Muscle Relaxants & Other Recreational Drugs

I went to an oral surgeon recently because my dentist wanted to rule out cancerous tumors as a reason for my weird jaw and TMJ.

Let's just take a moment right now to reflect on how alarmist some doctors can be. In lots of cases, this can actually turn out to be a good thing. In this case, I think it was just a silly thing. Here's how my conversation went with my dentist:

Me: "My jaw really pulls to one side, it even pulls this joint out. Look."

Him: "Mm. I can recommend an oral surgeon to take a look at that."

Me: "What? I thought maybe you could give me a new bite block or something. Why do I need to go see an oral surgeon?"

Him: "Just to rule out that it's nothing else causing the TMJ."

Me: "Do you send all patients with TMJ to an oral surgeon?"

Him: "No."

Me: "So....by 'something else' do you mean, like, a tumor?"

Him: "Well... [avoids eye contact, looks anxiously at lap], or anything really, any kind of growth that could cause it to pull to one side like that." [Coughs.]

Me: "Okay, I guess I'll go see the guy."

I wasn't too worried (for once) because I eat lots of turmeric and also because if you push on one side of my jaw, it keeps the other side from popping out. It seemed like if I had a restricting tumor that would be impossible. 

The oral surgeon was a nice man. I had to get a whole head, whole mouth x-ray, which I hated. I kept picturing all the x-rays zooming into my brain and I just really, really don't like all the harmful stuff I'm ALREADY exposed to. Anyway. No tumors! I think my dentist might be a little disappointed.

It turns out that the right side of my jaw is deteriorated, so the joint is kind of flattened instead of round like it should be. This makes that side ultimately shorter in length than the normal side, hence why my jaw pulls to one side when I open my mouth.

 
Oral surgeon's solution? To take some sort of major joint-specific anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxor for two weeks and then see if that helped. I asked many questions, as I do, and he dealt with them all quite patiently.

It will help you to know that at this same time, I was also suffering major head/face pain from a deep cavity filled in my wisdom tooth. The only thing keeping me going insane was Ibuprofen.When offered something that would help numb the pain, I was exceptionally eager. Nothing like distracting pain to erode your willpower to stay away from prescription drugs.

Ultimately, I have taken the crazy drugs for about five days, but I started suffering ill-effects and have kind of backed off. I am supposed to go see oral surgeon dude again on Tuesday, who knows what he'll think of me now. In other news, the headache is gone! YAY!

Numbers, Numbers

Last week I got my blood drawn and lots of fun tests run. My Doctor of Awesome is kind of busy so it wasn't until today that I finally got to talk to her about my test results. The highlights:

*Vitamin-D Deficient: I didn't expect this one because I live in sunny Colorado and because I have been taking a supplement with Vitamin D and Calcium. Guess it's not enough. Women to Women has a page devoted to the importance of Vitamin D. I know that it's somewhat of a trendy vitamin right now, but I guess that doesn't make it any less necessary for our health. They say that "Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones/fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, symptoms of depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities. Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient." That bit about IBS is a little worsrisome!

*High T3: The lab work showed that I had a high level of T3 hormone in my bloodstream, which by itself is worrisome. When I talked to Doctor Awesome I told her that I'd taken my thyroid medication about half an hour before they drew blood, which is apparently the wrong thing to do. So....I won't do that next time because it totally skews the results. Noted.

*Borderline Anemic (The Story Of My Life): When I was pregnant with my DS, I was almost anemic and I guess that this current lab work and some I'd had done previously said the same thing. The reference range for iron is crazy, something like 6 to 115 (I don't really remember, I'm just saying it's BIG). I am at 15 and Doctor Awesome said that she thinks most people function best at 90-100. That's kind of far from where I'm at. A New York Times article says that "symptoms may include weakness, shortness of breath, impaired athletic performance, rapid heartbeat, irritability, apathy, dizziness, pale skin, headache and numb or cold hands and feet."

*Regular TSH: My TSH is at a wonderful .898. This isn't what I expected because of the slight arthritis, low temp, high BP, etc....

I have a hypothesis about why, at the time my blood was drawn, I had some signs of hypothyroidism. I take this thyroid medication in the morning and so it had been basically a full 24 hours since I'd had a dose. I am considering splitting up the dose again, taking some in the morning and some later in the day to make the hormone amount I'm getting more even.

In the meantime, Viatmin D, iron, and better sleep! I also might have to get a tooth pulled, but that's a different story...

The Most Disgusting, Most Effective Medical Treatment I Have Ever Heard Of

In my travels on the Internet about how to fix bowel issues, I came across something called a "Fecal Transplant". You heard me. And it's exactly what it sounds like. I am going to give you three links so that you can read all about it for yourself.

Initially, my reaction is like anyone else's--disgusting! But then I started reading people's experiences and I realized that if you have tried everything else to fix a poopy problem, then why wouldn't  you try this crazy stuff too? I understand being at your wit's end and just wanting a normal life. But it's still pretty gross. :)

Poopy Puppy. Some Cuteness to Balance Out the Poopy.

Here's a story about someone who had C. Diff, which is a really nasty bug, normally impossible to get rid of.

Here's an article about how borrowing someone's poop can actually cure and alleviate symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis. If you don't know what that is, know that it can be painful and bloody.

And here's another story about a lady suffering from a C. Diff infection who tried this method to cure herself.

I know, I know. It's gross. I'm not in a place where I would consider trying it right now, but I thought it was interesting and nobody knows about it. If you know anyone who is suffering...this might be a solution. But it's still gross. :)

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism--High BP, Low Temp, & Bitchiness

Hi!

I thought I might introduce myself again since I haven't written in awhile. Since I have been relatively unchanging since I last wrote, I really haven't had much to write about. I also thought that some people might like a break from my crazy posts about random issues that affect our health like plastic and food dyes. ;)

Today I saw my Doctor of Osteopathy, my Doctor of Awesome! It was the quickest appointment, but so much was accomplished.

Point Numero Uno: She asked how I was, I said I thought my dose of Nature Throid needed to be increased because I still have some arthritis and creaky joints. Instead of mocking me for thinking my symptoms were more important than lab work, she wrote it down and said she wanted to treat based mostly on how I am feeling. !

To prove that she's not an imbecile, I would like you to note that she also took a look at my chart and mentioned that I have high blood pressure (a symptom of hypothyroidism, might explain the low ringing I have in my ears) and a low morning temp (95.something, another symptom of hypothyroidism). In her opinion, that supported my conclusion that I would need a higher dose. Stupid thyroid. In a day or two, when the blood work officially comes back, we'll really know if our instincts were right and then we can up the dose as indicated.

2. I asked to have blood drawn not only to check my TSH, but also to check my liver enzymes since that's what all those doctors were freaking out about last year. Autoimmune hepatitis! Hopefully everything comes back normal. She ordered a full metabolic panel.

3. The last thing we talked about was whether or not I'd be crazy to ever have kids again. The short answer-no! The long answer is that I'd be silly to think that some health problems ever keep anyone from having kids. Pregnancy could always go awry. Doctor Awesome had hypothyroidism (treated!) during both her pregnancies and also included that she and her hubby have bad eyesight, high blood pressure, etc. but that didn't stop them from making babies. ;) She also added that she thinks I'm a good mom, which only shows how empathetic she is and how she totally picked up on my current need for validation. ;) The reason I even asked is because at my last appointment she seemed reluctant to support anymore Quinby children being made in light of my current quest for a body full of balanced-thyroid-hormone!

Dear Thyroid, 
It'd be nice if you'd kick in a little. 
Love, Nicky.