Embarassing is...
...when the doctor calls to give you your test results and you think she's talking about your dog, who suffers from the same medical condition.Nurse: Hi, Gwynne, we've got your test results back from the lab and Doctor would like to lower your dosage on the levoxyl because your thyroid is being over-replaced.
Me: But we got the test results back the same day we were in and the nurse told me his T4 was in the normal range and to stay on the same dose until the 30 day supply was gone.
Nurse: No, we couldn't have given you the results the same day because they had to be sent out to the lab, [Sybil].
Me: No, I'm sure. It was the same day because he was there all day for other procedures and they checked his blood work while he was there. It was just last week. Maybe you could pull his file...
Nurse: [jumping ahead to the next subject as if I was not even talking] And also, Doctor would like for you to come in and talk about your cholesterol. It is higher than it should be.
Me: Oh! You mean me! I thought you were calling about my dog. He was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism and just began taking the same medication I take.
Nurse: [laughs] No, no, I'm calling about you. I was beginning to wonder if we needed to refer you to a psychotherapist.
Hey, me and the dog had bloodwork done the same day, okay? These things happen. ;-)
posted by Gwynne @ 1:37 PM
19 Comments:
quick! go buy a lottery ticket!
hahahahahaha!! this is the funniest thing i've read all week. :) thank you.
Emma, are you saying that the stars must be in alignment when my other persona is a dog? I'm not sure I understand, but then, what else is new? ;-)
Mis_nomer, thanks for laughing...I'm just here to serve. ;-)
No, just the odds of that happening...stars, dogs..wha???
Oh deary me! Blood work for the same condition on the same day - What are the odds?
Too funny...I can see that happening at my house!
Hee!
Unfortunately, I can really see that happening at our house too. :)
Ahh, got it, Emmers. ;-) You can see why I had difficulties understanding the doctor's office.
Well, they say dogs are a lot like their masters. Smokey is just especially loyal that way. ;-)
Speaking as another T4 junkie, I only wish I'd been started on Levoxyl. I'm a Synthroid guy, which means I get to pay those name-brand copays.
I've been ticking along without a thyroid for five years now, and my boss while well meaning still can't get it through his head that my medication isn't the same thing as insulin.
"Doesn't it hurt when you have to prick your finger? Needles make me squeamish."
"That's diabetes," I say. "I don't have a thyroid. I take thyroid replacement hormones."
"You mean like testosterone?"
"No," I say, nodding and smiling. "Not at all like that."
"So... uh. What happens if you don't take that stuff?"
"I wind down like a cheap alarm clock."
"What do you mean?"
I sigh. "I get fat. I can't concentrate. This icebox of an office? I'd have to wear a winter coat."
"So nothing all that bad."
"I'd get really constipated."
"Hmm," he says. "That would suck. That and having to take shots every day."
Foo, heh, never thought of myself as a "T4 junkie" before. But it's true. 8-} I was on Synthroid for years (matter of fact, I've been on the same dosage of thyroid replacement for about 25 years without incident and this is my real excuse for thinking it must be the dog's dose that needed adjustment...he's only been "using" for a couple weeks, on an experimental dosage). As I understand it, you can switch to the generic levoxyl or levothyroxin (or insulin shots ;-) anytime you want? I'm not sure. Maybe my doctor was just using me as a guinea pig, but it seemed to be a smooth transition, and it is much cheaper.
Your boss sounds like Michael on The Office. Let him continue to believe you have to inject yourself full of testosterone every day or else you will morph into a woman. ;-)
Eric, I do wonder about the diagnosis. The reason we took him in, aside from needing his teeth cleaned (we thought being 70 in people years probably made him overdue for this), was that he began panting excessively. The levoxyl only increases the panting and we still don't know the underlying cause of his lazy thyroid, although all the other tests came back normal and his chest x-rays revealed nothing abnormal. How was Abbye's misdiagnosis detected?
And Smokey returns the favor, only 10 times over, because he would be really, really scared to be blind and have to get shots every day!! Plus, he's worried that his mom and dad might not want to fork out the big bucks if he gets really sick because they are already complaining about the bills.
I will admit, I'm jealous of you people who are actually not borderline hypothyroid and thus can get treated. Me? I'm "borderline" which every doctor I've met means that I'm fine and don't need medication even though I am the poster child for hypothyroid symptoms. But hey, those lab results, while kind of high, they're still "within the acceptable range". Sometimes I want to choke them and, while they're gasping for air, remind them that they're getting a level of oxygen that's "within the acceptable range" for sustaining life. It's just unpleasant.
Still hope the puppies get better though, it just makes me sad that puppy-people get sick too. :(
So Beth, you might understand why I countered the Doctor's suggestion to lower my dosage after 25 years...since even under medication I still complain of "borderline" hypothyroid symptoms. I'm addicted!
Seriously, I would get a second opinion if you haven't already. I think it's a very commonly missed diagnosis for whatever reason.
That's too funny about the dog. And seriously a conversation that could happen at our house too.
Except that I can see it being in reverse at our house.
Dr. "He needs a knee replacement."
Me: Seriously, I mean I thought it was just from running that he was hurting a little. We were just looking for the right dosage of ibuprofen and icing or whatever."
Dr. Actually, double knee replacement.
Me: What! But it's usually just the one he limps on.
Dr: Well, we looked at the xrays and it turns out it's not the hips that are the problem, it's the knees and they both need replaced so he can go back to running.
Me: But his hips were never an issue...Oh, wait. You mean the dog....
I'm borderline too, but it has nothing to do with my thyroid.
Jennifer, that'd really be a shame if Brian had both knees replaced only to learn afterwards that it should have been the dog on the operating table! Sounds like one of those medical malpractice cases you hear about once in awhile, like amputating the wrong limb or something. ;-)
Jim, there are so many places we can go with that. ;-)
maybe yours and the dogs bloodwork got mixed up. maybe, you should just see which meds are cheaper his or yours and go with the cheaper ones. or maybe you and he should eat out of the same bowl, his bowl, and see if your cholesterol goes down
Susie, that's what I told the doctor. I said, "just prescribe me some of that expensive but low-fat dry kibble like he eats everyday and I'm sure my weight and cholesterol will go down too." ;-)
Gwynne, at this point I think we'd be on the 30th opinion but I may push the issue again sometime. Just because I enjoy banging my head against walls. :)
That's gotta be frustrating!!
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