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Update 3/10/10 5:40p:

A source tells Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that Jose Reyes will not need treatment for a thyroid condition. According to Rubin’s source the most extensive change for Reyes could be a dietary modification — which is pretty insignificant. No radioactive iodine treatment may be required, the source indicated, although the person did not want to conclusively declare that to be the case for fear of a public-relations headache if a late test result somehow determines otherwise.

Update 3/10/10 9:30a:

In an interview with Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, Jose Reyes denied having a thyroid problem.

“The specialists who took care of me in New York have told me that I’m fine and that there’s nothing wrong with my thyroid,” said Reyes. “The test [taken to follow one conducted during his physical] showed that I’m fine. We just have to wait for the results of the additional test. The [doctors] found inflammation in my throat and no medicine to treat the thyroid or any other condition has been prescribed.”

Here we go again. What is with the total lack of communication? How do the Mets continue to handle these medical issues in the media wrong every single time???

So test results have officially confirmed that Jose Reyes has an over active thryoid. He will undergo further tests to figure out the best course of treatment, which will be known by Thursday. It is thought that his condition is fully treatable.

He may or may not be ready for Opening day though. Best case scenario is that he’s back by this weekend. We should always expect the worst with the Mets at this point. His long term health is the most important thing but this whole situation is such a downer. I mean first Beltran then K-Rod and pink eye and now Reyes I’m starting to get that awful injury bug feeling from last season.

Is any one else annoyed with Craig Carton of the Boomer & Carton show on WFAN? For the past week or so he’s been pretty much saying that Jose Reyes case of hyperthyroidism was a result of Dr. Galea injecting Reyes with HGH. That’s a pretty bold statement. Regardless if it’s a possiblity I think it’s totally unfair to Jose Reyes.

I used to like Carton, but ever since he became a Yankee fan last year during their run and now this, pretty much accusing Reyes of doing HGH, he’s really annoyed me and I think most Met fans.

I did a quick Google search of ‘hgh and thryoid’ and a bunch of the links actually said that HGH may help treat hyperthyroidism. See http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/83/10/3493 and http://www.hgh-pro.com/thyroid.html

Here’s some more info on Hyperthyroidism from Google Health.

The thyroid gland is an important organ of the endocrine system. It is located in the front of the neck just below the voice box. The gland produces the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which control the way every cell in the body uses energy. This process is called your metabolism.

Hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid releases too much of its hormones over a short (acute) or long (chronic) period of time. Many diseases and conditions can cause this problem, including:

Getting too much iodine
Graves disease (accounts for most cases of hyperthyroidism)
Inflammation (thyroiditis) of the thyroid due to viral infections or other causes
Noncancerous growths of the thyroid gland or pituitary gland
Taking large amounts of thyroid hormone
Tumors of the testes or ovaries.

Tests & diagnosis

Physical examination may reveal thyroid enlargement, tremor, hyperactive reflexes, or an increased heart rate. Systolic blood pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) may be high.

Subclinical hyperthyroidism is a mild form of hyperthyroidism that is diagnosed by abnormal blood levels of thyroid hormones, often in the absence of any symptoms.

Blood tests are also done to measure levels of thyroid hormones.

TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level is usually low
T3 and free T4 levels are usually high

This disease may also affect the results of the following tests:

Cholesterol test
Glucose test
Radioactive iodine uptake
T3RU
Triglycerides
Vitamin B12 (in rare cases)

Prognosis

Hyperthyroidism is generally treatable and only rarely is life threatening. Some of its causes may go away without treatment.

Hyperthyroidism caused by Graves disease usually gets worse over time. It has many complications, some of which are severe and affect quality of life.

Prevention

There are no known ways to prevent hyperthyroidism.

Complications

Thyroid crisis (storm), also called thyrotoxicosis, is a sudden worsening of hyperthyroidism symptoms that may occur with infection or stress. Fever, decreased mental alertness, and abdominal pain may occur. Immediate hospitalization is needed.

Other complications related to hyperthyroidism include:

Heart-related complications including:
- Rapid heart rate
- Congestive heart failure
- Atrial fibrillation
Increased risk for osteoporosis, if hyperthyroidism is present for a long time
Surgery-related complications, including:
- Scarring of the neck
- Hoarseness due to nerve damage to the voice box
- Low calcium level due to damage to the parathyroid glands (located near the thyroid gland)
Treatments for hypothyroidism, such as radioactive iodine, surgery, and medications to replace thyroid hormones can have complications

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Johan Santana made his spring training debut today and pitched for the first time since his elbow surgery last year. Santana gave up four runs and six hits in one and 2/3 of an inning but he said he felt good afterward, which is the bottom line. Santana had the following to say after today’s outing.

“I felt good because I was able to throw all of my pitches. I was a little bit off with my mechanics, releasing the ball. That’s part of spring training. That’s what we’re here for, trying to make adjustments and throw all of my pitches. The good thing is I felt good. I didn’t feel any problem in my arm. So that’s good.”

I don’t care that he gave up four runs, including a 2 run shot to opening day home run specialist Kaz Matsui. I didnt’t even care that Ollie P had a rough outing yesterday. Bottom line is health, especially for Johan, so if he continues to feel good physically everything else will fall into place by opening day.