Company....

Spent the vast majority of the day,  "alone" on the farm.

Yes, I did have animal company, lots of it, including a rarely seen beast, one of the four farm cats. 

The reason for my "alone-ness"................... Jessica was sick.

It seems the holiday to Sun City ended up being a distressing affair for Karen, thanks to Jessica's illness.

Here are the cliff notes
Jessica checked into the emergency department on Saturday night (28 July) with pain in her lower abdomen, along with nausea.  She was checked out and sent home with a diagnosis of constipation.

But a gazillion blood tests were done.

Among them, thyroid function - which ended up being flagged as a problem.  Her TSH was high.  It was suggested she had hypothyroidism.    The other notable finding, blood in the urine.

For the record,  Jessica could not possibly have hypothyroidism, I have seen her walking around the farm, in a T-shirt and shorts, when, every one else, has multiple jerseys on.   But I digress....

She still felt pretty miserable, last Monday (29 July), so she took herself to the GP,  on Monday afternoon.  

She did not go with to Sun City, because of college.


The GP,  gave her thyroid meds.  OMG !  And diagnosed her with a respiratory infection and gave her an antibiotic and cough mixture etc.

Yes, it went from a bladder/lower abdominal issue, to a respiratory tract infection and thyroid meds.

I am not sure of all the details.................. but "we" pick up the story, several hours later.  Jessica is heading to Chelsea for the night and she phone's Karen, en route, in excruciating pain.

DRAMA !

Karen jumps in the car to come home.   Chelsea and company are dispatched to rescue Jessica and take her to casualty.

More tests..............

Karen gets to the hospital around midnight, in time to sign the paper work, discharging Jessica. She is discharged without a diagnosis, and told to take the constipation meds she got, on Saturday night.

On Tuesday............. the holiday is back on and Karen and Jessica, drive back to Sun City.

Jessica continues to be feel miserable, but the family is ON HOLIDAY.

Which brings us, to today.........

A mission to find out, what is wrong with Jessica and get her sorted out.

PS.  I think it is bilharzia, but no one cares what I think.  



I was chilled to the bone, to realize, that a doctor could write a script for thyroid meds, in an asymptomatic twenty year old, without establishing her actual thyroid hormone status.  High TSH is COMMON in people who are obese and they DO NOT NEED, thyroid medication.  They are swimming in thyroid hormones.  And at risk of thyroid cancer etc.


The plus out of all of this.................. I will be blogging LOTS on TSH and obesity, a topic I have not gone into, up until now.  This must be happening to lots of people.