hi group

[Guest guest]

Since I do not have a diagnosis of MS, I don't post as often as

otheres. However, I continue to deal with many of the same issues.

Last Tuesday, I was at the endocrinology center in Yakima. I saw the

ARNP. I like her and think she is quite knowledgeable. I am

scheduled to see the specialist early in January.

I do have a diagnosis of Graves Disease and take an anti-thyroid

medication called Tapazole. I started out by taking 10 mg tablets,

then had a period where I had to stop taking them. Then, I went to 5

mg Tapazole. Because anemia is one of the side effects of Tapazole, I

need to get my blood checked every 8 weeks. The last time I got my

blood checked, the medication had pushed my thyroid into an

underactive state.

Now, I have stopped taking the Tapazole once again. I will need to

get my blood checked in a couple of months to see where my thyroid

levels are. The endocrinologist keeps pushing the radioactive iodine

treatment to kill my thyroid. I've read so many articles about how

exposure to radioactive iodine can cause cancer. I'm reluctant to go

with this treatment since cancer runs in my family. My sister,

mother, and father all had some form of cancer.

Last week, my 19 year old son was climbing a tree because he wanted

to. He said he wasn't real high and thought he could just jump out.

Well, he injured his foot. When I saw it, his toes were purple and

his ankle was swollen. I thought he had maybe sprained his ankle. He

was icing it and keeping it elevated as much as possible. It just was

not getting better. Finally, he asked to be taken to the ER

yesterday. Turns out, he has two broken bones and will need surgery

to repair some tendon damage. He doesn't have insurance and since he

lost his last job, he has not been able to find another one. Once he

turned 19, his Medicaid stopped.

It's kind of sad that insurance has to be tied to employment.

Donna in WA