Health Update /Yet more Frustrations with the NHS.

[jaywalkermaybe]

Well, after 10 months of waiting, I finally got to see an Endocrinologist. Not very satisfactory as medical interviews go. I have hypothyroidism. Surprise Surprise. I'm menopausal . Shock! My vitamin D is still abnormally low. Fancy that. No chance to discuss all the questions arising , because the poor man was rushed off his feet (two of his

Comments

[pyraxis]

I wonder if you could order a loratidine-equivalent over the internet that wasn't made with propylene glycol. Like if some place had older stock. Is polyethylene glycol (which is apparently in Benadryl) the same bad stuff? I saw on the Mastocytosis site that Allegra was on the list of possibilities for treatment as well. It seems like a lot of the same anti-allergy meds that I use.

I don't even know what to say about six-month and ten-month waits for an appointment that's rushed and not helpful anyway. Of course your time is valuable. How to get a government to be convinced of that, I don't know. *sigh*

[jaywalkermaybe]

hey :) looks like polyethylene glycol is something else, but it might be best to avoid that whole group of compounds if possible (I've read somehere, they were commonly found to be triggers for SM etc

[shashigai]

hey, twin

my doc just wrote me for testing for hypothyroidism. without supplements I would have zero vitamin D in my system. i suspect that's part of the MM since it eats both calcium and vitamin D. i've been doing a little better on loratidine twice a day, which i took from something you said a while ago.

dunno what else to say. hope other things get better soon?

[jaywalkermaybe]

Hey twin

[jaywalkermaybe]

PS, this puts me in a really crap position. It looks like I have a whole bunch of things that are just beginning to be recognised as bioth real and common.

This means of course that NHS resources for dealing with these things will not be merely overstreched, as normal, but largely absent.

And, whilst I've suffererd from these things all my life, presumably, they're starting to go critical (or starting to get a bit of medical attention) just as I reach an age where the NHS doesn't bother so much, preferring to concentrate resources on younger patients.

Normally I'd agree with that philosophy. But this is too reminiscent of the goddamned social housing situation-- that is, i reached the head of the queue for a two bedroom flat at around the same time that my son grew up and left home, thus no-longer qualified. I feel that a body can only take so much of being made to wait until they lose their eligibility.

[jaywalkermaybe]

PS One the questions I didn't get chance to ask is: Is it Hashimoto's?

My online research says the chances are it is. I suspect that the answer would be "We don't know, we don't care. It's some kind of hypothyroidism. We throw pills at it, either way"
But the answer would explain a few things.

Most significantly, from my POV, if it's Hashimoto's then it represents the only clear indication of autoimmune disorderthat's been found to date. I recall my GP ruling out some autoimmune disorders , in the past, because the "usual markers" of autoimmune disease were absent. That is , it could throw a much-needed fresh light on a whole bunch of other things.

well, there's another reason for feeling disgruntled. As usual, my health situation is too complex for the system as it is, to address adequately. Even given the chance, I couldn't possibly explain the importance of that question without looking like a smartarse and using far too many words.

[shashigai]

I think I might have an answer as to why you are so sick.

I have been in remission yet progressively sicker. I found this while exploring the paleo diet, which helped with some things but not others.

http://www.thepaleomom.com/2013/03/gluten-cross-reactivity-update-how-your-body-can-still-think-youre-eating-gluten-even-after-giving-it-up.html

I went from this one to her post on the autoimmune protocol, which I will be phasing in over the next four or five months. It explains a lot of why I am sick in other ways than the MM.

It sounds like a lot of what you're doing by trial and error. It easily explains why you might react to things most people find innocuous.

At any rate, I hope you're OK or even doing awesomely well (but what fun would that be?). I am hoping to be well soon.