Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with health and medicine

Added a procedure or product to Australia's Medicare?

krisjohn — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:35:15 -0800

Are there any public advocacy groups in Australia to help people with debilitating illnesses get new medical products and procedures added to Medicare?

How do you negotiate a bill for medical services already rendered?

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:09:01 -0800

What approaches have worked for you to reduce the size of a medical bill after services have been rendered? A friend went to her gynecologist after getting an abortion. Among other tests, the office ran STD tests that wound up costing over $900.

Clearly there's been an exchange of fluids if there's an abortion, so it just makes sense to test for STDs. However, her insurance only covered catastrophic injuries etc., not "routine" tests, which these were considered. None of these tests were covered by her insurance.

She did not realize this, though of course she should have, is an adult, and is ultimately responsible for the bills. I recognize that, but I'm still ticked off about the situation. The health clinic in the area offers free STD testing. Every doctor I've ever been to knew exactly what was covered by my insurance, and how much they would be getting, before providing any services to me.

I feel like her doctor's office failed to take her total well being into account. I think they took advantage of her lack of understanding the situation and essentially robbed her. I'm assuming they had no legal obligation to mention any alternate places to get the testing done, but I'm certain they had a moral one, and I'm kind of furious about it.

Hopefully the above venting also provided sufficient background for the question. I've seen previous threads that talked about how medical bills can be negotiated. Is this a case where negotiating is possible? What tactics would you recommend or have worked for you in a similar situation in the past? Who, title-wise, should she insist on speaking to?

Lasers are cool. Literally.

pzarquon — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:16:52 -0800

Where can I find level-headed, researched, sound information on "cold lasers" or "low-level lasers" as medical treatments? I've been tasked with researching something called "cold lasers" or "low-level lasers" as medical tools, which is apparently used both for post-procedure pain reduction, as well as a "non-invasive" way to achieve liposuction-like weight-loss results. Unfortunately, the latter use means just about everything on the web about the technology comes across as a hard pitch for a sketchy treatment.

As far as I can tell, manufacturers and brand names include Erchonia, Zerona, CoolLipo, and the like.

Just about every mention, whether for pain or weight loss, talk about FDA approval. But I can't find any specific FDA report or listing, nor any details on the laser's approved uses. Is there a handy list anywhere of all the FDA approved things out there? And a search of the "reputable" web resources that I can think of like WebMD have very little to say.

The assertion is that these techniques are so new, that there's limited information available. But that's also what you'd say if you wanted to sell me snake oil.

On the other hand, it appears a lot of "reputable" (though I will put that in quotes), or at least established, clinics that do plastic surgery offer this, usually as one of many options. More than a few local TV stations have done segments, as YouTube demonstrates. But cosmetic surgery as a whole is already a mixed bag -- where a dentist or other outpatient practitioners could easily be moonlighting in liposuction.

This eHow article is just about the only fairly level-headed write up I can find. Everything else merely repeats the same points about how awesome these lasers are. Is there any "there" there, or are people basically switching the price tags on a PowerPoint laser pointer and selling hope?

The dude who said too much.

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:19:50 -0800

Told my doctor I smoked pot, now I just got a disconcerting letter from my insurance company. First of all I live in Ohio, in case that matters. I experienced a heart arrhythmia a few months back and went to the ER for it. When meeting with a cardiologist about it afterwards we went through a number of lifestyle questions one of which was do you do any drugs. I answered honestly that yes I do smoke pot once or twice a week.

I asked if this could be a cause of the problem and he said that was highly unlikely and as long as I used in moderation that shouldn't pose any specific problem with my heart.

Now I just got a letter from my insurance company saying before they could process my claims for the incident they need more information.

It says - Diagnosis: History of Cannabis Abuse
and asks for first date of symptoms, treatment and my drivers license number. Where I've sought treatment, when I started, when I quit and how often I used.

I am pretty much shocked, I assumed my statement to the doctor was going to be safe and confidential.

So yeah, anyone else experience this? Am I screwed? Will I get my license revoked? How do I respond to date stopped when I used just a few days ago. Are the insurance folks permitted to share this info with the police? Is this just an attempt to scare me out of filing the potentially expensive claim with them?

Any info or advice would be much appreciated.

