hashimoto time.

Saw Bukberg the endocrinologist today about my GOITER (thanks to Linda for the hookups). He diagnosed me right quick as having My Mother's Thyroid, aka Hashimoto's Disease.

Here are the things I know about Hashimoto: 1) According to Buk, it's "the best of all the autoimmune diseases to have." Awesome! 2) It's also the first! 3) It's a white lady's disease, despite peeps in Japan fixing to have an epidemic. 4) Hashimoto hisself died from thyphoid. Poor guy.

Anyway, this is causing the enlargedness and the nodules because my immune system is ATTACKING my thyroid for no real reason. Over time, this can lead to overactive or underactive thyroid, goiters, or tumors. So next step is getting a needle biopsy, in which they stab my throat over and over with what Buk calls "not really that big" needles. Then there are 3 possible results that I don't totally understand. All I know is the first 2 mean I'm probably fine and just need to be monitored to see if the little guys grow or if my blood shows a thyroid "disturbance." The third means tumors. If that, I have to get half the thyroid taken out, tested on the spot, and if tumors are malignant, the whole thyroid comes out. This last possibility is obviously worst-case but not to worry: Bukberg says thyroid cancer is "eminently treatable." Eminent like the Japanese.

In the good news department: doc says I do not have My Mother's cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar. Oh, and apparently the cold spells are unrelated. Bukberg's assessment: "That's weird."

Anyway...that's the news from here. Will update after my samurai biopsy.