It has been a while since I have added material to this blog.  I have to admit that I have been very discouraged of late. I am very angry but also feel rather hopeless.  I know, I know, too many sentences that begin with I.  Send the grammer police to my house.

It has been more than two weeks since I had the tests done in the city in the west. I faxed a note to the endocrinologist’s office last Friday, March 8th requesting my test results. I received a call from his secretary on Monday, March 11th. His secretary told me that the endocrinologist had written a letter to my referring doctor. She asked me if I wanted a copy and of course my response was “Yes Please.” She promised to fax it that day. When I had not received the promised fax by Wednesday, March 13th, I faxed the office again. I received another phone call late yesterday informing me that the endocrinologist had mailed me a copy of the letter that afternoon. With our “speedy” mail service, I should receive it in about two weeks!

After yesterday’s phone conversation with his secretary, I am positive that the endocrinologist in the west did not find a thing. He performed three tests, namely the Dexamethasone Test, Renin and ACTH. When I told him about my so called heart problem, he was very frank and told me that he was only interested in Cushing’s and Hyperaldosteronism. He made it very clear that he was not in the least bit interested in testing for any other endocrine or autoimmune disease. If this endocrinologist had actually found something, he would have telephoned the referring doctor; not send a letter by “pony express”.

I felt that this endocrinologist was my last resort. Before I went to see him, I was under the impression that he was extremely thorough and did not leave a stone unturned.  The bitter disappointment I felt when he told me that he was only interested in Cushing’s and Hyperaldosteronism cannot be described.  I guess I would have to say that it felt like the bottom had dropped out of my world. It was at this point that I realized I had probably flown 1000 miles for nothing. It was also at this point that my gut feeling began to tell me that this appointment would turn out to be as useless as all the others.

I have an appointment with a cardiologist in the city this afternoon. It will be very interesting to hear what he will have to say about my right side heart failure. Quite frankly, I believe that diagnosis to be the ultimate fairy tale.  I believe that the doctor of internal medicine picked this out of the blue because he had been told by my family doctor to find something.  I believe that the doctor of internal medicine picked this, because he thought if he made the diagnosis severe enough, I would tuck my tail between my legs and run! Quite frankly, I think this is how they treat someone they think is making up symptoms. Tell them they have a potentially deadly disease and the person will run like hell and never bother a doctor again.