Somewhat MEN2a Related...

I'm adding this in because it's a medical happening in our lives and is also because of the recent surgeries etc.

Yesterday Sis came up to me and said "Mom, what is this on my head?". When I went to look there was a two inch long BALD SPOT on the top of her head!!! It looks like someone took a razor to her head a few weeks ago and shaved a spot out and now there's stubble! It's under a layer of hair so if you look at her you can't see it and have to actually move the hair to the side but still...how did I miss my kid getting a bald spot? I feel like such a jerk of a mom right now just because...well because I'm mom and I should catch these things! :(

Anyway- I freaked out and called the endocrinologist asking if this was from the thyroid meds and she said "no" and that it sounded like alopecia areata from the trauma and stress of the surgery and since. Of course, I started googling and it says one cause of alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder so I freaked even more. As soon as I got off the phone with Dr. L I called the kids' general practioner and made an appointment to get this checked out.

Poor kid... first her voice (which IS coming back now but you should here the poor thing laugh! OY VAY!! It's awful), then she started having headaches and turning pale that we have to test reasons for, and now a bald spot on her head!

Took Sis to the doctor this morning and she THINKS it is alopacia areata (basically just means hair loss.) caused by stress and trauma. In other words, Sis's body's way of dealing with the surgery, recovery, and all that went with it. Poor girl. Luckily it is growing back so we don't have to worry about it being anything permanent. Poor kid is just going to have some short hairs on the top of her head for awhile.

I asked her about Sis's tendency to go pale and get headaches and it looks like that bloodwork for that has been put off until next month when Sis goes back in. I'm not willing to wait the extra time and will be having my endo order a full blood panel on her here in two weeks when they check the kids' calcium, PTH, and TSH.

I'm quickly becoming a doctor's worst nightmare and they are not appreciating me very much. LOL. Well my endo is use to me but other doctors don't like it when I walk in and ask them questions I guess I'm not suppose to even know to ask, already know about the diagnosis (I had read about the alopacia as soon as my endo mentioned it), and tell them what they should or might want to order.

Excuse me but ummmmm as for the general practioner... they have NEVER had a MEN2a patient. They've read about it and know generally about it but that is it. So yes, I DO know more than them and will full well tell them as much as well as what to do. My endo at least admits I know more than her and has no problem listening to what I suggest and actually doing what I think we should do. She knows I do my research and know all about everything that goes on with me and my kids. Now if I can just train everyone else we'd be fine.

Anyway- so we have been referred to a dermatologist for a second opinion "just in case" and we're also going to get this odd spot on Sis's back looked at as well while we're there. So she's okay and this will hopefully only be a onetime thing. I'm very much relieved and glad it wasn't something more serious.

I picked up my Barium Sulfate today to drink (liquid chalk with just a hint of metal... YUM YUM). I think by tomorrow morning just before 8:45am I will come as close to a panic attack as I've ever been in my life. Getting a CT scan scares the bejesu out of me because of the last one I had, how sick I got, the pain from the IV, and the pain from the IV backing up. sad.gif I have been almost in tears all afternoon how pathetic is that???

At this point there is no medicine or anything that will help Sis's hair grow back so we just wait and let nature take it's course. We just wait and see what the dermatologist says next and go from there.