking, I'm sure its important to know just how much hearing lose there is just to compare with how much is restored after the tubes. He recommend a tube and said he would check the other ear for fluid during surgery and if some was in there he may put two tubes in. He said that it is common at this age for the adenoids to swell and sometimes block the end of the Eustachian tube so fluid can't drain. The adenoids usually go back down in a year or two. He also said in very rare cases the tube may be blocked by a tumor. He will check during surgery.
Considering Sarah is my little worry wart, she is doing outstanding. She really doesn't seem stressed much at all. I'm sure she will be a little worried tomorrow but so far so good. I am not really worried because we have been through this twice before with Erin. It gets to a point where you just want to get the tube put in so the problem can go away. I am constantly worried that the ear infection will flair up again. It just makes matters worse knowing she doesn't get the pain until its almost too late. She is off the antibiotics now for a couple of weeks so it could come back at any time. It will also be nice that she won't need those antibiotics since they really mess up her digestive system.
Fortunately, we have an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist that we are familiar with (Tom has on going sinus problems and Erin had tubes in her ears when she was younger). I made an appointment and I wasn't surprised when he tested her hearing and she was having trouble hearing with that ear. We already knew this but hey, why not pay for an expensive test to tell us the same thing! Just joking, I'm sure its important to know just how much hearing lose there is just to compare with how much is restored after the tubes. He recommend a tube and said he would check the other ear for fluid during surgery and if some was in there he may put two tubes in. He said that it is common at this age for the adenoids to swell and sometimes block the end of the Eustachian tube so fluid can't drain. The adenoids usually go back down in a year or two. He also said in very rare cases the tube may be blocked by a tumor. He will check during surgery.
Considering Sarah is my little worry wart, she is doing outstanding. She really doesn't seem stressed much at all. I'm sure she will be a little worried tomorrow but so far so good. I am not really worried because we have been through this twice before with Erin. It gets to a point where you just want to get the tube put in so the problem can go away. I am constantly worried that the ear infection will flair up again. It just makes matters worse knowing she doesn't get the pain until its almost too late. She is off the antibiotics now for a couple of weeks so it could come back at any time. It will also be nice that she won't need those antibiotics since they really mess up her digestive system.
LUCKY ERIN
For the past couple of years Erin has complained about pains in her hips and knees. In 7th grade when she started to run cross country, she had to stop for a couple of weeks when her hip became sore. The spring of 7th grade she came home one day and told me that her knee had gotten locked in a bent position when she had tried to straighten it after sitting on her knees during class. It was so painful that she almost passed out. She ended up crying in school, something that she never does. She was finally able to get it unlocked by bending it even more and she felt her knee "slide" back into place. Then this year in 8th grade she had a similar problem where her knee would hurt when she tried to straighten it (one time after sitting with her legs bent up under her). In between these incidents she would often tell me about minor aches and pains. I decided that although I didn't think she had a serious problem, we should take her to an orthopedic doctor.
The visit was definitely worth the $15 copay. He told us that it is very common for adolescent girls to have knees that tend to slide back and forth. He showed us by putting marks on her knee and then moving it from straight to bent. Sure enough her knee slid about a half inch to the outside. Very creepy. He also told us that as her hips widen she would get pain there too. He said some girls suffer much more than she has and it can get very painful. He told us that when she sits on her legs with her knees bent that causes inflammation under the knee cap. Then when she tries to straighten them they move and because of all this inflammation it really hurts. The good thing is that her knees and hips should feel better after adolescence.
He then told her to stand and pointed out that her arch was okay until she stood and then it would collapse. He said that her feet tended to roll in because of the collapsing arch and that puts more stress on the moving knees and growing hips. He recommended that we buy "stability" running sneakers. He gave us a website to go to in order to know which sneakers to buy. When I came home, I checked the sneakers that she had used this year for running and found out that they were stability sneakers. I figured that was why she didn't have a problem while running this year. At the time I had thought it was odd that she didn't complain during the time she was running, all the problems happened at other times of the year. I think we both feel happy that all her problems are just normal things that will eventually get resolved.
The visit was definitely worth the $15 copay. He told us that it is very common for adolescent girls to have knees that tend to slide back and forth. He showed us by putting marks on her knee and then moving it from straight to bent. Sure enough her knee slid about a half inch to the outside. Very creepy. He also told us that as her hips widen she would get pain there too. He said some girls suffer much more than she has and it can get very painful. He told us that when she sits on her legs with her knees bent that causes inflammation under the knee cap. Then when she tries to straighten them they move and because of all this inflammation it really hurts. The good thing is that her knees and hips should feel better after adolescence.
He then told her to stand and pointed out that her arch was okay until she stood and then it would collapse. He said that her feet tended to roll in because of the collapsing arch and that puts more stress on the moving knees and growing hips. He recommended that we buy "stability" running sneakers. He gave us a website to go to in order to know which sneakers to buy. When I came home, I checked the sneakers that she had used this year for running and found out that they were stability sneakers. I figured that was why she didn't have a problem while running this year. At the time I had thought it was odd that she didn't complain during the time she was running, all the problems happened at other times of the year. I think we both feel happy that all her problems are just normal things that will eventually get resolved.
