16 Jun 2006 @ 1:56 PM 
 

Dr. Hall / MGH Visit 2

 

We had an excellent visit with the thorough Dr. Hall, although we are all still getting used to each others’ humor. To order the blood tests, Dr. Hall needed a diagnosis code, and was wondering what to put, so I suggested Munchausen.

Dr. Hall doesn’t believe Nichelle’s problems are primarily endocrinological, although there are endocrine issues, such as the previously diagnosed vitamin D deficiency and [probably] secondary hyperparathyroidism that she will continue to investigate. All of the thyroid tests came back fine. The adrenyls were good, and to our surprise, the various blood cell counts appeared to be normal as well.

She is going to do more hemoglobin-related tests, to look into various possible hemoglobin abnormalities that haven’t been tested yet. A blood-cortisol level test is also being done, apparently primarily because of Nichelle’s hair loss, although cortisol will affect edema as well. Last on the list of things to be tested now is bone density, both from the spine and hip. That will happen on Tuesday.

Another unlikely but possible problem is called cyclic edema. It’s difficult to treat, and it’s too early to diagnose, but it’s at least a consideration.

The next step is rheumatology. Dr. Hall referred Nichelle to a a senior endocrinologist, whom she described as “terriffic” and “very helpful,” at Brigham and Women’s. In an unexpected blessing, we got an appointment for Monday afternoon.

Tags Categories: Family Members, Nichelle, Nichelle's Weird Illness, Virii/Medicine Posted By: LegoDoug
Last Edit: 16 Jun 2006 @ 01 56 PM

Email • Permalink
Previous Next
 

Responses to this post » (One Total)

 
  1. Doug says:
    June 20, 2006 at 09:49

    Dr. Hall (who ties with Dr. Rescigno for “Best Doctors We’ve Ever Had”) called back with her latest test results: Nichelle’s vitamin D level was good, and her PTH (parathyroid hormone) level was good, which means that the hyperparathyroidism was indeed caused by the vitamin D deficiency, a condition called secondary hyperparathyroidism.

    Reply to this Comment

Post a Comment

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Comment Meta:
RSS Feed for comments
TrackBack URI
\/ More Options ...
Last 50 Posts
Back
Register an account
Change Theme...
  • Users » 67
  • Posts/Pages » 471
  • Comments » 1,862
Change Theme...
  • VoidVoid
  • LifeLife
  • EarthEarth
  • WindWind
  • WaterWater
  • FireFire « Default
  • LightLight

1938 Hurricane



    No Child Pages.

Interesting Search Terms



    No Child Pages.

Nashua Commuter Rail



    No Child Pages.

Book Lists