Surgery

Ran into a situation where my job tanked. That means my insurance will run out in 60 days and this creates an unbearable situation because my new job has a one year wait time for "pre-existing" conditions. Both me and my doctor agree that one year without any treatment or medicine at all could very well be a death trap so we have been working this week to schedule emergency brain surgery with Dr. Kenneth Ott, the neurosurgeon. Was thinking surgery was today but it was only a pre-op meeting and they did bloodwork. They were still awaiting an authorization from my primary care physician so I went over there and had the nurse fax it over. Since being diagnosed I have NOT had surgery using only diet and dopamine agonists as treatment. I would have loved to have continued this approach but job and insurance company details have ruled out that luxury. Still... in two years we managed to STOP the growth of the tumor! Had the experiment gone on longer I believe I would have gotten better and better and better as I was just beginning to really respond to treatment. So next week sometime I go under the knife and up the nose. Ott is old school. He uses the microscope method and I remember him saying something about a shot of sando. SWEET! Wish me luck!

Also, highlight from Chantal's blog:

http://chantalshersenpan.web-log.nl/chantalshersenpan/2007/06/acropsychology.html

Totally rings true for me.

late with the Sando shot

I deviated from my Sando schedule this month because I was traveling for the holidays, so I took my Sando shot late (this morning) when it should have been a week ago. I could totally, totally feel all my old symptoms acting up again, so I'm taking it as a sign that the medication was working (unless it was the acupuncture, which I also tried).

Symptoms specifically were/are:

-ankles throbbing on the inside along achilies tendon
-Joints aching: hips, neck, and back
-Talking a teeny bit "floppy" (from enlarged tounge)
-Face appears swollen
-Skin oily
-Get too hot or too cold easily
-Heart pounds
-Headache (scalp/brain feels like it isn't getting enough blood)
-Fatigue, as in, going up a flight of stairs makes me want to take a nap

The ankles throbbing reminded me that I went to a reflexologist in Hong Kong in 2004 and he said that my hormones were totally out of whack (although, I thought he said reproductive hormones) and he could tell because my ankles were tender in the spot that is tender now. I'm pretty sure my tumor was active during that time.

Also, I was watching TV on the flight back from NY last night, and on the National Geographic channel they had a special on gigantism (Also airs: Monday, January 7, 12A; Sunday, January 13, 2P). They profiled two acromegalic giants, which held my rapt attention. I learned some interesting things during the show, like how all the symptoms people get happen. Did you know that excess growth hormone makes the brain less responsive to carbon dioxide? And that it makes the muscle cells hold water, causing weakness? Funny, my acupuncturist said I have "too much water," except she explained that it means I think about things too much. Do you think we acromegaly patients think about things too much?

Sorry, I know that was a bit of free associate. Since I'm at it- Growth Hormone and Major League Baseball.

Anyway, I got my shot today so I fully expect to feel better in a few days.

Dearest Acromegaly Bloggers,

Happy New Year!

I hope 2008 is a great year for health.  Love to you all.

Growth Hormone article in For Men Fitness RX

There's a really good article on GH in the November 2007 edition of For Men Fitness RX. The article's goal is to INCREASE GH but... in the process of telling how to do that it also tells what DECREASES GH and that's the good stuff for us. Seems that a heavy "no rest" workout will increase GH by a huge 11X factor whereas a workout that rests a lot and lifts heavy weights slowly (to build strength rather than bulky muscle) only results in a 3X spike in GH. It also has some great things on sleep and various foods. Knowing the information in this article is helping me because now I know WHY my GH levels have been so strange lately (I work lots of freight at The Home Depot and I just got moved to the paint department - HEAVY stuff). I was aware of a lot of diet knowledge but not so much about muscles, exercise, and GH spikes. So now I know. Highly recommended article if you can see the opposite side of what the author is saying.

Acromegaly Signs and Symptoms

Before:

After:

Better?

Sorry I have been posting SO MUCH lately, I guess I have too much time on my hands... I like to think of my body transforming into a Sea Monkey body because my hands and feet are so well suited for swimming now.

Is this the new medication you guys were talking about?

"Somatuline® Depot (lanreotide) Injection is now FDA-approved and will be available in pharmacies the week of October 15th."

"(also marketed as Somatuline® Autogel® outside the
United States)"