After returning to the hotel last night I started reading a great book called “The Constant Gardener” by John Le Carre’.

This morning I left the hotel at 8:30 AM and got a cab to the hospital at the other end of the city. I arrived shortly after 9:00 AM and found my way to the endocrinology lab. I had arrived too early so sat and read my book for a while. Around 9:30 AM the nurse started one of the IV’s for the Dexamethasone Test. At about 9:45 AM she started the second IV. One IV was for the Dexamethasone. The second IV was used to draw blood every hour.

Before the Dexamethasone Test began the nurse informed me that the endocrinologist had also ordered other blood work and that two of the blood tests had to be put on ice as soon as the blood was drawn. I asked her if these were the blood tests to check the ACTH and Renin levels and she told me they were. This made me feel much better about being there. These were two tests that I had hoped I would have.

The Dexamethasone Test began exactly at 10:00 AM with a blood draw. The nurse drew blood every hour until 4:00 PM. I was then told to report to the lab at the hospital near my hotel at 9:00 AM on Wednesday morning for the blood draw that would complete the Dexamethasone Test.

Exhausted, I took a cab back to my hotel arriving just after 5:00 PM. After a quick supper in the hotel restaurant the evening was spent reading until I fell asleep.

I will try not to dwell on what the outcome of these tests might be. On one hand I hope that all the results are normal but on the other hand I hope the results show a problem. I really don’t think any of the doctors I have seen realize how desperate I am to find out what is wrong with me. I have also realized that these same doctors do not have the capacity to look at a symptom list and figure out what could be causing the symptoms. I rarely let myself contemplate what my life will be like two months from now. If I do think about it I just become frustrated and angry. In 1999 I kept thinking that once my thyroid medication kicked in and did what it was suppose to do my life would get back to normal. In 2000 I kept thinking that it would be just a short time before one of the doctors I had seen would figure out what the problem was and go about solving it for me. During 2001 I was beginning to doubt the abilities of my doctors to ever come to a conclusion about a diagnosis. Here it is 2002 and I now know for certain that there are medical professionals out there who don’t have a clue!