Sunday, April 28, 2013

Last chance

I can't believe it's been nearly a week since my last post and I'm sorry if I left you all with a cliffhanger there.   But it's been a busy, frustrating and puzzling week.

First off, the good news is - I do not have Lyme disease or shingles.  Yay!

The bad news - I'm hypoglycemic.   Boo!

When I went for the blood draw on Tuesday I asked  the Doctor to give me one of the FreeStyle glucose monitor kits she gives out to potential diabetics.  I was convinced that a lot of my weakness, shaking, light-headedness, anxiety and headaches might be due to low sugar.  After all, if I can't gain weight, can't absorb nutrition well, wouldn't that inhibit the amount of glucose available in my blood?  She gave me one, but not with any heart in it.

I started using the 10 strips inside the box that day.  After an hour after both meals (lunch/supper) the sugar never went higher than 125-132.  But within 2 hours of eating the meter dropped to 100.  An hour later - to 80.  Finally 4 hours after supper, I bottomed out at 61!  Then the 'rebound' effect kicked in and it climbed back to 80 by bedtime.  Even so, I ate something before going to sleep.

Good grief.  While being hypoglycemic does not seem related to the random numbness, it IS indicative that something is just not right!  (I believe low blood sugar is a symptom of something else, not a cause of my ailment.)

Not only did I show I was hypoglycemic, but coupled with my latest blood work (elevated serum albumin & calcium - both of which could be caused by dehydration (the kind that drinking water does not help)) got me to thinking about malfunctioning adrenals so I (naively) was about to ask if by any chance she knew an endocrinologist, when she looked at me and said, "You're really stressed about being sick, aren't you?"  Well ... yeah... (Duh!  It's been 18 months.  Someone has to be!).  

Then she said, very slowly, "Maybe you're sick because you're stressed."  (huh?)  And at that point, the GP who has never had ANY recommendation for a specialist in ANY field, says to me, (wait for it)...

(waaaaait for it).....

"I can send you to this psychiatrist...."

 I can only imagine the look on my face.  No wait... I can.  Because when I tell this story (one at at time) to friends, their immediate stunned, deer-in-headlights, jaw-dropped expression must be how I looked in the office.  And, almost immediately, they voice what had been niggling at me for months, now:

For God's sake - get out of there and GET YOURSELF ANOTHER DOCTOR.  

My friends are right.  They are having a great time milking the humor out of this, but, they are right.

So now I'm off to find another GP.   What a drag.  I'm also off to find an endocrinologist because if I'm unable to keep hydrated, then more things will start going wrong.

Besides, what's one more specialist to bill me for no help?  All I can say is, thank gods I paid into Medicare for 45 years for coverage.  You have no idea how much it's cost so far for so many doctors to say, "All the standard tests are good."   I'm not even asking at this point for a doctor that thinks outside the box.

I'm looking for a doctor that THINKS. Period.

10 comments:

  1. I wish you luck in your search. It appears all the ones I've been to are merely into milking it out and getting the most dollars. I am so sick of our medical establishment at this point.
    I truly know what you're going through and hope like hell you come across some answers. I found out the solution to my problem purely by chance (through my own diligence and research)
    Don't give up hope You just never know when the answer will come.......

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    1. I've been wondering at YOUR story, Sue. I used to be able to get to your blog, I think, but it's closed now....

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  2. Good Lord! I am going to throw this out there just as 'food' for thought.......did this condition start before you quit eating all wheat products or after. Don't get upset with me....please. I am just thinking about lifestyle changes that might cause digestive problems....Think about it.

    When something weird happens to me I try to think about any changes I might have done....new med, pain reliever, etc. Then I go back to taking on nothing new whether it is food or food supplement or meds. Sometimes I can pin it on something and sometimes not.

    You hang in there; you will get to the bottom of this.

    Yes, bless Medicare and supplemental insurance policies!

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    1. Glenda - 9/2011 - sudden weight loss (which I cannot regain); 8/2012 - nighttime numbness; 11/2012 daytime numbness; 12/2012 - avoiding modern wheat and turned to spelt (older wheat).

      I'm glad I started a spreadsheet when I went 'off wheat'. Now I have a daily log of symptoms, etc. Not that any doctor gives a fig ...

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  3. I wondered when "go to a different doctor" would come up. Get yourself to a different surgery m'dear, the person you have been seeing doesn't care about you, find someone who does.

    Many years ago I suffered greatly from being hypoglycaemic, REALLY badly. To the point of getting the shakes and nearly falling over when my blood sugar had fallen too low (and we won't even mention crabby, irritable and not able to think straight when it happened). I took a course* of Selenium tablets available OTC from the same counter as multi-vitamins. Never looked back! Never had to do it again.

    Now I make sure I eat regularly, grazing every three hours works well for me.

    * maybe two months, possibly one, certainly no more than two ..... it was a long time ago, sorry I can't remember the details.

    Google: "selenium for low blood sugar". Zillions of results.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Did you ever find out WHY you are hypoglycemic? Or have you just adjusted your lifestyle to cope with it?

      I've always liked this GP as a person, but now, as a DOCTOR, I wouldn't let her even get near an ailing goldfish.

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  4. Still reckon you should (with GP's approval) take a 2 month break with your statins, and see if there is any improvement... :)

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    1. Dani, This GP has no advice. No encouragement. No cautions. And, obviously, no clue. I'm better off with WebMD at this point than her. As I mentioned in my email to you, I'm stepping mySELF off my statins at this point.

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  5. A new GP is deffinately a good idea! There has to be an explaination for those problems. A more clued up GP might also take the time to talk you through some treatments and give you more information. Good luck!

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    1. I dread having to sort through GPs. A lot of them do not allow 'initial interview' appointments. Others are not accepting new patients. And, when I ask my friends if they would recommend their own GPs, none of them seem happy with their lot either. Apparently, quality 'doctoring' is falling off sharply in the U.S.

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