Hello everyone......Just out of curiosity, I have had some health issues over the years, and was just curious as to if anyone else has had them as well, and if there are possible links to alopecia.
I know alot of the things that have happened to me was hereditary (im not such a great speller...lol) Firstly was the hysterectomy. I had endomitriosis, as did my mother and grandmother, and all of us ended up with the hyster. by the age of 26. This one still saddens me! Dont get me wrong, I have 3 beautiful children, and didn't want anymore, intil I couldn't have anymore.
Next came kidney stones......OMG, those things are horrible! Once again, my mother has a history of stones, and now myself and also my brother suffer from them. Have had 3 surgically removed as they got stuck in my ureturs, and have passed several on my own. Dealing with 3 of them now, passed one succussfully a week ago, but still in great pain waiting for the next 2. Thank god for pain medication, or I wouldn't be functioning at all. Things are kind of hazy due to the meds, I hate being foggy minded but wow they hurt so bad!!
Lost my appendix due to the returning of the endomitriosis. All of my test results for the appendix came back normal, and no doctor I saw could diagnos all the pain I was in. Luckily a general surgeon decided to explore, and went ahead removed my appendix even though it looked and seemed normal while he was there. The pathology came back with the endo. I can remember the doctors shock on that one, he had never heard of that. He appologized to me, because at one time perdicted the pain was all in my head....now I may have some issues in my head...lol, but pain is not one of them...lol.
Next, my gallbladder!!!! Thought I was dying, lol. That attack came out of nowhere. Off to the hospital, and again, could find nothing wrong with me. Back to the general surgeon, he decided to take a peak. Once he got in there, he discovered I had 3 gall stones, that had torn through the side of my gallbladder. Now, I wanna know how the catscan missed that???? How do you have 3 stones, and no-one see them? But once again, the pathology showed more endomitriosis.
My ob/gyn had discovered shortly after my first son was born, that I had a goiter in my throat. Again, as did my mother and grandmother. My mothers and also mine were inverted, un-like my grandmothers whose was apparent from the outside, (that bullfrog look) Now my grandmothers never got to big, and never gave her any trouble. My moms, well different story. She felt like she was being choked, they did some tests, found some nodules on it, and they removed her thyroid. Once they got in there, her thyroid which should have been the size of lets say a small potatoe, was so enlarged they nearly had to break her collar bones to retrieve it all....it was abnormally huge. But benign, so we were all relieved and most of her symptoms went away.
Well 19 years after knowing I had one, symptons showed up. I couldn't swallow a simple tylenol without difficulty. Went to the docs, and then to the surgeon. Some tests showed that I was actually being strangled from mine, it was pushing on my esophagus and would eventually collapse the soft cartlidge causing me to possibly die. Here is what I found so interesting. They surgeon looks at me and says: You know, that they have found a significant link between Alopecia and the thyroid not functioning properly. He said I have probably had a thyroid problem since birth, and that could have been the cause of my alopecia. That kind of set me back, here 38 years of this, and someone is just now telling me this??? Okay, so all the tests showed I had a large nodule on the right side, and we opted for the surgery. Once in there, they did a freeze test on the nodule before furthering the surgery. If it came back cancerous then they would have to remove lymph nodes etc. It came back clean, he continued to remove only the thyroid. Surgery went well, I woke up with the drainage tube in my neck etc. Was prepared to stay 24 hours in the hospital. Not so lucky with that one....after 4 days in the hospital they couldn't get my blood calcium normal. That is what your thyroid controls...your blood calcium, and a few other things, but my calcium was bottoming. Was also thought the thyroid may be why all the kidney stones.....no such luck...lol. Anyhow, I go for my check-up, and to my surprise, the left side of my thyroid, where there were no nodules came back cancer. Talk about being scarred to death...whoa! The doc. says, its okay, no chemo, no worries....because I opted to have the thyroid in its entirely removed, the chances that I will have the cancer come back is less then 5%. But still when someone tells you the "C" word, you freak out. This surgery was performed just this past August '08, was a long recovery, but now you can barely even see the scar on my neck. The surgeon did an amazing job.
Anyhow, I was just curious as to whether anyone else had health issues similar to mine, if maybe there is some kind of link or not? I don't know, it just seems to me, there has to be an underlying cause as to why this happens. Don't get me wrong, im okay with having alopecia, have had it my whole life, and what a wonderful, fullfilling life it has been. I would actually be shocked if my thyroid was the cause of it in my case. There has been no growth of hair, so im assuming it didn't cause it for me.
I have definetly had my fair share of medical issues over the years, but thankfully it has been things that could be helped. The endomitriosis, well, apparently I will have these problems forever. Because of it, and also all of the scar tissue I have from all of the surgeries I have a great deal of pain dailey. I am on a fentanyl pain patch and also 4 percocets every day, and some days even all that isn't enough and im down on the couch with a heating pad and not being able to function. I have checked into having surgery again, however, in order to remove scar tissue, you have to create more, so I may have some relief from pain for a little while, it will be back, and all of the doctors, specialists and surgeons have said it would only be a few months before the symptoms return. So I live life to the fullest, good days are very good days, and well the painfull ones, i mustard through them for the most part. I have such a wonderful support system, that when im in a "bad day", they do it all. The hubby comes home and cooks dinner, the kids carry they laundry, etc. I have an awesome family!! It saddens me though, I feel like I miss out on so much. Because of all the surgeries and "bad days", I have missed alot, alot of sports events that my children play in, or dinner with friends because I just can't get up off the couch, etc. I used to just take another pain pill, and go to the events, but Im so foggy and doped up, that really I wasn't there anyhow...lol.
Again, I try to stay focused on the positive, live each day, and have fun. I make myself do the things that count, and im always putting others first.....I will definetly go out of my way to help anybody, whether it be a ear for listening, or a shoulder to cry on, thats what I do.
Okay so I have gotten away from medical issues some, but would like to add, that if anybody ever needs to vent, or just needs an ear, don't hesitate to write to me, I am here for you!!!!
Love and hugs to all, would love to hear if anybody else has any similar cituations/conditions. This is such a great support place, and we can all learn from one another, and be here for each other whether its alopecia or other life things. By the way, I do express alot through writting, so blogs will definetly be here alot...lol, hope no one gets to bored with them.....Hope eveyone has an amazing day!!