FEELING BETTER
I have been feeling better for awhile now but haven't posted because I have been busy with the holidays. The new medication I was on made me get more migraines for the first week but now I have been migraine free since. It took awhile but most of my energy has come back also. I once again have a zest for life. I don't know if I'd call myself a dynamo, but at least I have enough energy to accomplish some things.
Thanksgiving was spent at home. I cooked a turkey with all the usual fixings. Christmas was also spent at home. I kept feeling thankful that I was doing so much better and realizing that I couldn't have survived all the shopping and preparing if I didn't feel so good. It really made me appreciate my health. I happily spent the last few days before Christmas sewing pajamas for the three kids to wear on Christmas Eve. I really love sewing. I was disappointed however, that my sewing kept getting interrupted by phone calls bringing bad news! I guess I was being selfish when I got to the point of wishing people would stop calling. I felt that now that I was finally feeling better, I didn't like hearing all this depressing stuff! I just wanted to enjoy the holidays. I did try to be a good person and give these people time to vent. Things seem to be calmed down now so I think I will get some peace.
Thanksgiving was spent at home. I cooked a turkey with all the usual fixings. Christmas was also spent at home. I kept feeling thankful that I was doing so much better and realizing that I couldn't have survived all the shopping and preparing if I didn't feel so good. It really made me appreciate my health. I happily spent the last few days before Christmas sewing pajamas for the three kids to wear on Christmas Eve. I really love sewing. I was disappointed however, that my sewing kept getting interrupted by phone calls bringing bad news! I guess I was being selfish when I got to the point of wishing people would stop calling. I felt that now that I was finally feeling better, I didn't like hearing all this depressing stuff! I just wanted to enjoy the holidays. I did try to be a good person and give these people time to vent. Things seem to be calmed down now so I think I will get some peace.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
NOT FEELING WELL AND WHINING ABOUT IT
I don't know what it is lately with Oprah but she is apparently on some sort of health kick. I'm sick of Dr. Oz. I don't watch Oprah all the time but it seems that every time I do its Dr. Oz! I guess maybe I'm just experiencing some sour grapes. I have not been healthy lately and no matter what I eat I'm not going to get better. No, even if I drink some green drink made out of celery, cucumbers and spinach I am not going to suddenly feel great. I guess I resent someone telling me that I can "change my genes" if I just do what they recommend. I swear, I heard them say that you can change your genes by following his program.
From what I heard, Oprah shares a problem with me. She has a thyroid problem and went on vacation for a month to help her feel better. Hopefully she is also taking medication for it like I am. The medication keeps me alive! I guess it also makes me feel better but lately I have been having a new problem and don't feel well so I can't really tell.
My problem du jour involves a lot of migraines. Three weeks ago I got the first of seven migraines. Writing it here makes it seem so much better than it actually was. Seven migraines in three weeks, piece of cake. If a person who suffers from migraines reads this, they won't think its a piece of cake. I'm not talking about a person who thinks they suffer from migraines when they really don't. A migraine makes it impossible for me to function. I now have Imitrex to treat the migraines. The Imitrex makes the worse pain go away as long as I don't have to do anything and can spend the day resting. But life goes on and its difficult to just rest for 7 days out of three weeks! Migraines are also exhausting and leave me feeling tired for a day or two so I've pretty much spent the past three weeks barely surviving.
So now I'm trying to figure out why I've been getting migraines. I went back to my Endocrinologist and had more blood work done. I found out that my prolactin (hormone) level is up...again. This could be a possible cause of the headaches. We are treating it with a medication that lists one of the side effects as headaches! Sigh. I also read that you shouldn't take migraine medications at the same time as this new medicine so now I have been battling the migraines without meds. Another sigh.
Did I mention this is all making me grumpy?!?!
I am leaving this alone for now and may post again with a more detailed account of what's going on, you know just for posterity!
From what I heard, Oprah shares a problem with me. She has a thyroid problem and went on vacation for a month to help her feel better. Hopefully she is also taking medication for it like I am. The medication keeps me alive! I guess it also makes me feel better but lately I have been having a new problem and don't feel well so I can't really tell.
My problem du jour involves a lot of migraines. Three weeks ago I got the first of seven migraines. Writing it here makes it seem so much better than it actually was. Seven migraines in three weeks, piece of cake. If a person who suffers from migraines reads this, they won't think its a piece of cake. I'm not talking about a person who thinks they suffer from migraines when they really don't. A migraine makes it impossible for me to function. I now have Imitrex to treat the migraines. The Imitrex makes the worse pain go away as long as I don't have to do anything and can spend the day resting. But life goes on and its difficult to just rest for 7 days out of three weeks! Migraines are also exhausting and leave me feeling tired for a day or two so I've pretty much spent the past three weeks barely surviving.
So now I'm trying to figure out why I've been getting migraines. I went back to my Endocrinologist and had more blood work done. I found out that my prolactin (hormone) level is up...again. This could be a possible cause of the headaches. We are treating it with a medication that lists one of the side effects as headaches! Sigh. I also read that you shouldn't take migraine medications at the same time as this new medicine so now I have been battling the migraines without meds. Another sigh.
Did I mention this is all making me grumpy?!?!
I am leaving this alone for now and may post again with a more detailed account of what's going on, you know just for posterity!
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