Overdose, underdose, or just-right dose

Willie0248 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:08:20 -0800

Hey Hive Mind - Mind Helping Me Understand Medicine Dosage? The recommended dosage on OTC medicines has always confused me. Every medicine separates its dosages into two groups: Adults over age twelve, and kids. So how did they make that distinction, but no others? Should I be adjusting my dose based on my size?

Sometimes I will be hunkered down under a blanket with a particularly egregious headache wondering why those two aspirin I took aren't working at all, and I can't help but think it might be because the bottle recommended I take the same dose as a 75-pound preteen girl. I'm a gorilla of a man! 220 pounds! I can bench press a house! Surely I should be taking a larger dose than little Suzy Pigtails.

Same deal with vitamins and supplements - I like to take a multivitamin and fish oil capsules, but I wonder if being such a large gentleman means I should take more.

What do you think, Hive Mind?

What is this heart condition called?

heytch — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:29:25 -0800

What is the name of this heart condition, and is it genetic? The main artery supplying blood to the heart isn't developed properly in utero, resulting in major surgery and/or death of the baby post birth. Back in 1981 my mother gave birth to a baby boy with this disorder. The pregnancy appeared normal, but he only survived for 8 days after being born. My mother can't remember the clinical name of the disease, all we have is this description: The main artery in/to the heart was not developed, resulting in a fatal heart failure. Apparently a cure was developed only a few years later, in the mid 80s. It involves surgery, and can now be detected in utero and treated before the baby is born. The rest of my family members are healthy, but we have a very small sample size so I don't think a hereditary link would be obvious. As an added note, all the other children (incl cousins and children of cousins) are female.

Clearly, IANAD or med/nursing student, so I don't know where to even start googling. Are you? I am especially keen to know whether or not this condition is hereditary, in which case I need to watch out for it when I have children of my own. Thanks!

St. John's wort + ADHD medications?

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:36:45 -0800

What are your experiences with St. John's wort? In particular, have you ever taken it at the same time as ADHD medications like Ritalin/Focalin (methylphenidate), Adderall (amphetamine) etc? Some sources seem to warn against taking then together, some say only that one will might decrease the effectiveness of the other, and many don't say anything at all, so I'd like to know if there's anything to worry about. Even if you have never taken the two together, I'd still be curious to hear what you thought of St. John's wort in general.

Throwaway email: sjwquestion@yahoo.com

(Please don't tell me to ask a doctor; I'm asking because the doctors that wrote all the information I've read seem to disagree.)

medical conditions that used to be attributed to emotional problems?

mirileh — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:57:23 -0800

What are examples of medical conditions that were once thought (mistakenly) to be caused by psychological factors?

Bo Knows . . .

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:22:19 -0800

Health Mystery Solved. I have been given a diagnosis of avascular necrosis. My general practitioner relayed these results to me after she saw my MRI results. On Friday I meet with an orthopedic surgeon. Please help me prepare. What questions should I be sure to ask? My gp described the damage as 'fairly advanced' or something.
In addition to questions to ask, I would love to hear anecdotal experiences from mefis directly affected by this.

Short of total hip replacement, (THR), what are the cutting edge effective treatments? If THR plays out as the only/necessary option how was your experience?

Since first being told that my pain was unrelated to a muscle strain/tear I feel as good as I have in 18 months. I can't really explain it but, even without the pain management meds I was prescribed, I know walk with a nearly indiscernible limp and actually feel pretty good. I am otherwise healthy and, according to the chart on the wall, I am within 4lbs of my ideal weight.

I am now a 40yo single, straight male with no kids. I have no family in California where I have called home for 22 years. I was medically discharged in 1990 and have been granted coverage at the Veteran's Administration hospital in my community. Without exception, the care I have received there has been kind, thoughtful and genuine.

Help me prepare for my meeting on Friday and for possible outcomes in the near(?) future.

I'll dust off hiplegpain@gmail.com if anyone would like to contact me directly. Thank you.

Do Bananas constipate??

lynnie-the-pooh — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:07:12 -0800

Do Bananas constipate or do they do the opposite? My daughter needs to eat foods that make stool soft. Some people have told me to feed her bananas and others say to stay away from them. Which is the truth? My daughter is five years old. Also, my daughter takes Miralax to make things soft. Is there any alternative to this? Like an herb or some natural vitamin/herb/spice combo that she could take instead?

