My Sister is Sick | Arthritis Information
Got to Dads went out to lunch with him. I was not at my Dads long and my sister came by. She said come stay at my house. She said she had just had another ovarian cyst removed and that her thyroid was hyperactive. She is down to 106 pounds. I know she is pretty scared at this point. I had been begging her for months to get checked out. So I stayed with her. She went with me to the doctor and I went with her to the doctor.
Well is life ever easy. No.
Her bloodwork is not what the nurses or gyno had told her. The nurse said she was hypo. The gyno said no hyper. The docotor said she had some high and some low leveles and nothing that he could understand. Oh argghh!!! This happened to me several years ago. Anyway if anything I think he scared her more. He is talking HIV and malabsorbtion syndrome or maybe pituitary or chrones or inflamatory bowel and on and on. I said what about autoimmune she has joint pain. He said no she is negative ANA I said me to but I have Sjorgrens. Oh arghhh!! This is the story of me all over again and the worst do I have a DX to point someone in the right direction.
I said I really doubt that you have AIDS because she just had a baby and was just tested. So I said my money is on AI or RA and some thyroid issue like Graves Disease runs rampid in my family. Of course I want them to test her for everything. I just do not want them scarring her so badly. I also told her I think we need to add an endochrenologist to the things to do list. So more bloodwork and I hope she does not loose any more wieght before they get it sorted out. I am of course freaking out and worried but I do not want her to be. Well we thought over the weekend oh good it is Graves and we know and all will be fine in no time. We just chatted girl talk and read up on the thyroid and played with the baby that is now eight months old. Her three older children were with there Dad for the week. Anyway are thoughts were some what shattered at the doctor visit today. Still we are happy to let them run every and any test. As I also have inflamatory bowel disease dx and one of my brothers has cholitis. Mom and grandad have Graves. Well scarry she is also having rectal pain, joint and muscle pain and is twenty pounds under wieght eight months after having a baby. Also trouble sleeping so we were sure it was the thyroid except for the rectal pain.
Other than all of that and the fact that I was sick in pain and running a fever we had a nice visit. The baby is just adorable.
She has had the joint pain on and off for awhile now. Her fourth child so maybe why so much on and off if AI. She was badly beaten by her husband two years ago and has been loosing wieght ever scince. She has been blamming the wieght loss on that and trying to make light of it in her own denile. So the putuitary gland is a possibility because she did have bleeding on the brain when he beat her so badly. Just the getting pregnant gave her a few pounds for a little while. But now it is worse than ever. So to me it RA or Autoimmune based on that. She said yes she thinks it has to be autoimmune. The stupid rectal pain has us worring about cancer. So many ????????????????
Milly, I am so sorry to hear this! You certainly have more than your share of personal and family worries. I send you and your sister all my best wishes.
Milly, I say your instincts are right on. This sounds like an auto-immune issue, and sounds very much like my introduction into the world of thyroid disease. Often as a thyroid gland becomes inflammed it literally pours out hormones, which makes a person hyperthyroid. Then as the disease progresses and the stored hormone exhausted, you can become hypothyroid. Sometimes this repeats itself several times, sending a person rapidly from one extreme to the other, which is horrible. The fever and aches and pain can be caused by this as well.
I agree with you and think your sister should see an endocrinologist. Most endo's require a referral before they will see you, so sounds like a phone call to her doctor is in order! This doctor clearly knows very little about auto-immune disease if all he knows is to rely on the ANA.
I'm sorry she is so sick, it must be very hard with such a young baby. But she is very lucky to have you in her corner!
The doctor we saw today is an internal medicine doctor that her gyno sent her to. We are sure he will refer her to an endo. Will call her regular GP if he does not. They are doing a full hormone work up tomorrow morning and as well redoing the thyroid test. I made my self pretty clear with the doctor and he said that I made scence. Still we want to let them check out everything. The doctors do all feel a scence of urgency as she is so thin.My goodness that is an awful lot to chew on. You are right life sure is not easy. Why does everything have to be so complicated- nothing is ever cut and dry. Best of luck to you and your sister.
Hope the best for you and your sister. Milly, your sister is lucky to have you to help her along. Maybe together, you can get this all figured out soon! It sounds like you have a good plan of action and you have been around the block enough to know when you run into that brick wall, you find a way over!
You and your family will be in my thoughts and I wish you a lighter load in life... you have had to carry more than your share!!!
Hi Milly, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles, your sister is lucky to have you and vice versa, keep your spirits up and keep the fight to find out whats going on going until you have an answer. Take good care of you too, she will feel awful if you get worse on top of everything else. Regards and prayers Janie.
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com