My doctor wants me to write down how I feel now so I can come back after six months on Genotropin and be amazed at how much better I am. Within a year, she believes I’ll feel pretty darn good. I hope she’s right because right now it’s hard even to interact with my husband and boys. I won’t transform into a social butterfly in six months but I’d like to upgrade from extreme recluse to mostly a hermit at least.
My attempts at communication with anyone including friends and family have been dismal. Phone calls, letters and emails have been returned sporadically or not at all.
I'm exhausted. Everything is an effort, everyday, all the time. I go to sleep tired, I wake tired. No amount of rest changes it although getting little rest worsens it.
Concentrating, thinking, talking, even composing this is hard. I'm emotionally tired as well, moody, depressed and finding it almost impossible to interact with anyone. Because it's the deficiency of growth hormone that causes all the above depression medication helped little.
There’s nothing I can’t do but it’s frustrating for simple tasks to take extraordinarily long to complete. I write lists and try to work on something everyday because otherwise it feels like my life is passing me by while I sit in a fog of fatigue. It aggravates me for a simple thing like picking up some groceries, writing an email, doing the smallest thing on a home project, to take me hours to finish.
I feel 103 instead of 43. My skin is very dry and thin, looks like an old woman. My hair is fuzzy because it breaks and feels like straw. I walk most nights with the boys, usually a mile because I'm stubborn and refuse not to but even though we've been walking since last summer, its not easier.
I try hard to act normal but I know I'm failing. My poor hubby and kids need and deserve better and I feel I'm letting them down because I'm not ‘coping’ as well as I think I should.
Thats how I feel.
4/6/10
3/1/10
Glucagon GH Stimulation Test
Again normal growth hormone level is 5 ng/ml. Glucagon raised my blood glucose from 84 (normal) to 172 (HIGH) in an hour as predicted then started to drop. This drop is supposed to stimulate the growth hormone. This drop can also cause nausea in a small percentage of people. (Me) A small percentage of people suffer it off and on for the rest of the day and the next. (Me) During the 4 hour test, GH should rise to 7-17 for a time. As last time my level started at less than 0.5, it remained unchanged for 2 hours, at 2 ½ hours it rose to 1.2, at 3 hours it dropped to 1.0, then dropped back to less than 0.5 the remainder of the test.
My endocrinologist reviewed the results and confirmed I have Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency. I have an appointment at OHSU on March 5th to discuss the pros and cons of GH therapy.
If we decide the pros of hormone therapy outweigh the cons then we wade into bureaucracy. Our insurance has already informed us it'll require documentation from my doctor supporting that it's medically necessary. Once they get that paperwork they'll 'review' it then IF they approve it they'll tell us how they'll cover it and what our cost will be. While I understand, since it's expensive, the insurance's desire to confirm it's necessary, it's frustrating not to have important information (our out of pocket cost). Why they couldn't state if it's approved it'll be x amount for you is a mystery.
My endocrinologist reviewed the results and confirmed I have Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency. I have an appointment at OHSU on March 5th to discuss the pros and cons of GH therapy.
If we decide the pros of hormone therapy outweigh the cons then we wade into bureaucracy. Our insurance has already informed us it'll require documentation from my doctor supporting that it's medically necessary. Once they get that paperwork they'll 'review' it then IF they approve it they'll tell us how they'll cover it and what our cost will be. While I understand, since it's expensive, the insurance's desire to confirm it's necessary, it's frustrating not to have important information (our out of pocket cost). Why they couldn't state if it's approved it'll be x amount for you is a mystery.
1/28/10
GHST Results
Normal growth hormone level is 5 ng/ml. After given Arginine to stimulate it the level should rise at least to 7 for at least a few hours. My level started at less than 0.5, after I was given the Arginine it rose to 0.6 for ½ an hour, then dropped back to less than 0.5 the remainder of the test.
The persistent, pain in the butt fatigue isn't all in my head darn it.
The next step is another GHST except instead of Arginine they'll use glucose. It'll be conducted by a different department of OHSU. This is for ‘independent’ confirmation of my low results mostly for the insurance company since growth hormone replacement is ‘non-standard’.
The test is scheduled Feb. 18th at 8:30 am.
The persistent, pain in the butt fatigue isn't all in my head darn it.
The next step is another GHST except instead of Arginine they'll use glucose. It'll be conducted by a different department of OHSU. This is for ‘independent’ confirmation of my low results mostly for the insurance company since growth hormone replacement is ‘non-standard’.
The test is scheduled Feb. 18th at 8:30 am.
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