Twenty Four - Health Update

It was a quiet week in my medical world, a rare commodity I do not often get to enjoy! I had only two appointments, a follow up with my Pulmonologist, and a follow up with my Neuro-Headache Specialist.
The appointment with my Pulm was mostly just to touch base after my UCLA appointment last week, and to go over the results of my Right Heart Catheterization. We spoke briefly about my new treatment plan involving the Cytoxan, which was decided to be done at the hospital my UCLA physician has access to instead of the university. We then went over the results of my RHC. My mean pulmonary pressure was within high normal range. According to this doctor I do not have current evidence of PH which is fabulous!

Next I saw my Neuro-Headache Specialist. This was a follow up after I saw her earlier this year for debilitating headaches as a result of my 22 day hospitalization back in December. There are few doctors I truly feel care about their patients, but she is one of the exceptions! When I am in her office I feel she sees me as a person, an individual with a life, not just a medical statistic. If this physician and my GI could just run all my care I would be one happy patient! lol Last time I saw her she prescribed a drug for my headaches called Cymbalta. This medication has completely changed my life for the better. Since beginning treatment I have not endured any more of the debilitating Occipital Neuralgia relapses. These "headaches" were unlike any pain I have ever felt, leaving me completely helpless to a primal drive due to the crippling pain that clouded my ability to think logically. The feeling of thick hot iron being filled into the back of my skull, crushing whatever person resided in my head no longer leaves me in constant fear thanks to this drug. During this appointment we talked mostly about my progressing autonomic issues, also known as Dysautonomia. With my bodies complete lack of ability to regulate blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, and heart rhythm at any position it looks like we may be battling Pure Autonomic Failure, though we wont know the exact branch of autonomic malfunction until I see my ANS specialist at the end of September. She prescribed a new medication called Midodrine that is suppose to assist the function of the autonomic nervous system since my last medication for this problem prescribed by my Electrophysiologist didn't pan out as we were hoping. After we spoke regarding all my medications and current issues we had a few minutes just to talk about life. She is the only physician that takes the time to ask me about my personal life... and she didn't even try to rush out! She legitimately wanted to talk to me, not just my disease. I feel like a normal young woman in her office, not a medical experiment like I do with many of my other doctors. It's so refreshing! She is also the only physician to ask if she could read my blog which I thought was really cool! (So if  you are reading this: Hi! Thank you for being an awesome doctor that remembers I am a human being, not just an illness!) Overall it was a great appointment and I am very excited to start this new med; we have some worries about it possibly increasing my Raynauds, which would be cause for immediate discontinuation of the drug, but only time will tell!

I don't normally talk about anything else besides my medical journey on this blog, but I thought I would share with my readers that I had a fabulous 24th Birthday! As a young woman who cant eat, and is mostly home bound celebrating can be difficult. Luckily I was feeling relatively well that day, enough to get up, put on some brand new make-up, do my hair, and head out for a day on the town! I started out with Mommy-Daughter Mani-Pedis, then headed to a local juice bar to pump "healthy stuff I would never put in my mouth" through my feeding tube with my awesome best friend who is also a Tubie, and finally got 20% off at my favorite thrift store with my Birthday coupon! Thankfully all my medical equipment behaved relatively well. I crashed hard when I got home! haha Totally worth it! I am feeling so grateful to have made it to my 24th birthday after the crazy year I have had!

How a Tubie does "Birthday Shots" ;)