“Bad news?” or “Does running affect GH?”

This morning I went to pick up my last bloodwork results and I was shocked to see this:

IGF-1 309 ng/ml (114 – 492)

GH 12.50 µg/l (0 – 6.88)

What is this supposed to mean???

This is a blood test done at the beginning of september. One week later I talked to my endo on the phone and she informed me of the results. She only said, IGF-1 is 309, that’s good. Everything is all right. Call the secretary for an appointment in 3 months for a glucose tolerance test.  I asked if I could have the results printed and she said, whenever you come along, ask for a copy. So I thought everything was all right and I was happy. I called for an appointment for a GTT and that’s scheduled for monday the 1st. I was close to the doctors today and I walked in to ask for a copy of that bloodwork… and then I found that GH is way higher than what it is supposed to be.

Shock.

This, automatically brought me back to the beginning of my condition. For a loong, loooong time, my GH was way too high and my IGF-1 was in the normal range. Every doctor I saw told me not to worry, if IGF-1 is in the normal range, I am not ill. They explained the IGF-1 is a measurement of the GH of the last 24 hours and that GH could be anormally high in some moments of the day. But then, one day, IGF-1 was not in the normal range anymore. They said I had a GH (and PRL) producing tumor (the chickpea) and you know the rest of the story. Noone was able to explain why I had GH anormally high throughout the years with a normal IGF-1 and suddendly, the IGF-1 was not normal anymore.

So, obviously I am concerned. Is this the beginning of the nightmare again? Will it be like this (GH high, IGF-1 normal) for a few years and then, unexpectedly, IGF-1 will rise again and will I be back to the neurosurgeon? The only thing that keeps this little magpie from getting depressed is very simple: I ran to the doctors the day of the test. And when I say “ran” I mean sprint really, really, really fast. Well, I was late… I asked the nurse while she was doing the test and I was still trying to catch my breath if the running would anyhow affect the hormone values, and she said no. I guess she didn’t know what she was taking the blood for, because I’ve read everywhere that sport rises the levels of GH.

The question is, could a sprint be responsible for such a high value of GH?

Next GTT: monday the 1st.

Next Endo appointment: monday the 8th.

Deal

When I was released:
- I could breathe normally,
- I felt ok, just a little bit weak (besides, I had lost 4 kg in 15 days).
- I had stitches in my nose (two) that would eventually be reabsorbed.
- My upper palate was still asleep.
- Sense of smell and taste were 90% back.

I had this report explaining in full detail everything that happened during my hospital stay. I went home very happy, I spent another week on sick leave and then went back to work.

I hadn’t told any of my workmates about my surgery. Actually they all thought I was back in Spain on holidays. You should have seen their faces when I explained the whole story. Well, not the whole story, I am embarrased to say I’ve been diagnosed with Acromegaly because it’s very uncommon and people usually associate it with dumb, dull giants. My acromegaly case is very rare because I had a GH and PRL producing macroadenoma and I don’t have any sympthoms easy to see (nobody but is looking in my knickers when I go to the toilet and see that my period is missing… again and breast-milk production -galactorrhoea- is not something people usually see), so I don’t need to explain.

The first month I still had headaches at least twice a week but then they disappeared. Gone. Nothing.

One month and a half after surgery:
Good: Sense of smell and taste back at 100%, stitches reabsorbed, galactorrhoea gone, period back (and -I am a vain magpie- those 4 kg aren’t back).
Bad: Upper palate still sleeping, small wound in my right nostril that doesn’t want to heal.

It looks like I made a good deal, doesn’t it?

Hospital stay and first results

This little magpie stayed at the hospital 16 days. Two before the surgery, and two weeks afterwards. This long stay was due to the fact that I had this local infection (bloody snots all the time) and there was a risk of it becoming a serious sinus infection (which noone wanted). So they didn’t release me from the hospital until I was fully ok.

There are two days I’ll never forget while at the hospital. The first was the “headache day”. The second was one week after surgery:

My GH and IGF-1 values were too high before surgery. I was told GH would quickly drop after the surgery and IGF-1 would take a little while, may be a couple of months.

Exactly one week after surgery I had blood work done. Surprisingly, IGF-1 was all right for my age, normal, healthy. GH wasn’t. It was 5 ng/ml. And would only drop to 4.7 ng/ml after glucose oral test.

Needless to say, this was really depressing. I expected the surgery to heal my GH levels. Everyone told me it would. They even said my case was an easy one and I didn’t need to worry! Moreover, how can they explain the drop of IGF-1 if GH is still too high?

Nobody was able to give me an explanation. Doctors only said that after the surgery, hormones are a bit messed up, it’s too soon… we’ll have to wait… Which is not what they said before. That didn’t reassure me at all!

Anyway, I am a very optimistic magpie. I thought: long time ago I had GH in 20 and IGF-1 normal, and everyone said I didn’t have to worry. Now I have GH in 5 and IGF-1 normal, so I’m better than ever!

That’s right, I’ve never had such a good GH level (since they started measuring it), so I can be glad. The important hormone is IGF-1, and that’s normal. I just have to wait and see what happens.

They release me from hospital, I have to return in three months. In the meantime, I’ll go back to my usual endo and she’ll have something to say… let’s see what!

