The results are in: I am no longer anemic! Hurray, hurray.
Got the tests back a few days ago. Hemoglobin is now 13.5 (within the normal 12-16 range). Two months ago, it was 8.0.
Now I will deal with the fallout. And not just my hair (which is getting better, but is still falling out). It's like I've had a rude guest in the house who took up all my time, made me eat a bunch of fatty foods (aka BEEF), and then zapped me of all my energy so I couldn't go exercise or live my own life in any way.
The good news? The guest has left! And if I'm careful, that guy will not return. Though I do find I get tired, still. That, I think, is because I'm 48.
The past couple months did give me some appreciation for what people with chronic illnesses go through, especially people who have things like lupus or fibromyalgia that are so physically draining. The silver lining on my cloud was that I could fix the anemia. My illness was a guest, not a permanent resident. Hallelujah.
Showing posts with label Anemia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anemia. Show all posts
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Playing Soccer Sick
As I've mentioned before, I play soccer on Saturdays. So yesterday I went to the soccer game, even though I am short oxygen (because of my recent anemia diagnosis). We lost, 3-2, but we were short three players so I think we did pretty well under the circumstances. I let everyone know I would be short of breath, but they didn't quite get it. I would do one great run, but then have nothing left for a few minutes - but I'd still be on the field and my teammates would presume I could at least hobble together a defense, which I couldn't.
So I started to just pull myself off the field when I was out of breath. That seemed to work, if only because it brought me boatloads of sympathy. ("Are you okay? Are you injured?" I even got a ragtag first aid team to meander their way to where I was lying on the grass one time, just outside of the field. "Need some water?") My team did finally figure out that I could not be consistently reliable.
It's like having half a gallon of gas in the car. The car runs beautifully for a little while. But then - it's out of gas. You have to wait to until there's more there before you can start the engine again.
At one point, though, I thought - hmm - they still do not get this. Our offense had a corner kick, so all the defenders (except me) moved up to play offense. One of the forwards from the other team - who was playing next to me - said something to her defenders like, hey, they left us with only one defender here, so kick the ball up fast if you get it. I said the unspoken thought: "And it's the anemic one that they left back here!" She laughed and said, "Yeah, and it's the anemic one!"
This may just be my last game for the season, as we have two weeks off, and then the first two Saturdays in June I'm unavailable. This is probably better. I probably am overdoing it just a little to be playing soccer, of all sports.
But before I forget - I need to recite something that happened a couple of weeks ago. As I may have mentioned before, this is a team that "plays to drink," so we almost always go out for a beer after the game. A couple weeks ago we were at "our" bar ("Bottoms Up"), and I said, "You know, I never drink beer except for after soccer games." One of the guys (who prefers to remain nameless) responded, "The only time I stop drinking beer is during soccer games!" So funny. We're such cards. Love that team!
So I started to just pull myself off the field when I was out of breath. That seemed to work, if only because it brought me boatloads of sympathy. ("Are you okay? Are you injured?" I even got a ragtag first aid team to meander their way to where I was lying on the grass one time, just outside of the field. "Need some water?") My team did finally figure out that I could not be consistently reliable.
It's like having half a gallon of gas in the car. The car runs beautifully for a little while. But then - it's out of gas. You have to wait to until there's more there before you can start the engine again.
At one point, though, I thought - hmm - they still do not get this. Our offense had a corner kick, so all the defenders (except me) moved up to play offense. One of the forwards from the other team - who was playing next to me - said something to her defenders like, hey, they left us with only one defender here, so kick the ball up fast if you get it. I said the unspoken thought: "And it's the anemic one that they left back here!" She laughed and said, "Yeah, and it's the anemic one!"
This may just be my last game for the season, as we have two weeks off, and then the first two Saturdays in June I'm unavailable. This is probably better. I probably am overdoing it just a little to be playing soccer, of all sports.
But before I forget - I need to recite something that happened a couple of weeks ago. As I may have mentioned before, this is a team that "plays to drink," so we almost always go out for a beer after the game. A couple weeks ago we were at "our" bar ("Bottoms Up"), and I said, "You know, I never drink beer except for after soccer games." One of the guys (who prefers to remain nameless) responded, "The only time I stop drinking beer is during soccer games!" So funny. We're such cards. Love that team!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Vitamin B-12
I could quote Cheech and Chong here... but this is a family blog.
Still, I don't think I've ever been prescribed such a nice pick-me-up as Vitamin B-12.
A couple days ago, I learned I am anemic. It's pretty severe. No one's suggesting it yet, but technically my hemoglobin is low enough that I think I am a candidate for blood transfusions.
Being anemic means that I do not have enough red blood cells. Which means there is only limited oxygen in my blood. Getting this diagnosis is a blessing. Now I know why I've been so tired.
My normal problem with anemia (having had it four years ago - though not as bad as I have it now) is that my body doesn't absorb iron pills - they just make me sick to my stomach. Also in the past, I haven't been able to take a multiple "B" vitamins without feeling nauseated. But my naturopath doctor had some good - um - stuff, man, that is absorbable (so he says, and he's a man of his word). Included in the drugs he gave me (a pill and a liquid), which I now take twice a day, is some form of B-12. Apparently you need infusion of both iron and B vitamins (and B-12 in particular) in order to fight anemia effectively.
As it turns out - I am loving that B-12. And from what I hear, it is a little-kept secret that vitamin B-12 can deliver this kind of pick-me-up. I just didn't know about it until this week.
