Frustrated...any advice?

[ldg]

Oh YAY! I'm late for vibes, but I'm sending them anyway.

And if you haven't yet, DEFINITELY PM StarryEyedTiger!!!!

 

[sandtigress]

Thanks guys.

Well, this doctor is of the opinion that my dizziness and my other symptoms are possibly two different things. He suspects that I have a viral infection in residence in my ears - possibly from having chicken pox as a kid (think shingles-type thing).

So for now, he wants me on a relatively high dose of steroids for the next 12 days, and an antiviral to see if that helps me get better soon.

Who knows?

Maybe the stress of a viral infection is leading to my other symptoms too, maybe its all related, or maybe I do really have two (or more) different things. I'm seeing him again in two weeks, and he says seeing another doctor about the other things is probably better, but to let him know if no one's doing it.

Getting a cortisol test tomorrow morning, and a CT scan of my temporal bone on Wednesday, and I guess we'll see where we go from there.

Thanks for the vibes guys!

 

[strange_wings]

Interesting theory. The ANS can be really messed up from viruses, or more specifically your body trying to fight them off. That would easily cause the heart rate and blood pressure issues.

Maybe he took you more seriously because there's no denying that lesion is there?

What sort of cortisol test is it? Blood or urine?

 

[ldg]

Oh wow - that's interesting. he's right and this clears up the dizziness!

 

[sandtigress]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

What sort of cortisol test is it? Blood or urine?

Blood, thank goodness!

He wanted to order a 24-hour catecholamine test, but I quickly told him I had already had one done.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by Sandtigress

Blood, thank goodness!

He wanted to order a 24-hour catecholamine test, but I quickly told him I had already had one done.

Hm, blood will only see whats there when they do that draw. Something like a 24 hour urine collection might be more useful - even if icky.

I probably should have had my catecholamines tested during my tilt table test. It might have led to a more specific diagnosis. But I don't believe anyone in this state even knows to do this...

Did yours look ok?

 

[sandtigress]

My 24 hour test looked fine - low end of normal or right in the middle of expected values.

They want a test early morning, so that will be sort of base level hormones for me, since they tend to rise naturally during the day. That means I get to go over the hospital at 8 in the morning on a Saturday, yippee!

I forgot to mention the best part of the day. When I dropped by the pharmacy to pick up my meds, the pharmacist reached into the bin for my last name without asking me what my name was. "First name Pamela, right?" Um, I'm not really there that often, am I?!

 

[sandtigress]

Boy, I opened up the pill bottle today for the anti-virals, and wow, what a pill! Here's a pic with a quarter (yes, a QUARTER) for size comparison.

 

[ldg]

Yup - Gary's wasn't blue, but he had to take them about - 8 years ago? They are real honkers, aren't they?

Hope you don't have too much of a problem!

 

[binkyhoo]

Wow. Big pill. I am a poor pill swallower. What works for me is to take it standing , stretch up your neck and look up at the ceiling while you swallow a big gulp. good luck

 

[c1atsite]

for optimum health

 

[sandtigress]

Another Friday, another doctor's appointment. I'll get the results of the cat scan I did last week, though I'm sure its clean.

What are the bets that he's still stumped?

I know I still feel like crap, maybe worse than before.

 

[ldg]

Well, I know antibiotics make people feel sick... any way it could be the anti-virals making you sick? Are you still taking them?

 

[sandtigress]

I'm done with them - only a 10 day course. I wouldn't be surprised if all the prednisone was making me sick though.


I just realized I have multiple swollen lymph nodes around my neck - no wonder I feel terrible! I'm probably coming down with a cold.

Well, its something new for the doctor to look at tomorrow.

As if he didn't have enough already!

 

[ldg]

Geez - you just can't catch a break!

...it is that time of year though.

Gary's been sick with the flu, and I definitely have some kind of head cold going on... it's trying to work its way into my lungs.

It really sucks when the meds not only don't seem to help - but make us feel worse. It doesn't sound like any answers are in the offing for tomorrow.... but I sure hope you find someone to help you find them!

 

[catsndogs]

Sorry you have been feeling poorly. It might be helpful to check you temperature at the onset of chills and then again in an hour or so since chills and shaking often occur when fever begins. If your temp rises, it might help the MD sort it out since fever is more common to infection then panic attack for example. If you can, record your heart rate and blood pressure too. Also, try to get a baseline when your symptoms are minimal for comparison. Now, a little story... I know someone who had episodes of shaking chills, sweating and generally feeling terrible that occurred at 3 week intervals. He saw doctors for months. Lab work and exams were normal. So one day he goes to the clinic with a bad episode and the MD on duty, who had years of experience in tropical medicine, immediately recognized his symptoms as malaria (!) and confrmed it with specific tests. No one had considered that. He was treated and recovered quickly. Moral of story, doctors look for likely causes don't always ask the right questions to trigger tests for rare causes. Have you had any possible exposure to an exotic disease? Any out of country travel in the last year? Any insect bites with unusual reaction? Any animal bites? Best of luck to you in your search for relief.