Re: Underactive Thyroid to

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

A lot has happened to me since we last had communications together! I went

through some really rough months early in '03, losing 30 pounds in 2 months

and going downhill fast. Several months earlier when I'd complained of light-

headedness that could be immediately calmed by eating, my GI refused to do

diabetic testing, saying " it was too soon " for me to worry about that. When the

pain increased two-fold in January, and I found myself with occcasional

blurred vision, urinating all the time and always thirsty, the doc blamed the

latter three symptoms on new pain medication I'd started. Again, instead of

testing for diabetes when I asked, he insisted on doing a colonoscopy and

upper endoscopy, scratching his head and looking at anything, but the

obvious. As I got worse, too weak and " spacy " to do anything, I finally made

an appointment with an Intern for a second opinion. The day before the

appointment with the Intern, I was so weak and lethargic when my husband

came home from a trip, that he immediately called my GI for help, asking him if

he could admit me to the hospital for observation. The GI told Bob he didn't

feel that was " necessary " , to let me rest and then check back with him later.

Bob didn't like this answer at all, so he helped me dress, (I couldn't even do

that by myself at this point.....I remember sitting on the side of the bed

staring

at the shoes that Bob had handed to me, wondering what I was supposed to

do with them), and took me to the ER. The whites of my eyes had turned

pinkish-red with the blood in them. I was 98 pounds and looked like #%**.

We had to wait three hours in Emergency, since the doctor hadn't called in for

me and I didn't have any other doctor on record, so by the time they finally got

me into an examining room I was going into shock.

Result of all of this was that I had diabetic ketoacidosis, (called DKA by

most),

my pancreas had burned out, and when I regained my sensibilities a day later

after being put on insulin in Intensive Care, they told me I had become brittle

diabetic. My blood glucose reading was 1,000 upon admission and for two

days were in the 900-800 range. I later found out that my blood sugar had

been averaging in the 800's for three months! I was also on a heart monitor

because of an irregular heart beat. They finally moved me into the general

ward when my BG's dropped to the 500 range, and I was taught how to inject

insulin, a bit about diabetes and instructed to make an appointment with an

Endocrinologist. They released me five days later. I located an

Endocrinologist who wasn't going to be able to see me until 6 weeks later. I

fired my Gastroenterologist and found a new one in Savannah immediately.

An Endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in diabetes and conditions

involving the endocrine glands, such as the thyroid, pituitary or pancreas. My

Endo consults me on my diabetes and also monitors my other gland

functions, such as hormones, and my hypothyroidism. He writes the scripts

for my insulins and Synthroid, and monitors my diabetes with bi-annual blood

tests.

, I'm sorry to hear that you haven't been doing so well. What's been

going on? I hope your news isn't as dramatic as mine was. You wouldn't

think that all of that could happen as quickly as it did, diagnosis to dead

within

two years, but as we all know, this pancreatitis stuff is still a mystery

sometimes, and what happened was just one of those rare parts of the

mystery.

Are you still doing your rescue work? I've got three long hairs now, all with

some maine coon in them, and the two that are declawed are indoors 24/7, so

I'm thinking of making a fur rug.....lol!

Do write again and let us know how you're doing. Mark, Poncho, Kaye and

Lily are still here and active, outside of Karyn, they're probably the only

names

that you would remember from before.........but we have an absolutely

wonderful group of members now, some really warm, smart and supportive

friends whom I'm sure you'll enjoy getting to know.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina Rep.

SE Regional Rep., PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on my personal experiences or

opinion only, and should never be substituted for the consultation and

recommendations of your physician or other medical professionals.

wrote:

> Hello Heidi! I missed this group! I've just been too ill to post any

messages.

Hope everything is well with you. (snip) Also, what kind of doctor is a

Endocrinologist?