” `There and back again…A Hypopit’s tale?’ “
haha , sorry, couldn’t resist. Get it? (hobbit’s tale…hypopi…never mind.)
So I am back at work after a quite interesting weekend. Friday I flew up to PA to see *that* doc. I know people here have mixed opinions of the man, but I am compelled to say I absolutely adored him. He’s super tall, and my friend didn’t warn me that he was so damn good looking! *laughing*
The flight up was fantastic. Couldn’t have been better. I stress dosed and for once took enough to actually do some real good. It was easy, no cramped little plane, no annoying people next to me. I got my mp3 player out and jammed up to Philadelphia. Actually had no problem getting the car either. I will say though for those who travel and don’t have a credit card, make sure you have money in the bank extra, because they put a $350 hold on my checking account as a deposit until I brought the car back. Now the rental place released the hold on my bank, but after that, it takes a few days to get MY bank to release the money back to me. Weird. At least I got the car.
It was an adventure getting to the office, as I flew into a city that was a considerable distance away, rented a car, and drove…through the freakin’ mountains!!! Nobody told me it was mountains either. I thought I was gonna be going through Amish country! *grumbles* It was so God-Blessed beautiful, but so cold, still snow on the ground. I’m driving down highways that have huge construction corridors up, those concrete barriers (can’t remember the name) on BOTH sides of the highway, and I am driving a 2010 Ford Fusion, spiffy little thing I must say. So the construction speed (through the MOUNTAINS) is 45 mph, and people are passing me, honking horns, flipping birds, because I am in the left lane. Uh, hellooooo…brand spanking new car rental, and I don’t trust myself to know the distance between the barrier and the car and I am NOT damaging that thing. So I stayed in the left lane, and let people be pissed off.
The vistas coming up over a hill though took my breath away. I can well see why people are enchanted with the mountains up there. It rivals the Appalachians down here in the south, but on a grander scale. Naturally I stopped to take a few pictures. I wish I had a better camera. Driving through ‘Dallas’ Township gave me a giggle.
I was surprised by the smallness of his office. No nurse, only a chiropractor in an office next to his, and a receptionist (receptionist for both?). I got there a little early, pulled out my book. He came in and led me into a small office with a patient table, blood pressure monitor, etc. And his computer. that was it. Nothing else. Nothing of significance anyway. Some people might find it clinically unappealing, but I was charmed. We sat down, and he had me tell him what was going on with me, current symptoms, history of head trauma. he copied all my labs, scanned them into his computer right there.
I can’t tell you how different he is from regular doctors. He has an unassuming manner, and I felt immediately at ease. It was like having a regular conversation with anybody, except he is keenly aware. He made observations that I didn’t even mention. He absolutely did not have any “God complex” like a lot of other medical professionals I’d been to. (of course it didn’t help that I was flustered, he really is a cutie)
In going over my labs, he observed from both the numbers and my symptoms that I have PCOS, as well as hypothyroid. He ordered a pituitary MRI, finally, and wrote me prescriptions for my meds.
His basic observations were that I was not on enough cortisol. He didn’t seem too thrilled with me and Medrol, especially when I told him about symptoms coming back, and feeling worse actually than before. He said (basically) that it seems I am not taking to the Medrol the way I really should if it were going to work for me. He suggested I stick to HC alone, and wean off the Medrol.
His time line looks something like:
Increase HC to optimal point. he wants me to go back up to 30 mg per day, 10-10-10 schedule. Once I start feeling better like before, slowly decrease the Medrol until I’m off of it. Adjust HC as needed for that. In particular, he noted I am on 4.5 grains of Thyroid-S and said I should be feeling some relief, at least minimally by now. The fact that I can’t tell any difference, he says, shows him I am not absorbing it well, and thinks my lack of optimal cortisol is the reason.
After that he wants to tackle Florinef. His opinion is that my Aldosterone was low, but not low enough to warrant Florinef. Once I get off Medrol, Florinef is next.
He said I am to immediately begin taking DHEA and Iron. He did say there was *some* risk of DHEA converting to Testosterone, but that I didn’t have too high a level of that either (going by my free test).
He also wrote me a scrip for slow release Metformin. The stuff i was taking was not extended release, and when i tried to increase from 500mg to 1,000 mg, i got so nauseous. he said this would not happen with SR metformin. So I have that scrip now too.
On thyroid med: He wrote me a scrip for Naturethroid/Armour, and said I could call his assistant to find out how to get Erfa from Canada. Or i could continue taking Thyroid-S. My call. I think I will let tim have the Thyroid-S and use Erfa myself if I can get it from my insurance.
All in all, I was thoroughly pleased with the visit. In my opinion he is worth every penny, just for the compassion, humanity, and actual common-sense type approach to hormone treatment. It felt so wonderful to finally know that I am under the care of a doctor again. I know I’m “smart” enough to self treat, but I don’t feel as confident doing it. I second guess everything, and know I don’t know nearly enough to handle it all on my own.
I got home eventually. I swear, I almost got lost coming back.
After I left his office, I didn’t get an hour down the road before I started nodding off. Weird! I mean it hit suddenly! one minute I’m driving and excited, and the next I felt like I was on a narcotic. Just so sleepy. I pulled off to nap. There was no way I was going to drive through mountains while sleepy. No effin’ way.
Coming back into Philly was where I got lost (of course). Trying to reverse directions, for me, is like trying to get the watermelon back on the vine. AFTER slicing it up and eating it. Go figure.
I found myself on the way into down town Philly. Yikes! It’s at night, I have 15 minutes to get the car back to the rental place and check in for my flight…and I can’t find a freakin’ place to turn around!!! OH MY GOD!
yeah.
I did find my way back. I forgot to refill the tank, but the poor guy checking me in, bless his heart. He didn’t charge me more than the regular gas station price for fuel, he knew I was crunched for time. D’ya know they charge you $6.99 PER GALLON if you have them fill the car back up for you? Who the hell would knowingly sign up for that!? I had declined it, and by God’s grace didn’t get charged that rate myself.
I got into RDU about midnight, just as expected. Got home at roughly 12:30, called a few folks to let them know I got in ok, and crashed the hell out. I slept nearly all day Saturday. Stress dosing didn’t seem to help much since I just had had no sleep. I felt much better today. Ready to go back to work.
I can’t say enough how validating it feels to have a doctor finally listen, to agree absolutely with what one has suspected for so long but was never able to find confirmation. I felt slightly snide as my mom called yesterday, and I related what Doc had said. I made a point of mentioning his adamant stance that I do NOT need any more damned anti depressants or anxiety meds. I knew I was being persnickety and probably petty to bring that up to her, but she has told me non stop how she thinks I just need to get on a “mood altering” drug again and that will make everything better. Tough shit, mom.
I love her, but I am also still human, and she hurt my feelings badly, saying that.
As an aside, there’s a place called Press News, in the terminals after you go through security. They had some books there, with a “read and return” policy. Buy the book, and on your return flight, turn the book back in with a receipt and get half your price back. I thought it was a great deal until i realized the book I got I can’t return. The store was closed at midnight, and in order to go through security again, I would have to have a valid boarding pass.
Crap!
Oh well, it was a book I had passed over before. Maybe it will turn out to be decent. If not, anybody want a Christina Dodd new release? *chuckles*