Following

The following days were interesting. They removed the nose packing after one day but my nose was far from being a working nose. It was as if I had a very strong flu so breathing was mainly through the mouth or only one nostril. Anyway I improved a lot from one day to the following. During the first week I took painkillers four times a day that helped the headache to stay away… (actually, I got them three times a day and then I would wake up in the middle of the night, either sweating or freezing and with a strong headache, so I would call the nurse and take my fourth painkiller of the day). That was fine until saturday. That was 4 days after my surgery. I woke up fine, but I had a headache.

(via Deborah Weathering)

It didn’t go away, it became stronger every hour. So strong I had to remain in bed, eyes closed and hoping noone would enter my room making noise (such as walking)…

I got X ray done to see if I had a sinus infection (which I hadn’t), no sign of meningitis either, no painkiller would help me in any form whatsoever (tablet, drops, in blood). I had a very, very bad day, actually. The reasons for this were (at least) twofold.

1. Due to my position on the surgery coach, my neck was really, really stiff, my shoulders were as hard as diamond.

2. I had a bacteria infection in my nose. That’s why I keep bleeding through the nose and I can only breathe through one nostril.

Solution:

1. Yes! Massage daily, twice. IR light to keep my shoulders warm after the massage. Tablet to relax muscles.

2. Antibiotics.

Needless to say, this could only improve my condition! One week after the surgery I already felt good. No headaches in the middle of the night, neck still stiff but not aching anymore. I even go for little walks (I get tired very quickly) in the hospital, down to the cafeteria, out to the backyard… Days go by and I don’t get tired that quickly, so walks can be longer… I go step by step back to my old healthy me. This is a huge relief!

My biggest concern was what would life be for me after my surgery. I didn’t have any problem, I felt healthy, no growing of hands, nose, whatsoever… I only knew I had this illness because my blood work said so (allright, I didn’t have my period for 11 months, but that fixed itself spontaneously 3 months before the surgery!). I was concerned I would be sick after the surgery. I didn’t want my life to change at all!!

So, things are getting better. The only problem is my bleeding nose. I am wearing this gauze roll under my nose, attached to my ears:

which gives me a very funny look. I have to use a new one every couple of hours. I am not describing what does it look like after one night. Bloody snots. mmm! yummy, yummy.

Are antibiotics working? My stay at the hospital is planned to last 10 days after the surgery, which means one week (tuesday – tuesday) and three more days (friday). Let’s see what happens.

Surgery. Day D

06:00 The nurse wakes me up. I’ve slept all night through thanks to the sleeping tablet. He hands me my surgery-gown, underwear (for what!? I have my own!), white stockings (to avoid blood clots forming due to all day lying).

06:10 I try to fit into those stockings. Oh my, they are thight!

06:20 Stockings on, gown on, underwear on (can somebody explain me why do I have to wear such horrible knickers?)

06:30 I take the sedative. I wait in bed. The nurse comes and wheels me on my bed to the operating room. I am calm. I look at the ceiling lights along the corridors, just like in films.

[later] I move from my bed to the surgery couch which is less comfy, actually. They take off my gown and cover me with a warm green towel. I get all kinds of padding under my knees, head, arms… so that I feel more comfortable. It’s not that bad after all. Anesthesia team comes and … nothing else.

(via spooninpants.com)

11:00 I wake up in ICU in my own bed again, with the hospital gown on and with the breathing tube in my mouth. That is fun. I can breathe through my mouth or sucking from the tube, which goes directly to my lungs. Nap. I feel groggy. I fall asleep all the time even if I try very hard to see what the room is like. Nap. I feel it’s terribly cold. Nap. Nurses come and tell me everything is over and I did very well. They ask me stuff, my name, how do I feel… I answer. Nap. I’m freezing, it’s so cold I am shivering. They lay warm towels on top of me and place a heating-fan inside the bed. That warm air is great, actually. I want such a fan for my winter nights, my boyfriend always complains my feet are always ice cold! Nap.

12:00 I wake up in my room. Nap. They’ve removed the tube but I am forced to breathe through the mouth because of the nose packing I am wearing. I feel very tired, but I’m fine. No pain. Nap. Nurses ask me about my vision and pull fingers in front of me: “miss magpie, how many fingers are there here?” and even though I know a normal hand only has 5 fingers, I see around 9. Far away, let’s see, the door of the room: I see one. But things placed close to me, I see them twofold. Nap.

13:30 I feel quite well so I start to tell my parents and bf (and hospital-roommate) about all I can remember, about the white stockings, the hospital knickers, about the wake-up room.. and suddendly I start to throw up. A lot. Apparently I bled a lot during the surgery (everyone bleeds, but I bled more) and there is a lot of dry blood everywhere inside me I have to get rid of. My body has decided the fastest and easiest way: get sick. This is quite tricky as I can’t bend and I have to do it sitting, which is quite anti natural. Anyway, after a while I feel better, I lay, I rest… and I am terribly thirsty!! Nap.

18:00 Did I say I am thirsty!!??!! Nap.

19:00 Hellooo… I have to breathe mouth open, which is tiring, and my mouth gets dry. Besides I am thirsty because I didn’t have anything to drink in the whole day… Nap.

20:00 Hello!! I am thirsty!! I am awake, I still see 9 fingers instead of 5, but I feel well. I don’t throw up anymore. The nurse brings me something like a lollypop but made out of cotton with a lemon flavour. I know it’s lemon because there is a lemon pictured on the box the lollypops live in, but I realise I don’t taste it. I also realise that I don’t feel anything in my palate (behind my upper teeth)… and the cotton lollypop is starting to set my teeth on edge.

(mmm, yummy, yummy!)

20:10 Sleep… Day D is over.