Diagnosed

A trip to Prince Court Hospital revealed the answer to many of the questions regarding my physical being…

Ibu was due for a follow-up at the hospital today, a week after successfully undergoing surgery to remove a few lumps. To keep her happy (and to get her to stop nagging) I agreed to see a doctor to find out why the trembling in my hands were getting worse.

I can’t quite remember when the trembling first occurred. My best estimate would be some time between 2008 and 2009. Since then the trembling has gotten more and more noticeable – spreading to my thighs in the last few months.

After a blood test and an EEG, I was diagnosed with Thyrotoxicosis by the friendly neurologist, Dr. Hamidon Basri. This condition is when the thyroid glen produces too much thyroid hormones, which basically sends my body into hyper-drive.

The chances of a males to suffer this condition is 1 in 1,000, while females risk a 1 in 100 chance.

Here are the list of symptoms that I am showcasing:

1. Shaking or tremor, especially in the hands
   • How I got the ‘Parkinson's’ nickname. Something I laugh about with my friends. Thankfully it is not, for the complications of that would be way too much to address.
2. Weight loss
   • Everyone, and I mean everyone, have been telling me that I am too skinny. While other struggled to keep their weight down, I struggled to keep it up. Thankfully now I know why.
3. Increased appetite
   • “Amir bela hantu raya!” My closest friends would tease me whenever they see me eat. For a person so small, I can take on the best of the best when it comes to eating. “Hantu raya kau nama Thyroid” said Dr. Hamidon, funny man.
4. Over activity
   • My body is always doing something. Even when sitting down my hands would fidget and my legs would stomp. I thought it was just bad habits. Turns out it was excessive hormones.
5. Excessive sweating
   • I sweat easily. Even sitting in my air-conditioned room at the family’s house in Kota Kemuning, my hands, thighs and feet are sweating, and I’m just wearing my boxers. Oh, and it’s set to 16 degrees Celsius.
6. Increased heart rate (palpitations)
   • I would be lying if I said I didn’t notice this. Sometimes when my heart beats a little faster, I would put it down to perhaps being nervous, excited, or just too exhausted. Being the type to play futsal and work in the media industry doesn’t quite help.
7. Agitation
   • Those around me can attest. I get agitated easily. I snap and lose my temper at a snap of a finger. Most of the times I don’t realize it, but now, looking back, I do admit that I can blow my top off for something really insignificant. For those caught in the crosshairs, I apologise. Thankfully it’s the hormones causing this and not my true self.
8. Anxiety
   • “Mom knows best” the saying goes. And although most describe me as laid-back, easy-going and relaxed, Ibu would always know that something is always playing in my head. “Stop worrying about everything” she would say. I’m guessing the ‘fire-fighter’  isn’t quite a fire-fighter after all.
9. Changes in emotions
   • I’m emo, nuff said.
10. Bulging of the eyes
    • For someone with big eyes, it took the nurse (who had a brother with the same condition) no more than five seconds to tell me she suspected I was a candidate. Made me wonder why she’s a nurse and not a doctor though.

Dr. Hamidon is referring me to a specialist. I have an appointment with her, Dr. Norshinah Kamarudin on Saturday 17th September. She’ll tell me more about my condition specifically and will put me on a medication program which could last anywhere between 18 months to when I meet my maker.

Now that I know all this, I’m neither sad, disappointed nor angry. I found myself smiling when each test carried out confirmed my condition. The simple reason being I know it was another test from Allah, and He wants to abolish some of the many sins I have in my short life so far and test my faith in him.

“I’m ok. I’m as strong as they come. See me prove it.”

Oh, btw, I was also told I had a very high stress level and a high uric acid count…

But I also have very high IQ, the brain test confirmed it.

Adios!