Thanks,

Lynnie-the-Pooh

Should I go to podiatrist?

Sloop John B — Tue, 19 May 2009 10:43:44 -0800

My feet are in pain. What kind of doctor should I go to? I've heard that podiatry is sort of a dubious branch of medicine. So my feet are in bad shape. I've been walking in big, sturdy boots (Timberlands) for nearly a year without proper arch support. The arches of my feet have been hurting for a while, especially my left. The left foot has been getting worse lately, and is starting to feel a bit numb behind the knuckle of the big toe (not the joint on the toe, but where the toe meets the foot). Also, my left knee has problems and has been acting up lately.

I bought a nice arch support yesterday, so hopefully that'll help. But I really feel like I should go to a doctor and get this checked out. I know that "numb toes" is an indication of diabetes, but for various reasons I think this is probably more of a skeletal/muscular issue.

I've heard that podiatry is like chiropractry, where some people will swear by it but others feel it's kind of dubious. What kind of doctor should I go to?

Medical butchery

~Sushma~ — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:11:34 -0800

Need no or low cost reconstructive surgery for friend who had a radical vulvectomy My friend 43 yrs. old had radiation and a complete removal of all her sex organs. The doctor butchered her, and we cannot find a doctor that will take on any kind of reconstruction for free or reduced price. She has been left with a gaping gash for privates and a tube just hanging out of where her urethra/clitoris was, and a colostomy bag. We thought of her going to see a transsexual specialist but again, she has no medical insurance. Does anyone know of any resources she can utilize for this rare and devistating procedure? We wrote to Dr. Kevin Brenner in LA and he could not do it, yet he repairs female circumcisions all the time, I guess this was too much for too little benefit to his practice.

Why doesn't the rug match the drapes?

reenum — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:36:34 -0800

Why do some people's hair on their head and pubic hair not match in color? First off, I'm excluding people who have their hair colored. I know why their hair doesn't match.

I've known women who had dirty blond hair and had black pubic hair. Others I've spoken to have shared the same thing. Given that hair should be the same all over, why is pubic hair sometimes a different color than the rest of your hair?

How do antibiotics work?

captnkurt — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:56:22 -0800

Woke up Tuesday morning with a killer sore throat, swollen lymph nodes making it painful to swallow and a low-grade fever. A doc visit this afternoon confirmed I've got some sorta creeping crud and I was given a prescription of antibiotics, (Amoxicillin tablets 875mg). Can someone describe in detail what exactly happens when I take the stuff, maybe in a timeline format? How does it wipe out the baddies exactly (i.e. what mechanisms does it use to kill off the bugs?) In my mind, it's all kind of a black box: pills go in, eventually the bad stuff gets wiped out. I would just like to have a clearer picture in my head of how the battle is being fought in the trenches, so to speak.

Who dies in a flu pandemic?

tr45vbyt — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:37:15 -0800

In a flu pandemic what determines who dies? I've been researching this a little but cannot seem to find an answer. I've been wondering if it is possible to pre-identify who will die in a flu pandemic. I understand that the very young, very old and those with compromised immune systems are at greatest risk for dieing in general but what determines who else dies? I had always assumed if you were really healthy then you would be able to fight it off. But, in reading about the 1918 influenza it seems that most of the victims were "healthy young adults". Why would this be?

Fields most affected by genomics?

greatgefilte — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:36:57 -0800

What field(s) of medicine is/are most likely to benefit from new genetic technology? What with the decreasing price of genome/transcriptome sequencing and microarrays, it seems pretty likely that genomic medicine will be a big part of the future. But I assume that some specialties are more likely to utilize new technology and findings than others. Any thoughts as to who's more likely to integrate new stuff into their practice?

What herbs or vitamins or food makes more blood flow to the brain?

lynnie-the-pooh — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:31:23 -0800

What herbs or vitamins or food will make more blood flow into my brain? I am looking for any herb, vitamin, food, or anything else that will help make more blood flow to my brain. I know exercise is great for that as well. Any ideas from you would be great, but I'm not looking for any pill or anything a doctor would prescibe. I'm interested in something more natural and that I can do on my own. Thank you so much!!

Lynnie-the-Pooh

Serotonin Syndrome after quitting antidepressants?

