Your Humble Opinion

[Guest guest]

Dr. Grim, I can't tell you how much your words mean to me. It brings me

to tears to hear someone in the medical community finally affirm what I

believe and experience. Last year when I suggested PA after a bout of

out of control BP, my MD literally laughed at me. Said it was very rare

and I just have essential hypertension.

Her solution to the severe edema in one leg was to wear pressure

stockings. (It was the Norvasc) I insisted on a referral to the

nephrologist who has always seemed reasonable to me and is aware of my

continuing concern about the adenoma. He ordered a bunch of tests but

when I suggested PA and cited the Mayo clinic study that 10% of

essential hypertensives may have some form of PA. He said he didn't

" agree " with that study. He did order a range of tests but none of the

ones that seem to be recommended by this site. I got a letter of test

results from him saying everything was normal and I should follow up

with the primary care for BP issues.

My last episode in April of chest pains kept me in the hospital

overnight searching for a cardiac event. The " hospitalist " who came in

the middle of the night entertained the possibility that these symptoms

were a result of PA when I querried him about it. He even volunteered

" Conns " which no one had ever suggested before. He said he agreed with

the Mayo study. (It's like a religion, either they believe or they

don't.) He suggested the salt loading test. Based on his remarks I

sought out a new endo on my own.

I am seeing someone at Polyclinic in Seattle and I note that one of her

colleagues is mentioned in this webiste as an expert on PA. Dr. Ochi?

I sincerely hope that the 24 hour urine and/or the ARR will show some

confirmation of what I feel is going on with my body. If not, I am

willing to accept a referral to psychiatry.

I found some labs going back a couple of years and they hover around 3.6

for potassium. I intend to check with the ER and see what the findings

were there in April when I was having chest pains.

When I get lab results I will post them. In the meantime I am carrying

a supply of your article to hand out. I don't care if people get

offended. They went to medical school, but I have lived in this body

for 63 years. I sincerely appreciate the work you are doing with this

condition and your willingness to share. It is very comforting to not

feel like a voice crying in the wilderness.

Sorry this is long.

> >>Are there any numbers that show how likely an adenoma is to result

in PA? That is, what percentage of people with adenomas have PA?

Should we expect to find PA with an adenoma? The recent CT results

report a 2.5 X2.7 cm benign appearing adenoma. When it was first found

in 1997 my recollection is that it was about 2 X 2 cm. At that time it

was chalked off as having nothing to do with my vague, neurotic symptoms

such as low back ache and episodic general unwell feelings etc. Is the

ARR definitive? I'm still waiting for my ARR and other lab results. The

new endo that I consulted sent the ARR blood to the University of

Washington for test.

> >>

> >>

> >>

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>