For symptoms to settle down you really do have to leave it several weeks -- not just two -- to begin to notice changes. This is the reason why the standard period for being signed off sick at my hospital was six weeks (that is six weeks in addition to the week in hospital). Now some people go back to work earlier than that (I went back two weeks early) but I did work shortened hours for a while as I got so exhausted. Some people, of course, take more time than this to recover.

In the first week or two I was home from, I was having problems walking to the local shops (200 yards away) and on a couple of occasions even caught the bus (one stop).

John

Did anyone else's heart act crazy after surgery? I almost went to the ER last night.

Hi Suzanna,

I had palpitations when I was on to high dose of hydrocortisone. I had episodes of sudden rise of BP and palpitations occasionally when I was off all drugs too. I have seen cardiologist but never got an answer.
Has your endo checked your thyroid? Overactive thyroid can also cause palpitations.

What were your symptoms? Did you have high BP?

Harmony22

Wishing you the very best. i know many on the group have sent good wishes. we're all supporting! peace, sunny

Suzanna, I certainly can relate to your worries. I am 8 weeks post op and still get concerned when I feel anything weird. I didn't get labs until 6 weeks post op and they were better. The doc told me that it could take up to 3 months for labs to be normal. He also explained that my pituitary gland would need time to settle down also. They think I have had my tumor for 15 years so it will take a while for my body to adjust. Your situation definitely sounds more serious than mine so your body is probably having a more difficult time adjusting. I'm sure your docs would not mind you calling them for any questions or concerns. Acromegaly is a scary thing as it can affect so many different parts of the body. Be patient with your body and let it heal, it's an amazing thing but don't hesitate to call someone if you feel you need to, some times the body needs a little help. I hope you start feeling better soon.

The official results are in: My GH levels 3 weeks post-op are 38. I'm disappointed but not entirely surprised. So it goes.

Suzanna

I'm sorry that your numbers aren't what you hoped for. The numbers are at least down and you hopefully should be experiencing some lessening of symptoms and feel better with the lower numbers. Hopefully, given a couple of more weeks for your body to adjust and settle down, the numbers will go down even more.

How are you feeling overall?

Monica

Overall I feel ok. I got the nasal splints out yesterday, so that has made me feel more normal.

My doctors have all been scratching their heads about my elevated heart rate, but I found the acromegaly treatment guidelines published in 2004 by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, which says, "In patients with acromegaly, cardiac disease usually begins with a hyperkinetic syndrome characterized by increased heart rate." So I brought this to my endo's attention (as politely as possible), and they're going to start me on meds until the surgeons decide what to do next. It's strange that the heart symptoms didn't start until after the surgery!

I'm going back to work Monday. Looking forward to it, just hoping I don't get too tired!

Good luck as you go back to work, Suzanna. I hope that you take it easy on yourself. Good for you for being so informed and asking the docs about the heart stuff. We have to be such advocates for ourselves!! :)

Glad you're feeling good! Getting those splints out really does make a HUGE difference in how you feel overall. Those things are nasty and uncomfortable! As your nose heals up more, you'll feel even better. Way to get your endo to pay attention to your symptoms to help you with the heart issues, hopefully those will resolve quickly.

Good luck going back to work. Try not to lean your head forward for too long, don't stay bent over for more than a few seconds if you can help it and when you get tired, rest.

Monica