Clay201 — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:30:01 -0800

Could I possibly have Serotonin Syndrome even though I've been off anti-depressants for two or three years? And whether I have it or not, what's the best way to get a doctor to hold my hand while I try the recomended treatment for it; an antihistamine called Cyproheptadine (brand name Periactin) that blocks Serotonin receptors? I've had health problems most of my life, but developed my current set in 1995. At first, I thought it was the flu. Fevers, night sweats, fatigue, constipation and diarrhea. But as those symptoms decreased, new ones arose. I was incredibly tense, agitated, and restless. I felt like I wanted to peel off my own skin. I literally could not relax. It felt like someone had my neck in a vice. When I tried to relax - laying down in bed, comfortable and peaceful - I'd feel a horrible surge of restlessness and agitation. It's hard to describe, but it felt like an electric eel wrapping itself around my spine, delivering a constant voltage. Then, the involuntary movements would kick in. I'd start flailing around, my head jerking to the side, my legs twitching. I wouldn't return to "normal" until I once again tensed up completely. In addition to all this, i was incredibly anxious. I could barely even talk to people. I couldn't do anything. Everything made me freak out.

During and prior to this period, I was on and off anti-depressants pretty frequently. If I took more than a tiny amount, they made me wired, talkative and fidgety. If I took too little or didn't take any at all, I was depressed. So I was always trying, and usually failing, to find a happy medium. I'd take them until I felt better, then stop. A few weeks would go by, I'd get depressed again, and the cycle would repeat.

For the mystery problems, though, there didn't seem to be any treatment. Finally, desperate, i tried a medication that had been prescribed to a family memember; a muscle relaxer called Flexeril. It permanently knocked my restlessness and tension down a notch or two, but my involuntary movements got more frequent (also permanently). Scared and having no idea what was happening, I didn't take any more Flexeril. I did, however, continue taking anti-depressants as before.

I's been fourteen years and, in that time, I've tried countless treatments. Nothing's done much good. I did finally stop taking anti-depressants in 2006 or thereabouts. I went through withdrawal for several months, but when all was said and done, very little was different.

Then, recently, I read a description of Serotonin Syndrome. This disorder is caused by taking anti-depressants or other serotonin boosting medications. It causes fevers, sweating, involuntary movements, restlessness, and dry mouth; all of which I have or have had. (I can't seem to find the links for the following info, but I did read it somewhere on the web). The involuntary movements tend to be in the head and neck, which is where mine are, for the most part. There's a characteristic foot twitch; you bend the foot upwards at the ankle, then push it back down again and the foot twitches repeatedly. My foot does that. The problems are made worse by a number of different neurotransmitter enhancing drugs, including dopamine boosters like Sinemet. Sinemet and others on that list do make my problem worse. The only thing that made it better was, as I said, Flexeril. And it turns out that Flexeril blocks serotonin receptors.

So S.S. sounds like a pretty good fit, right? Only one problem. I just got off the phone with a psychiatrist who was adamant to the point of raising her voice; you just can't have Serotonin Syndrome if you've been off serotonin-boosting drugs for years. I can't find any direct statements to that support this assertion, but it does seem implicit in all the available material.

So, question number one is... Is it possible for me to have Serotonin Syndrome even though I quit the meds a while back? I have been using magnesium and malic acid to keep my mood up. When I was taking a lot of them, I was behaving in a manner that might be considered manic (starting lots of big, complex projects; making overly optimistic plans, etc.). Could the magnesium and malic acid be increasing my Serotonin? It seems terrribly unlikely, but thought I'd throw it out there.

Now, the most popular treatment for Serotonin Syndrome (besides taking away the offending meds) is a drug called Cyproheptadine (brand name Periactin) which blocks certain serotonin receptors. It turns out, you can get this drug legally through pharmacies outside the US. I've already placed my order and it's supposed to be here in about five days.

Ideally, I don't want to just perform experiments on myself. I want a doctor to supervise and be there to take care of me should things go wrong. In addition, I want one who has actual experience treating S.S. But I've been calling people left and right and I just can't find a doc who's both experienced and willing. I did manage to score an appointment with a psychopharmacologist who has actually treated S.S., but he may very well look at me and say "No, you don't have it and I'm not giving you Cyproheptadine. Now that'll be two hundred bucks." (He doesn't accept my insurance and I'm planning to pay out of pocket).

