1. What is the cause for her pale appearance?
2. Is there an inflammatory component to the clinical picture of patient being pale?
3. Why is the total protein increased and serum albumin decreased?
4. What do you infer from the absolute monocytosis observed in the differential count of the peripheral blood picture?
5. What is the role of Rhematoid Arthritis (inflammation) in deforming Ms. Nada’s metacarpophalyngeal joints?

What do u think…

I’ve been to my doctor (within the last 5 months), and made them do a thyroid test since the symptoms have essentially become unbearable as well as getting worse over time. I’ve done a lot of research on hypothyroidism, and while I’m not a physician, I certainly feel that there may be something wrong here.

——-

As far as symptoms go:

I am extremely fatigued all of the time, I am sluggish all of the time, cold bothers me badly at times (even when it’s not cold to other people), I have bowel issues (ranging from constipation to diarrhea, and going back and forth), my skin is very pale and dry (I also have psoriasis badly), my face and eyes are always puffy (often with very dark circles under my eyes), I have had a continual weight-gain problem my whole life regardless of what I eat (except for when I went on the Atkin’s diet once [lost some weight then] and when I eat almost nearly nothing – and then the weight levels off), I have muscle problems (cramps, stiffness, achiness, weakness), I have the beginning of arthritis in my knees (supposedly, including having a badly-damaged MCL in one knee, and a slightly damaged MCL in the other) and joint pain in my knees and shoulders is constant, my hair is very dry and more brittle than it used to be (along with my fingernails) even though I use conditioner, I’ve battled with depression all of my life and severe anxiety (and panic attacks) has developed within the last decade or so, my memory is shot, my mind is foggy, my body temperature is lower than normal (and has been for a long time), the hair on my eyebrows is thinned out on the edges, I am sleepy all of the time, and my sex drive has bottomed out.

Sound like hypothyroidism? I thought it might, but my doctor seems to think otherwise.

When I was tested recently, my thyroid was on the very low end of “normal”. The doctor said this was fine and that there was nothing that needed to be done – I’m fine. I’ve had people tell me that every thyroid test they’ve ever had was done first thing in the morning, as close to waking up as possible. My test was done about 5 hours after I woke up – would this make a difference? I know that hormones in the body tend to spike and balance off at certain points in the day. It seems that having the test early in the morning or shortly after you wake up (not 5 hours afterward) would lend itself to catching the hormone levels BEFORE they spike. I don’t know, though.

I happened to have my testosterone checked at the same time as my thyroid (since I thought it might be that, too, or a combination of both). It was also on the very low end of normal, but he decided that it would be okay to put me on a low dosage, once monthly, of T. That’s fine. I seem to notice some difference, but I still feel like complete crap all of the time and none of the symptoms are going away. They’ve been this way for years, and I am, quite frankly, tired of all of them. I feel like the walking dead 24/7-365.

Any thoughts?

Any medical professional (especially physicians or even endocrinologists) that wants to weigh in to help out here would be more than greatly appreciated. I’m not sure what I need to do. Do I need to keep trying to find out something or just let it be and continue to have a horrible life?

Sir, according to the Department of Health website at = (http://www.doh.state.fl.us/disease_ctrl/aids/updates/facts/usfl.html)
Florida is third behind New York, and California with more than 75,000 AIDS cases that have been reported and this is before the year 2000!

In California patients who are eligible to get a Medical Marijuana Prescription are required to carry a Prop. 215 Medical Marijuana Identification Card in order for the Doctors to know that they are eligible to get a prescription. In this website (http://www.rivcommic.org/downloads/DHS_9042_Application-Renewal_Form.pdf) from Riverside County they have an application for the Patients Medical Marijuana Application/Renewal Program sponsored by the State of California Health and Human Services Agency and the Dept. Of Health Services. I believe if Florida does the same and starts an application process for the patients with cancer, anorexia, AIDS, chronic pain, spasticity, glaucoma, arthritis, migraine, or any other illness for which marijuana provides relief that it would do the State of Florida better.

This would benefit our state by dropping a crime rate. It would lead to fewer arrests, fewer people growing it, and selling it. Our jail here in Pinellas county is already overpopulated. Marijuana arrests totaled 786,545 and if this Medical Marijuana law would be a current law, the arrests would shrink by roughly half. Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers between $10 billion and $12 billion annually and has led to the arrest of nearly 18 million Americans. Nevertheless, some 94 million Americans acknowledge having used marijuana during their lives.
It would benefit everyone if people adapted to California’s State Prep. 215.

Sir, basically I just wanted to know, “What’s the difference in us being in Florida and not being able to get the MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA as to California?”

ACCORDING TO A REASERCH STUDY:

More than 60 per cent of all people prescribed pharmaceutical drugs end up with a drug-related problem which results in almost nine million hospital admissions a year at an estimated cost of $47.4 billion. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that more than 28 per cent of all hospital admissions in 1992 were due to drug-related illness and that somewhere between 80,000 and 200,000 people died from complications involving prescription medicines. In comparison, it is estimated that the direct cost of diabetes to the American economy was $45 billion in 1992 and that of heart disease was $117 billion. The researchers conclude that drug-related illness and death should be considered one of the leading diseases in the United States. Even such over the counter drugs such as Tylenol were diagnosed. An FDA review found more than 56,000 emergency room visits a year due to acetaminophen overdoses. Alcohol itself killed 150,000 people.

No one was diagnosed with a death leading from an overdose of Marijuana.

Every week, 52 weeks a year, some 8000 people in this country die from tobacco-related diseases, their lives ended prematurely by an aggressive tobacco industry and the addictive properties of nicotine

From illicit drugs such as cocaine, and heroin there were around 5,000 deaths.

Thank You,
Hector E. Millan

In addition, we have a four year old son. Luckily I had enough notice before I lost my last job to get him completely up to date on his physical/immunization/etc. I also have anxiety issues myself that have been treated in the past, but I tried not to medicate. Things have been very tough lately, though, and I was thinking of going back for treatment.

We live in NY state. I’m worried social services is going to see I’m employed and make a decent salary ($48k) and tell me to shove off, but even with my salary I can’t afford all these medications or doctors appointments!

Any suggestions? Options?
Thanks for the answers so far. I worked for this employer for 8 months before layoffs (school teacher, moved here for the job and low enrollments forced the program to close). They did offer COBRA but it was at an insane price ($1600/month). As I was unemployed and only receiving about half of my salary through UI, and my wife was completely unemployed, I would not have been able to even pay the rent, let alone pay for groceries. We already turned her car in to the bank to lessen the monthly bills.

Thank You.