5 ms·

~something~ is one of the worst diagnoses to have. I had a bad concussion when I was 12 and ever since (I’m 33 now) I’ve had issues. Fatigue is the big one, bu

~something~ is one of the worst diagnoses to have. I had a bad concussion when I was 12 and ever since (I’m 33 now) I’ve had issues. Fatigue is the big one, but I also lost 2 inches of height, my feet shrunk two sizes, and my hands are as small as my mom’s. I’m male. There are other possible symptoms too, like cold hands and feet and too much heat/sunlight making me worthless for the next day or so. As I’m sure you know it can be hard to know which symptoms to group together. Are my cluster headaches related? Who knows. The only actual treatable aspect of this that they’ve found is my testosterone being too low. Supplementing that helps significantly, but it’s not enough. I personally think my growth hormone levels might be off, but my GP doesn’t know how to run the test for that and endocrinologists are the worst. I’ve been to Mayo quite a few times. The last time I was there the best guess they had for the testosterone problem was that my body thought it was dying, so it was diverting resources. I know that we don’t know everything and sometimes you’re out of luck, but it’s still frustrating nonetheless. It’s even worse when they can’t find anything physiological to test for. Before I asked to have my testosterone levels checked they just threw me on antidepressants and called it good. The only thing I was depressed about was being so damned tired all the time.

nradov 5y ago
Is your GP unable to order these tests, or are they contraindicated in your case? https://www.labcorp.com/resource/growth-hormone-stimulation https://www.labcorp.com/resource/growth-hormone-stimulation Loss of height is common in the elderly due to cartilage loss but is rare among younger people. Have you had any spinal imaging done? And have you had your bone density checked?
- AuryGlenz 5y ago
  He wasn’t able to as their clinic simply doesn’t run any of those tests. I didn’t pursue it further as life/trying to have a baby got in the way, but at some point I’ll pick it back up for my own health if nothing else No spinal imaging done but I did have a bone density test done, though I was told it was more to get a baseline for the future. Oddly enough the trans movement has given me a clue. Apparently MtF trans people can have height loss and, if I remember correctly, hand and foot size loss. It could simply be that my testosterone level was low enough to cause that, perhaps because it happened smack dab in the middle of puberty. When I was first tested my levels definitely weren’t trans-level, but that was about 10 years after the accident so maybe my levels were even lower for a while. It’d be nice to know for sure though.
  - nradov 5y ago
    It doesn't matter whether their clinic runs those tests or not. Any physician should be able to order tests at other labs like Labcorp or Quest Diagnostics.
    - AuryGlenz 5y ago
      I guess theoretically he could, but he's probably not used to doing so as the closest one is over 2 hours away.
colossal 5y ago
you should also get checked out for thyroid issues if you have hormonal problems. They can cause some/all of the symptoms you're describing.
- AuryGlenz 5y ago
  I’ve had a full thyroid panel quite a few times. I wouldn’t doubt it’s invoked but it would be more downstream, so to speak. Thanks though.

nradov 5y ago

Is your GP unable to order these tests, or are they contraindicated in your case? https://www.labcorp.com/resource/growth-hormone-stimulation https://www.labcorp.com/resource/growth-hormone-stimulation Loss of height is common in the elderly due to cartilage loss but is rare among younger people. Have you had any spinal imaging done? And have you had your bone density checked?

AuryGlenz 5y ago
He wasn’t able to as their clinic simply doesn’t run any of those tests. I didn’t pursue it further as life/trying to have a baby got in the way, but at some point I’ll pick it back up for my own health if nothing else No spinal imaging done but I did have a bone density test done, though I was told it was more to get a baseline for the future. Oddly enough the trans movement has given me a clue. Apparently MtF trans people can have height loss and, if I remember correctly, hand and foot size loss. It could simply be that my testosterone level was low enough to cause that, perhaps because it happened smack dab in the middle of puberty. When I was first tested my levels definitely weren’t trans-level, but that was about 10 years after the accident so maybe my levels were even lower for a while. It’d be nice to know for sure though.
- nradov 5y ago
  It doesn't matter whether their clinic runs those tests or not. Any physician should be able to order tests at other labs like Labcorp or Quest Diagnostics.
  - AuryGlenz 5y ago
    I guess theoretically he could, but he's probably not used to doing so as the closest one is over 2 hours away.

colossal 5y ago

you should also get checked out for thyroid issues if you have hormonal problems. They can cause some/all of the symptoms you're describing.

AuryGlenz 5y ago
I’ve had a full thyroid panel quite a few times. I wouldn’t doubt it’s invoked but it would be more downstream, so to speak. Thanks though.