Today I called my Rheumatologist to find out if they had any results yet, and was very surprised to hear that on MONDAY my Thyroid tests had all come back highly abnormal, and they had faxed them to my PCP who was supposed to call me immediately! Today is Friday - WTH!!!! So I had them fax me the results:

The Sonogram of my Thyroid showed that it "both lobes are enlarged and heterogeneous, findings are consistent with Goiter and Thyroiditis."

The Thyroid antibody tests were off the charts - one test has a normal range of 0 - 34,  and mine is 454! Another has a normal range of 0 - 115, and mine is 150!

The nurse who finally scheduled my appt. for Monday said the findings are consistent with an Auto-Immune Disease called "Hashimoto's Thyroiditis." Basically, it is when the immune system attacks the Thyroid, the Thyroid fights back, causing fluctuations between high and low Thyroid function, until finally the immune system kills the Thyroid altogether.

Reading about it was like a light going on in my head! The Thyroid controls so many different parts of the body, and this could explain so many of the problems I have had over the last several years.

Unfortunately, that alone does not explain why I went deaf in one ear, so I still need to see the Rheumatologist again to consider other auto-immune diseases that can go hand in hand with this.

But - at least it is a start!

 

I have just about had it with Doctors! Somehow my thyroid function tests all came back within the "normal" range. This makes no sense to me when the anti-body tests clearly show that my Immune system is attacking my Thyroid. However, the "normal" range is large - so obviously my normal would be different than other people's - so now I have to go see an Endocrinologist, who will compare what my levels have been over the last 5 years, and determine if my "normal" is actually much higher than what it is now. But, the closest appt. I could get with any Endo in the tri-state area is not until August 30'th!

You know, I hear people claim that Universal Health Care wouldn't work because there would be such long waiting periods for appointments... Hmm... I waited 4 months to see a Rheumatologist, who is sending me to see an Endocrinologist who I have to wait another 4 months to see...

I HAVE Private Health Insurance! Plus, I have been prescribed 2 medications that are "Brand Name Only" so my private insurance will not cover them - 1 would cost me $189/month, and the other would cost me $298/month!  That is just insane!