I have a pleasant update! Last I was here, my new neuro had sent me to a new rheumie because he was worried that spots on my brain mri were from a rheumatological illness. While waiting to see him, I went to see my old rheumie, who drew bloods and got results that looked like anti-phospholipid syndrome.
The new guy re-did the blood tests, and requested copies of my brain mri to view himself.

Today he has completed both tasks.

First, he said the brain MRI is not at all like what you see with rheumatological illness or vaculitis. What he sees is much much worse than that, and the spots look different. If you were to rate spots on MRIs he sees in his rheum patients on a scale of 1 - 10, my spots would be a 1. Also, he said, the distribution and appearance of the spots is exactly what you see with migraines, which I have. (The report had read that the spots could be either rheumatologic--vasculitis--OR migraine.)

Second, there's that old rule that you never assume anything from on abnormal blood test, and, in fact, you don't order others based on it until youv'e repeated it and it's abnormal the second time. My blood tests for anti-phospholipid antibodies were all negative this time!

YAAAY!

On the other hand (and now I'm sort of blogging to keep records everywhere), I have a sinus infection. I'd been trying to keep it under control for almost two weeks with just irrigating, but it's not working. I had a batmitzvah to go to today in Vermont, by plane, the last of this generation of kids in my family. Vermont when the leaves are turning! What could have been nicer? But I'm too sick to get on the airplane, and have just been in bed all day. I called my endocrinologist to tell him, and ask him a question: Since we know my pituitary is not working, and that you need its stress hormones to get well, should I be on steroids even though the thing we would want to do most is to keep me off? He said Yes. When you have pituitary suppression, it's hard to get well from simple things, and when you take a steroid then, it's not as a "drug", it's as replacement, like taking thyroid hormone when your thyroid isn to working. It won't making my recovery from the hypopituitarism more difficult.

So he's phoned my pharmacy a prescription for hydrocortisone, which is apparently what is used for this.

My son, who had a bad cold a couple of weeks ago, is kind enough to go out to pick up the prescriptions. I think it's the least he can do, seeing as even with using Purell, he was unable to refrain from contaminating me. I'm going to hold the kid responsible for my illness and milk it for all I can! He does make a mean chicken soup......just thinking.....maybe he can rent me a DVD to watch, too... He's a good kid, and good to have living at home while he goes to college.