I realize no doctor is going to commit to a diagnosis over the phone. But if I walk into the appointment blind, I've got to to risk a lot of time and money on the (apparently small) chance that he or she will go along. I could end up spending six months and thousands of bucks trying to get the okay for a medication I already have sitting on my shelf. I'm stubborn, but I'm not that stubborn.

If the doc in question were pushing a different diagnosis, that would be one thing. I could look at it and decide whether it was more or less likely than S.S. But none of them are going to offer anything I haven't heard before. So it's a choice between trying the cyproheptadine and possibly getting better or trying nothing (or nothing new) and definitely not getting better. I certainly choose the latter. Besides, even if it doesn't help the problem, it could tell me something important.

So question number two is: How do I get a doc to get my back while I try this medication? I'm open to suggestions.

(Don't try to talk me out of the solo treatment. Yes, I'm sure it seems kind of harebrained to some people. But I have an undiagnosable disorder that makes me miserable twenty four hours a day, prevents me from writing, keeps me from dating, and is slowly trashing my body. I require more and stronger meds for the headaches and am worried about my stomach, my liver, and addiction. I can't take much more of this; I've got to do something. My doctors just look at me and shrug, so it's up to me to come up with the ideas and this is the best one I've had so far. I am more than justified in taking this relatively small risk.)

5-year old with repeated high fevers lasting only a few hours each (4 times in 2 weeks)

winston — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:25:06 -0800

At 8 am this morning my five year old son was fine. At noon he had a temperature of 40.4 C (104.7 F). By 4:30 his temp was normal again. This is the fourth time in the last two weeks he's had a high fever (over 39) that lasts for only a few hours . What's up? The previous fevers were the afternoon of Wed Feb 25th and early morning (peak around 2 am) on Monday March 2nd and Tuesday the 3rd.

He's been somewhat more irritable than normal over this whole period and had a bit of a cold, but nothing remarkable. He generally refuses to say (and will try to cover up) anything that hurts or bothers him (we sometimes joke that he's the black knight from Monty Python's Holy Grail) so we haven't got any useful feedback from him on what, if anything, hurts.

Wednesday to Friday of last week he peed his pants alot and he's had UTIs before so I took him in to get a urine test which came back negative.

I called his pediatrician this afternoon when his temp was high and they were quite overbooked (lots of stuff going around right now apparently) and asked that we go to the after-hours pediatric clinic which opens at 6 pm (in half an hour). Of course now his temp is normal.

So we will be visiting the pediatrician about this yet. What should we be asking about when he will likely have no symptoms during the visit?

How is your non-CFC asthma inhaler working out for you?

mediareport — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:52:54 -0800

If you recently made the switch from a CFC-propelled asthma inhaler to a non-CFC-propelled inhaler, how has it been? I've seen news reports that the spray is softer so you may not feel like you've gotten the full dose, and the inhalers have to be cleaned more often, and was curious to hear from people who've actually made the transition as I wait for my seasonal allergic asthma to kick in any day now. Any hints for making the adjustment smoother?

Best Way to Get Healthcare While Back in the US

andoatnp — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:40:51 -0800

I will be returning briefly to the US after 6 months abroad and I would like to partake in some of that wonderful US healthcare before I head back abroad. I have a couple of questions. I was planning on spending a year abroad (in Israel) where I have the most basic emergency-only insurance that will not cover me in the United States. I will be spending a week in the United States at the beginning of March and if at possible I would like to see some medical professionals (dentist, dermatologist at least, possibly other stuff, depending). I will be in Georgia and Texas.

I have never been without health insurance before, so I am wondering if anyone has any experience about this or advice on what I should do. If it matters, the last time I had health insurance was COBRA in July, through an old job. This is not emergency stuff, just annual check-ups.

I assume I can just start calling up dentists and dermatologists in the areas I will be and see if someone will see me, but I'm wondering if there is a way to keep the costs down or if there is some sort of travelers insurance I can get that will help defray the costs.

Indirect Mononucleosis Transmission?

howgenerica — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:43:45 -0800

My friend has mononucleosis. He shared a drink with a friend of mine who had mono several years ago. I later shared a fork with this latter friend. Is there a chance that I was exposed? Could my friend have been carrying the disease even if she can't contract again? I'm freaking out a little. In a couple weeks I'm going to start an intensive program that's 12 hours in the classroom a day for about a month, and the absolute last thing I need is to come down with mono. Ahh!

