Phone Calls Galore

Yesterday I went into the hospital to have some blood tests done - sodium levels and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels. I got the results this morning in a phone call from my endocrinologist - speedy service! - and the good news is that they're both normal and, indeed middle-of-the-normal-range. Hurrah!

My endocrinologist suggested that one of the reasons I might still be getting so tired is that my body could be effectively "crashing"; having been used to fairly high levels of thyroid hormone coursing through its veins, suddenly having lower (if more normal levels) might come as a bit of a shock. Having too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) gives symptoms similar to an excess of adrenaline, all the body's systems speed up - heartbeat, metabolism etc - while having too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) is characterised by more of a "slowing down", with symptoms like fatigue being common. Happily it seems that I'm not hypothyroid, but after having been hyperthyroid for a fair while, my body may still be struggling slightly to adjust to the lower thyroid hormone levels.

I also have been back to my old tricks of chasing the bloody hospital up for appointments. I was expecting an appointment with ENT four weeks post surgery - as today is my four-week anniversary and I'd not heard anything, I called them. Apparently they were "never notified of my discharge" and consequently no appointment was booked. So I won't be seeing them until the 7th March. Endocrinology have booked me in for a clinic appointment to see the doctors, but appear to have neglected to book me in for the various blood tests I'm supposed to have before then; unfortunately they don't like having humans answer their phone, so I've finally had to leave them a message asking what's going on.

Opthalmology have gotten involved now and want to check my eyesight is ok, as pituitary surgery is carried out very close to the optic nerve and there is a risk of damage to the vision, but I've yet to arrange a date with them because, having made all these other phone calls, I am tired. And it's almost lunchtime.