So, because he kept getting sinus infections, even after the sinus surgery, we decided to visit the Immunologist to try and figure out if there was something going on with his immune system. He had blood work done and eight vials were taken. Some of the tests were specialized enough that they had to be sent to Utah!
The immunologist advised that two out of the three things they look at with regard to his immune system were low (sorry, I can't remember what they were). And not just a little low, or near normal, but kind of low, but VERY low. The first thing he wanted to do was give Greg a pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine, because he's never had one. He did have a pneumonia vaccine a while back, but never the pneumococcal vaccine.
The doc said that that can potentially help with the sinus issues and chest congestion, etc. In about five weeks, Greg will have more blood tests done, and, assuming the results are the same, he may be a candidate for what's called IVIG treatment. Basically, it is an intravenous treatment that delivers immunoglobulin (found in plasma) donated from healthy people to Greg to boost his immune system. It can take as many as 1,000 individual plasma donations to treat one patient for a year! (Holy crap!) Treatment is generally every 3-4 weeks and is usually VERY expensive. Nearest estimates I can find are anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000 per treatment! I'm not sure how long a person needs to continue treatment, but that is something we will find out if this is what is recommended for Greg.
Next, we saw the oncologist to get the results of the CT scan and Nuclear CT Scan that Greg had on Wednesday. The scans were of his parathyroid glands. There are four glands behind the thyroid -- they have nothing to do with the thyroid though. Those glands are located in the neck and control the body's calcium levels. They are about the size of a grain of rice. When a person has hyperparathyroidism, one (or more) of the parathyroid glands is basically an overachiever. They produce too much calcium. The other glands should compensate by producing less calcium, but with hyperparathyroidism, the other glands continue to produce calcium, so the body has too much calcium.
Some of the symptoms of hyperparathyroidism that are currently affecting Greg are:
- Excessive urination
- Tiring easily or weakness
- Depression or forgetfulness
- Bone and joint pain
- Frequent complaints of illness with no apparent cause
The "cure" for this is to simply remove the overachieving parathyroid glands. So, Greg will be having yet another surgery to have the two parathyroid glands on the left side removed. Most patients report almost immediate results from the surgery, even going so far as to report feeling better while in recovery! This could be a huge game changer for Greg and explains so many things that he is currently dealing with!
So, that is what happened today. I apologize for not getting this out sooner, but seeing as we were in town, we had to do some shopping, and then had to make dinner, etc.
As far as other issues, Greg is now about three weeks sober and things are going well. It's not been easy, but it's a lot harder when he's drinking. So, all is well. Prayers that he is able to continue with his sobriety are certainly appreciated!
As always, I'll keep you updated on all the going's ons here at the Mik Homestead!
Blessings to all!
Julie
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