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Comorbid is such an awful sounding word.
Aug. 25th, 2015 06:42 pmI prefer to visualize autoimmune disorders as nesting dolls. LOL
So, I had the appointment with my endocrinologist. I really, really like her and her practice. I showed up thirty minutes early, and they immediately started my intake. They don't double- or over-book. Both times I have seen this doctor, she spent at least thirty minutes with me in the room, asking questions and listening to me. We're talking magical fantasy land health care. I kept expecting Legolas to stroll down the hall singing tra-la-lally.
The news was mixed. On the positive side, she said that the reason I keep encountering "leaky gut" diets during my internet research is that celiac disease is often comorbid with other autoimmune disorders. If I was exhibiting signs of celiac disease, then she would test me for it, and going gluten free would be part of the treatment. But I am not, so I don't have to worry about following any of those extreme no gluten, no dairy, no soy diets. Yay!
Also on the positive side, she's going to test me for an additional autoimmune disorder she thinks I may have and do some further thyroid and hormone level testing to track how that's changed over the last year; depending on the results, that may result in some treatment options.
Now for the bad news. Standard practice is not to treat Hashimoto's until your body destroys your thyroid. This can take a very long time. Years. A decade or more. Or it can take five minutes. Who can guesss? This doctor told me she will start treating patients who are borderline (which is good), but I'm not there yet. This means I just have to deal with the negative side effects of my thyroid cycling up into hyperthyroidism (night sweats, insomnia, anxiety).
She thinks based on family history and symptoms, I might also have Sjogren's Syndrome, but we're not going to test for that because I'm not willing to take drugs to suppress my immune system. The main symptom I'm having is dryness, particularly of the eyes, and I'm not willing to risk infection and etc. just for that. If it would help with exhaustion and energy levels, I might consider taking that kind of medication, but it probably would not have that effect.
( discussion of weight loss )
( and now for the coda, in which Lorraine has her blood ineptly drawn )
So, I had the appointment with my endocrinologist. I really, really like her and her practice. I showed up thirty minutes early, and they immediately started my intake. They don't double- or over-book. Both times I have seen this doctor, she spent at least thirty minutes with me in the room, asking questions and listening to me. We're talking magical fantasy land health care. I kept expecting Legolas to stroll down the hall singing tra-la-lally.
The news was mixed. On the positive side, she said that the reason I keep encountering "leaky gut" diets during my internet research is that celiac disease is often comorbid with other autoimmune disorders. If I was exhibiting signs of celiac disease, then she would test me for it, and going gluten free would be part of the treatment. But I am not, so I don't have to worry about following any of those extreme no gluten, no dairy, no soy diets. Yay!
Also on the positive side, she's going to test me for an additional autoimmune disorder she thinks I may have and do some further thyroid and hormone level testing to track how that's changed over the last year; depending on the results, that may result in some treatment options.
Now for the bad news. Standard practice is not to treat Hashimoto's until your body destroys your thyroid. This can take a very long time. Years. A decade or more. Or it can take five minutes. Who can guesss? This doctor told me she will start treating patients who are borderline (which is good), but I'm not there yet. This means I just have to deal with the negative side effects of my thyroid cycling up into hyperthyroidism (night sweats, insomnia, anxiety).
She thinks based on family history and symptoms, I might also have Sjogren's Syndrome, but we're not going to test for that because I'm not willing to take drugs to suppress my immune system. The main symptom I'm having is dryness, particularly of the eyes, and I'm not willing to risk infection and etc. just for that. If it would help with exhaustion and energy levels, I might consider taking that kind of medication, but it probably would not have that effect.
( discussion of weight loss )
( and now for the coda, in which Lorraine has her blood ineptly drawn )
