ER Doc

The ER doc and I had the following conversation last week:

Doc: "You should have taken steroids prior to the surgery."

Me: "My endo doesn't support that. They say I'm normal and don't need steroids."

Doc: "Not according to all the medical literature I've read."

Me: "I know, I've read it too."

What do you do when your endo follows one school of thought while your body follows another? I bring stuff up. I try to challenge thinking, but it doesn't go anywhere. We're stuck in this pattern of 'you're fine, but here are some steroids.' What is the end game of this pattern? Where's the plan?

My body is not going to dissolve into the ether. It's not going to stop annoying the sh*t out of me and the endo anytime soon. So, I don't know. Maybe we need a new approach?

Taper to date is as follows:

Monday-30mg HC split dose but all before noon (helped a lot, but felt like a little too much)

Tuesday-20mg HC no split

Wednesday-Holding at 20mg, no split.

Thursday-Down to 15mg, no split.

Sunday-Aiming for 10mg, no split.

Hoping to be steroid free by the end of next week.

Sooooo tired.

Shock & Awe

So the toddler's PT and I are pretty chatty. Actually, I wouldn't mind staying in touch with them beyond therapy, but we'll see.

Anyway their kid was in the ER for a decently serious allergic reaction to an OTC that no one is ever supposed to be allergic to. So they ended up on steroids, a five day burst.

The ER doc took the time to explain how the steroids would impact the kid's appetite and weight.

At that point, my jaw hit the floor and I lost consciousness from the shock.

Wow.

Basically I'm pre-diabetic, overweight and having all sorts of medical fun because not one physician ever attempted to educate me on the impact of steroids.

I was never even given the chance to take personal responsibility for my health because medicine didn't do their part. Over and over and over again.

Of course, I did get shaming lectures on my weight from the ped who was prescribing the bulk of the steroids between the ages of 15-18. Medicine totally wins at hating fat people.

Super Fast

1. Toddler had her first sleepover at grandparents' house last night. They took her to the circus, front row seats and it did not go well. I warned them that a) she is a sensitive bean and b)afraid of loud noises. I heard she slept only from 12am to 6am. Poor thing.

2.We did swing the Halloween party. I even had fun and actually felt slightly less like death warmed over.

It was kind of an odd party for me though.

Full of medical professionals. Doctors, residents, nurses, etc... I'm not sure why we were there, but we know a friend of a friend and everyone loves the hubby, so that's how we got invited to a party full of people we had never met before.

Very nice people.

The hubby and I were the oldest ones there. I was also the tallest, biggest girl. Also bigger and taller than about 90% of the guys.

So that was kind of awkward. I don't mind my size, but if I am almost literally towering over a throng of size zero twigs, I start to feel like I need to be careful where I put my feet so I don't hurt anyone. You know, like Amelia Bedelia on growth hormone.

My friend tells me the first thing people notice about me is my height. I never really thought about it that way, I am not even 6 foot or anything really tall, but last night, I felt really out of place physically.

The other thing was, as nice as everyone was, I could not shake the idea that, based on my past experiences, at least 1/2 of them would argue with me about the asthma diagnosis and none of them would've caught the secondary adrenal insufficiency.

I don't know, it just...bummed me out. Overall though, the hubby and I had a good time. We danced a little bit even though no one else was. Hey, we don't get out of the house much so we have to take our fun where we can.

Okay, gotta dash, we're due to go pick up the toddler. I can't wait to give her a big hug.

I Love Me Some Anal

So I went to see the dermatologist the other day. I've been to the practice before, but the doc was new to me.

I actually should pause here to disclose that I forgot to list an ailment on the side bar. I have moles galore. Which is not a medical term. Obviously. I can't remember the medical term because it has about 100 words in it. Hyperdysplasia is one of the words.

What it means is my moles have moles which also have moles and they ALL look abnormal.

I even have multiple moles on the palms of my hands.

So whenever I see a doctor, no matter what it's for, I get a lecture on my moles.

In labor and need an IV? The anesthesiolgoist stopped and scolded me to get my moles checked. (Dude, that was NOT the time, okay? He was an ass, by the way, too.)

Can't breathe in the ER? "You need to get your moles checked."

Random strangers will tell me I need to get my moles checked.

I've even had men reference my moles as part of their pick up game (back when I was younger and hotter).

So, you know, they are pretty alarming/striking. I guess. I don't really pay much attention to them.

I do get the annual mole check. I've worn sunscreen since I was 20, wear sun hats etc...There is some family history of skin cancer, although no one has as many moles as me

My frustration with the annual mole check is no one ever biopsies everything. Here everyone treats my moles as a 5 alarm fire. They get me all worked up, but then nothing happens. It's annoying.

But 2 years ago, I finally had one that was determined to need a biopsy and it did come back as precancerous.

Ergo, I try to keep up with the dermatologist.

And man, this chick was ON THE BALL. Loves it!

She was invested in me, which was super amazing. She heard me. She got me. She was detailed, she believed my history--I had credibility. We were on the same page.

And she was anal to the max, very intense. When I forgot a slip of paper on which she'd written a product name for me to try, she called me not 5 minutes later to tell me so--I hadn't even left the building. I had to actually talk her down and reassure her that I wouldn't forget.

She was more anal than I am. Which is fine with me. She totally deserves chocolate the next time I see her. Call me crazy, but I like it when doctors pay attention to the details.

Too bad my skin issues are minor. What I really need is this level of anal in an endocrinologist.