Endocrinology Day

Since I had the islet transplant in Chicago and I live in Michigan I essentially have two endocrinologists. I see the one here for my thyroid and the one in Chicago for diabetes/transplant related issues.

In 1990 I had a partial thyroidectomy because I had a follicular adenoma. Out came the left half of my thyroid. Tumor benign. All was good. And then I had the transplant and a hematoma on my liver. (can you say ouch boys and girls?) the hematoma was initially from a bleed during the transplant and then I tripped on a wire and fell on my face/stomach or as my Dr likes to say, I fell on my liver and re-injured it. Soooo, they did a ct-scan. Ok, they did many ct-scans! but this one accidentally scanned my thyroid too and caught another tumor.

January of this year I had the right half of my thyroid removed. Everyone figured it would once again be follicular adenoma, however it turned out to be papillary carcinoma. Since the tumor was small (5mm), well defined and already removed there was really nothing left to do. Diagnosed and cured all in one day! yay.

Anyway, my local endo is now managing my thyroid issues but not my diabetes. He's kind of hyper. I like the man but being in the room with him is kind of like being inside a pinball machine. I'm the bumper. He's the ball. bing bing bing bing! ieeee! Every endo I've seen has kind of been like this, including the one in Chicago. I think they're all nut jobs! Today he jumped up on the exam table with me so he could palpate my thyroid, (or lack there of) and I was like woooah, hello!

What did he have to say? Nothing really. my A1c was 6.2 (I had to fill in the little bubble on the lab sheet for that one - I wonder if my insurance company has any idea how many lab tests they've done that I've added to lab orders myself) Everything else was normal except for Vit. D. it was 22 with the lower level of normal being 30. I now get one more pill to swallow. 50,000 IU once every other week. And now I have research to do to find out what exactly vit. d deficiency is.....

Skateboarding

I spent the last 2.5hrs skateboarding and my blood sugar is 52. I complained once that I go low when I exercise if I don't eat (guess who didn't eat today?). I think if he weren't as professional as he is my doctor would have said "Well duh!". ;) He did however say that even he'll go low if he doesn't eat when he exercises. And I thought non-diabetics were normal all of the time...

Intro (imported from a previous blog)

I'm type 1 kinda sorta I'm not really sure anymore. Let me esplain....

I was dx'd type 1 at age 9, did the whole Nph/R regimine for years, switched to Lantus and R, Lantus and Humalog and eventually went on a pump using Novolog. A few years ago I started researching Islet transplantation and the Edmonton Protocol and decided I wanted more information on clinical trial for islet transplants. I found a website that listed centers doing transplants and registered there.

About six months later I got an email from one of the centers saying they were screening for study participants and was I still interested? Yep I was, a bunch of tests, bloodwork, paperwork and ayear later I was waiting for the call for my transplant. I got that call May 13, 2006, was transplanted on the 14th and I've been off insulin since July 14. 2006. So far so good, there were rough patches. I had some complications and a whole lot of puking from one of the medications but over all so far so good! Would I do it again? You betcha! I feel great.

My blood sugars aren't perfect. I still watch what I eat because too many carbs and I spike, but eventually it comes back down on its own. Soo. I've gone from type 1 on a pump to type 1 kinda sorta not really sure where I fit in the scheme of things but its all good. ;)

Anyone interested in islet transplants can check out The Chicago Project and The University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago's islet transplant program . I'm happy to answer questions too, either here or through email.