I say he's crazy; therefore, he must go through an evaluation.

metalheart — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:37:51 -0800

Australian (and U.S.) Mental Health/Legal Filter. Can you just go and talk your GP into having someone put through a psychiatric evaluation? One of my close friends is studying medicine here in Melbourne, Australia, and in one of his various internships, a psychiatrist told him that anyone can recommend someone get a psychiatric evaluation, through their GP. In other words, if you wanted to, you could go through the process against another person, like so:

Go to your local GP. Talk to him about the person you consider to be mentally ill, and, if the GP agrees with you that this sounds like a mental illness that could cause harm to that person or those around him, that person must, by law, go through a psychiatric evaluation.

Psychiatrist telling him this or not, I call bullshit on it--at least some of it. It seems like, surely, there must be some evidence (other than words/hearsay) that a random individual has to provide for a GP to sign this off. Moreover, it would seem the GP would actually have to see said mentally ill individual, not just hear what some other person has to say about him.

If not, I can very easily imagine people doing this just to disturb someone they don't like/broke up with/fired, etc. It seems too easy: pick a mental illness, go speak with a GP, get him to agree with you, and in no time at all, the person you're saying is mentally ill has to go in for an evaluation. Talk about stressing someone out, if you're lying!

Is this true? If so, under what law? I've not been able to find it through searching. I'm looking for laws and policies, if possible, though anecdotal evidence is okay, too.

Extra Question: I know a bit about involuntary commitment and the like under U.S. law, and I know that a doctor himself can recommend involuntary commitment for one of his own patients that he deems a danger to himself or others, but is there anything similar to the above?

If these laws do exist in either or both countries, what provisions are there to protect individuals from being evaluated wrongfully? I.e., suing doctors and the like.

Thyroid advice badly needed

tkolstee — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:38:03 -0800

I'm pretty sure I have thyroid issues. I see the doctor in three weeks. What can I do until then and how do I know whether I need to see someone sooner? I strongly suspect that I have thyroid problems, particularly a hyperactive thyroid. I realize that YANAD/YANMD, and I've already made an appointment with the doctor, but it won't be for another three weeks. In the meantime, I need to know a few things:

o What else could this be, if not thyroid, that I need to look into?
o How serious is my condition at this point, based on the evidence available? Should I be pushing to see someone sooner? Should I go to the ER?
o What can I do in the meantime to manage my condition through more conventional means?

I also wouldn't mind hearing people's opinions on opting for RIT (radioactive iodine treatment) and replacement vs. anti-thyroid meds, so that I can be prepared with a decision if these are indeed my options.

I'm male and 34 years old if that helps.

First, the reasons I think I have thyroid issues. Please jump in if you think I might be wrong with the self-diagnosis, but I've done a lot of research on this and am all but convinced that this is hyperthyroidism.

Most of these symptoms started around March through June of last year. There have been a LOT of changes in my life starting around that time, and some of them have been "explaining away" or masking my symptoms. At the very least I've been so busy that I've been ignoring these things until I started noticing the pattern. I'll try to provide as much detail as possible.

Family history:
My mother has Grave's disease with VERY bad eye and skin involvement, my brother has Hashimoto's, and at least one other member of the family has had issues with severe thyroid problems in the past. When this was discovered, my family urged me to get a thyroid panel, but I kept putting it off.

Unexplained Weight Loss:
Growing up I went back-and-forth a few times from very skinny to very fat. This was not due to changes on my part AFAIK, and I always assumed that hormonal changes and growth spurts were responsible for the changes. As an adult I've had my natural "set point" change once on me - I was at 180, diet and exercise got that to 160, and then I relaxed that and stayed at ~200 for several years. This for me was overweight but not in the obese category. Since June I've lost about 40 pounds without even trying, and am now closer to my ideal weight. I had made a few diet and activity level changes, but nothing that seems to match up in time or severity with that kind of dramatic weight loss. As the weight loss continues, I've started trying to eat enough to maintain the same weight and don't feel like I can keep up no matter how much I eat. I should mention that my appetite has been a little smaller than before, but I believe this to be related to the behavioral changes, and I still have quite a bit of appetite, even ravenous at times.

