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.
1/28/10
12/17/09
Had the GH test
My appointment was at 8am, which meant leaving the house at 5:30. Yuck. Chris drove me because he worried I might have side effects from the medication I'd be given, because he knows I hate driving in heavy traffic and he loves me. It's always good to have his support.
The test wasn't difficult. The worst part was the waiting. We arrived on time but as last time had an hour and a half wait before they started. That office is seriously overbooking. It’s frustrating but right now, we're willing to deal with it for their expertise.
At 9:30, the nurse put in an IV port and drew some blood. Next I was given a bottle of Arginine, a medication that is supposed to stimulate growth hormone, through IV. It took a half hour to pump into me. For the next two hours, we sat in the waiting room. The nurse called me back every half hour so he could draw a new vial of blood. Easy on my part just boring since I'd read all the books I'd had the previous week while I was sick :)
I'll get the results in seven to ten days.
The test wasn't difficult. The worst part was the waiting. We arrived on time but as last time had an hour and a half wait before they started. That office is seriously overbooking. It’s frustrating but right now, we're willing to deal with it for their expertise.
At 9:30, the nurse put in an IV port and drew some blood. Next I was given a bottle of Arginine, a medication that is supposed to stimulate growth hormone, through IV. It took a half hour to pump into me. For the next two hours, we sat in the waiting room. The nurse called me back every half hour so he could draw a new vial of blood. Easy on my part just boring since I'd read all the books I'd had the previous week while I was sick :)
I'll get the results in seven to ten days.
11/25/09
Good MRI
Nothing has changed! The residual tumor either hasn’t grown or is growing so slow that they can’t measure it. That’s great. No surgery, no radiation at this time and I get to wait one whole year I need another scan. I’m jumping up and down excited and so thankful.
My blood work results delivered mostly good news too. All my hormones but one is fine, in fact the thyroid I’ve been concerned about inched up the normal scale another couple of points.
The exception was my IGF-1 (a factor produced in the liver in response to growth hormone stimulation). It’s low. This means my GH (growth hormone) may be low. I’ll have to undergo a GHST (growth hormone stimulation test) to make a final determination. It's scheduled on Dec. 15.
Symptoms of GH deficiency in adults include fatigue, decreased strength and exercise tolerance, anxiety, depression, thin and dry skin so it could be the reason for my persistent symptoms. An answer, a cause with a treatment that would alleviate those symptoms, great, but this hormone replacement is an expensive daily injection, not so great.
My blood work results delivered mostly good news too. All my hormones but one is fine, in fact the thyroid I’ve been concerned about inched up the normal scale another couple of points.
The exception was my IGF-1 (a factor produced in the liver in response to growth hormone stimulation). It’s low. This means my GH (growth hormone) may be low. I’ll have to undergo a GHST (growth hormone stimulation test) to make a final determination. It's scheduled on Dec. 15.
Symptoms of GH deficiency in adults include fatigue, decreased strength and exercise tolerance, anxiety, depression, thin and dry skin so it could be the reason for my persistent symptoms. An answer, a cause with a treatment that would alleviate those symptoms, great, but this hormone replacement is an expensive daily injection, not so great.
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