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I got an email from my PCP Dr. Rebecca Hunton a few weeks ago.  She is the one that helped me on the bio identical hormone replacement therapy and then on to get my brain MRI to find out I have a pituitary tumor.  She is great!  She always spent a lot of time with me discussing things and teaching me.  Now, she is filing bankruptcy because she spends time with her patients and she cares.  We are not just a 5 minute visit. We are not just a paycheck.  Unbelievable!  I can still go and see her if I want to pay out of pocket and then get reimbursed from United Healthcare.  This is obviously not a feasible option :(

I called the compounding pharmacy that I use to fill all the hormones to search for recommendations.  They have several pharmacists on staff and they always help people educate themselves about hormone replacement therapy etc.  They are very nice and knowledgeable.  They gave me 3 names...one of which is Dr. Dan Hammond.  I went to see him for a new-pt. visit Friday, December 4th.  They told me that this appt. is to be 45 minutes long and sure as the days are short, they started paging him on his pager when we hit the 55 minute mark.  After he checked his pager and grumbled they began pounding on his door every five minutes.  I watched with building anxiety as his hand shook while writing my scripts.  Appalling!  Simply appalling!  It ended up that his office called me back at 4:15pm to tell me they had forgotten a script.  SHOCKER!  How is a doc supposed to go thru 80 labs and MRIs and discuss options with a person he has never met?!  Anyway, to break it down....he is nice (squirrelly but nice)  He is in agreement with me on the facts.

Harvard and other docs say that saliva testing is crazy stuff.  I disagree.  I think that saliva is another way of collecting information without the use of blood.  Just because it has not become used widely in our country does not mean it is not accurate.  Other countries use it as their norm as we use blood.  The testing that I had done initially was all done with my saliva.  After determining my hormones were completely flatlined I was put on bio identical hormone replacement therapy and steroids since I was deemed adrenally insufficient.  After this, everyone decided they wanted to see blood work so I had to come off of the hormones for 3 months so I could have baselines done which hopefully will be accurate after all this on and off again treatment.  I went to Dr. Penny Glickman the endocrinologist and she ordered some of the labs but not all.  I am not getting caught in the on again off again game once more wasting another 3 months of my life!!!  I asked new PCP Dr. Hammond and he ordered the other half of the baseline tests.  Whew!  Thank God I know a little.  Dr. Hammond wants me back on DHEA and progesterone again.  He talked some smack about Harvard, Mass General and all the incompetent endocrinologists in Brevard county.  It makes me feel a little good to have a choice.  I don't have to buy in to something that I don't agree with.  I can hunt down and hire and fire doctors as I see fit.  This is the way it should be!!!  I need to find out A. What kind of tumor I actually have. B. What to do about it.  I have NO CLUE on who to ask this question to....maybe the Harvard neurosurgeon?  Dr. Penny Glickman is sweet and all but she doesn't care to give me any input on what is next period!  Everyone I talk to sends me on my way to consult with the next person.  It is a sure thing that I have to read more and learn more.  I cannot be caught in this pool with two different (completely) train of thoughts!  I have to learn my own train of thought and find people who match and are willing to help me.  I have watched Suzane Somers on TV and read little bits of her books.  In a way I admire her for putting things out there.  She believed in BHRT.  She was tired of suffering thru symptoms and having other women in similar situations when there are ideas out there.  The problem is the country does not all believe in HRT.    Isn't it good to have the option to try it?  If your quality of life is bad isn't it great to have something to reach out for?  Who wants to have depression, weight gain, hair loss, hot flashes, missed periods if there is a way to solve it?  HELLO!  Poor Suzanne is such an extremest tho.  She takes it all on and to the Nth degree and makes herself look like a quack.  I wish she'd back it up a little so we could all respect her ideas a little more.  Some of her underlying feelings have merit.  The USA has to come further with their research!  Well, I have to start getting ready for Jim's corporate Christmas party so I am going to post the sloppy draft....