Hair/Scalp Issues
I have very curly hair, and used a lot of products in my hair for several years. Early last year, I started noticing what I thought at first was very bad dandruff. I used the typical shampoos and remedies to try and correct the problem, but nothing seemed to work. It seemed to be confined to one "patch" of skin on the right side, and the scalp began flaking in bigger pieces as it progressed. I had a few spots where skin had partially flaked off and formed "flaps" of skin with raw skin underneath. There have also been periods where my scalp turned red along my hairline in front. I thought this might be a bad reaction to one of the hair products I was using, but after I discontinued all of them and went back to the stuff I knew wasn't a problem, the scalp issues persisted. They would "flare up" for a while and then go away. The only thing that may have helped, unless it was just coincidental timing, was Dawn dish soap. After doing a little more research, I figured it was either seborrheic dermatitis or eczema. It wasn't until just recently that I connected this to thyroid.

My hair has always been full but also fine, dry, and brittle. I have started to notice what might be more than my normal hair loss, but this might only be due to external changes - I've been growing it out longer, styling it differently, and using little to no styling products where before I used them heavily.

Other, more vague symptoms (possible, but not as certain)
I've been having pressure and dull aching in my chest near the sternum coming and going since November. It's very slight, and I was painting and ripping out very moldy tiled shower walls around the time this has been going on, but now that I have all the "contaminated" products removed from the house I still feel it. This one's harder to classify, because my wife and roommate have both been feeling the same pains. It may not be related at all, but may also indicate secondary problems that can result from untreated hyperthyroidism. This is the one that scares me the most and makes me wonder whether I can wait the extra three weeks to see the doctor.

My heartbeat and blood pressure, by the way, are good. Heart rate is around 60-80 resting, and BP around 120/80.

Temperature sensitivity: Hard to say - I was going back and forth between two different climates quite often from October 2007 to September 2008, and Florida plays tricks with your temperature sense. I seem to tolerate heat well, but I've never dealt well with cold.

Nervousness and muscle weakness: I've heard these tend to "sneak up" on people. My activity level is feast or famine, but mostly VERY low right now except for the occasional home improvement project. My stress level is also VERY high. I plan on changing both of those soon, but for now I can't tell if I've grown weaker or more nervous without external factors playing a part.

Skin changes: Not that I've noticed. Then again I don't normally pay much attention to these things and everything dries out during winter here, so again it's hard to say.

Tremors / trembling hands: I can hold my hand out straight and see very little movement, but I tried the "paper test" I found online (put out your hand palm down, place a sheet of paper to rest on the back of your hand, and look for trembling at the edges of the paper). I see some movement in the paper, but I thought that small tremors were somewhat normal. At least they seemed to be for me.

Sleep issues: As always, I get far too little and then sleep myself out when I can. When I lie down, I'm out almost as soon as my head hits the pillow. Sometimes I find myself barely able to keep my eyes open a few hours before my normal bedtime, but with my serious sleep debt I think that's a more likely cause.

Help!
I am working on taking in more calories to keep my weight stable, upping the activity level gradually, and cutting down on smoking (currently slightly over 1 pack/day for 20 years) with an eye toward quitting. I'm also working on getting more sleep and really paying attention to my body so that I can present my symptoms to the doctor in a better way. I've heard that 3:1 preparations of sodium and calcium, as well as copper, may help manage the symptoms. I've also heard that cutting back on iodine helps with hyperthyroidism but hurts in the case of hypo-. I also know that if I'm wrong in my guess I could be doing more harm than good but I think that reducing meat and salt may be a step in the right direction, which I will watch carefully.

Also as I said above, I'd be interested in finding out the hive mind's thoughts concerning the treatment options if I'm right about a thyroid issue. Is this an individual case-by-case decision, and what should I know before making a choice?

Thanks in advance for any help, support, or advice you can give me. Whether I'm being rational or not this is scaring me pretty badly right now.

So I'm like a kitty kat?

mattholomew — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:19:00 -0800

What is a 'feline esophagus'? I suffer from dysphagia (trouble swallowing) a lot like this person. I recently had an upper GI done and in the notes from that procedure, it was noted that my esophagus is 'feline'. I've googled this but the sites I go to are over my head - I don't understand the terminology being used to explain it. Can someone 'splain this to me as they would to a 3-year old?