There has been a lot going on here that I have not written about. Sometimes, some things are just too painful to share with the big wide world until after I can process them accordingly. Ashley has a thyroid disease that was diagnosed at the age of 8 years old. It is hereditary and requires that she get supplemental thyroid hormone every day. Unfortunately, as she moved around and switched doctors, they failed to increase the amount of hormone as she grew. The result was that her thyroid gland became enlarged and nodular and she had symptoms of low thyroid hormone like hair loss, lethargy, dry skin, apathy, and depression. We finally found a doctor at Texas Children's in Dallas (Hey Dr. Lopez!) that understood and began to treat her in the right way. That meant slowly increasing the amount of supplemental hormone until she felt great but did not have too much in her system.
In the meantime, they decided to biopsy her thyroid to get a closer look at the thyroid tissue. On the first biopsy it came back as 'multi-nuclear neoplasia' but inconclusive. This is BAD. Very scary. We had to wait several months before we could biopsy again. All the time we worried about CANCER, thinking about her aunt (my sister) who had thyroid cancer.
Just a week ago she went in for the re-test. The doctor took a very close look at her thyroid with ultrasound. Good news! The nodules are gone and the only odd area is a heterogenous area due to long term inflammation from her condition. This is the best news ever. They will keep a close eye on her. Ultrasounds several times a year and a lot of follow up.
We are so relieved. So happy. So thankful!!!!!!
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5 comments:
WOOO HOO!!!! I have thyroid issues, too. Mine is shot, so I get what a big deal this is!
I am so glad you got some good news. May that continue!
Have you considered following up on your letter of complaint about the previous doctor (the one you wrote about in January)? Even without a positive genetic test result, I would think that the recent thyroid damage would be some evidence that the previous doctor's approach is wrong...
Sorry, I just realized that the doctor you wrote about in January was a med student. I hope you did follow through and write a letter of complaint about the doctor's unprofessional appearance and demeanor. Although I don't approve of the label you gave the doctor in the January post (I think it's sexist), I do think it's important for the student doctor (intern? resident?) to learn that she needs to behave professionally and respectfully. Right or wrong, studies have shown that a doctor's behavior and attitude towards the patient play a role in whether the patients decide to sue later, after the doctor makes a mistake. (I've read that doctors who are warm and empathetic are less likely to get sued, even when they make the same wrong decisions.)
Good news! :)
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