Saturday, March 30, 2013

Getting Older Is No Fun!

Well friends, here we go again.  Down the trail of health issues popping up out of nowhere, disturbing the best laid plans of men and mice. 

Rosie had not been feeling well for several weeks.  She was also losing weight like crazy, without intending to lose weight.  She has weighed about 135 lbs. for the last 40 years.  When she weighed in at the doctors office on Tuesday she was down to 118.  I have been nagging her to see a doctor before we left Yuma, and she kept insisting that “it” could wait until we got to Idaho Falls to see our regular Primary Care Physician.  Anyway, I finally convinced her to see my local PCP.  Her blood pressure was very high and her heart rate was over one hundred.  Now she is realizing something is really, really wrong.  Long story short, blood test results showed her Thyroid was working overtime.  The numbers were off the charts.  So in for a Thyroid Ultrasound and a visit with an Endocrinologist.  Diagnosis=Hyperthyroidism, also known as Graves Disease. 

Bottom line is our plans to leave today are history.  There are three treatments available for this ailment: Medication only, lasts for up to two or three years and then flares up again; Radiated Iodine Therapy, a one time dose of Iodine infused with radioactive isotopes, followed up by medication therapy; or surgery.  She has opted for the Radiated Iodine Therapy.  Since I have business appointments in northern Arizona on Wednesday that are coordinated with someone who is flying in from San Diego, we will leave here Monday and pull to Camp Verde, AZ.  On Friday, we will return here for the therapy and stay for however long is needed for follow up care.   We are grateful we discovered this now; and that it is not life threatening or debilitating.  Again we are finding the medical care available in Yuma to be first rate.  Also want to make a shout out to Medicare.  Without Medicare these last 8 months, we would be in dire financial straits. 

The next place we have actual paid reservations is Chatfield State Park near Denver on May 28th.  We should be able to make that if nothing else pops up with either of us, health wise.

I will post our end of the month expense numbers in the next couple of days.  Thanks for stopping by.

3 comments:

owensontheroad said...

I'm so sorry to hear about Rosie's thyroid diagnosis. We will keep her in our prayers for healing.

Donna K said...

Wishing Rosie a speedy recovery. Getting old is not for wimps, that's for sure!!

Merikay said...

Good luck to Rosie.