Here is my daily pattern these past couple of days. I wake up a little lethargic. I take my B-12 (and other drugs - I mean, vitamins). Suddenly, I am energized. I think I own the world. I go out and let the world know that I am a benevolent dictator.
And then I crash.
Because, for as much as I like the energy, the truth here is: I am anemic. I have too few red cells. This means I have no oxygen in my blood. So it doesn't matter how much energy the B-12 gives me - I still am anemic and without enough oxygen.
The doc thinks I'll be replenished in two months. At least, that's when I'm supposed to get my next blood test. In the meantime, I'm riding a roller coaster of energy. And I seem to be out of breath a lot.
Still - gotta say it again - I am loving that B-12!
I've also adjusted my diet so I'm eating iron-filled food. This means I've been eating a lot of beef. When I read that dried apricots also have iron, I was thrilled. That would be a lot lighter intake than beef, is what I thought. So I ate a big bag of dried apricots last night. Urp. Let me just say - I don't recommend that you do the same. Too much of a good thing, is the best way to describe it. And - um - I think dried apricots could moonlight as refried beans when it comes to digestion. Enough said.
Still, I don't think I've ever been prescribed such a nice pick-me-up as Vitamin B-12.
A couple days ago, I learned I am anemic. It's pretty severe. No one's suggesting it yet, but technically my hemoglobin is low enough that I think I am a candidate for blood transfusions.
Being anemic means that I do not have enough red blood cells. Which means there is only limited oxygen in my blood. Getting this diagnosis is a blessing. Now I know why I've been so tired.
My normal problem with anemia (having had it four years ago - though not as bad as I have it now) is that my body doesn't absorb iron pills - they just make me sick to my stomach. Also in the past, I haven't been able to take a multiple "B" vitamins without feeling nauseated. But my naturopath doctor had some good - um - stuff, man, that is absorbable (so he says, and he's a man of his word). Included in the drugs he gave me (a pill and a liquid), which I now take twice a day, is some form of B-12. Apparently you need infusion of both iron and B vitamins (and B-12 in particular) in order to fight anemia effectively.
As it turns out - I am loving that B-12. And from what I hear, it is a little-kept secret that vitamin B-12 can deliver this kind of pick-me-up. I just didn't know about it until this week.
Here is my daily pattern these past couple of days. I wake up a little lethargic. I take my B-12 (and other drugs - I mean, vitamins). Suddenly, I am energized. I think I own the world. I go out and let the world know that I am a benevolent dictator.
And then I crash.
Because, for as much as I like the energy, the truth here is: I am anemic. I have too few red cells. This means I have no oxygen in my blood. So it doesn't matter how much energy the B-12 gives me - I still am anemic and without enough oxygen.
The doc thinks I'll be replenished in two months. At least, that's when I'm supposed to get my next blood test. In the meantime, I'm riding a roller coaster of energy. And I seem to be out of breath a lot.
Still - gotta say it again - I am loving that B-12!
I've also adjusted my diet so I'm eating iron-filled food. This means I've been eating a lot of beef. When I read that dried apricots also have iron, I was thrilled. That would be a lot lighter intake than beef, is what I thought. So I ate a big bag of dried apricots last night. Urp. Let me just say - I don't recommend that you do the same. Too much of a good thing, is the best way to describe it. And - um - I think dried apricots could moonlight as refried beans when it comes to digestion. Enough said.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Anemia
Well, I knew something was wrong. I just presumed it was my thyroid. I was really tired (but figured it was because I had worked so hard at finishing my first screenplay in a month). I was still losing some hair (but less of it, and still had plenty more). I was out of breath before I was tired (something I noticed especially while playing soccer). And I was chewing ice. I think it was when I went through a whole bag of ice in four days that I thought, hmm...
So I had my blood tested. Needed to do it for the thyroid anyway.
Turns out, I am anemic. Again. Like I was four years ago. Except even worse than back then. Since this snuck up on me gradually, however, the change in energy hasn't been as stark - and it's been lingering, I think, and just slowly getting worse. My hemoglobin is at 8.0. Normal range is 12.0 to 16.0. Apparently anything lower than 8.0 is considered severely anemic. (Some say that anything lower than 9.0 is severe.) Four years ago, when everyone was so worried, my hemoglobin was 9.2. So this is worse.
I'm so happy. Not happy to be sick (or thrilled about the months it will take to fix the anemia), but happy that there's a reason I've been tired, out of breath, losing hair, chewing ice... And I'm happy because I know I will feel better soon, and will be greatly improved in a couple months. My lower energy is not just because I'm 48. It is because I need to take better care of my red blood cells.
And then I think - how in the world did I write a screenplay in a month when I was severely anemic? How productive might I become if I had more oxygen in my blood? (That's the biggest thing with anemia - you have no oxygen.) And then I realize - I'm nuts. I've done this all my life (overridden my body's efforts to communicate). I thought I'd gotten better at listening to my body. But my blood test results are written proof that I'm just as capable as I always was of ignoring my body's signals. Does it mean I'm willful? Or that I just have strong stamina? Is it my body that works around the illness, or my mind? If I lived in someone else's body, would I have collapsed by now, regardless of my personal tenacity? If the answer is yes - then how do I monitor whether I'm healthy or sick, if I can't hear my body's SOS?
These are questions I have to consider. In the meantime, I'm taking the supplements that the doctor gave me and they aren't making me too horribly sick yet (I learned four years ago that most iron supplements just make me sick to my stomach - but apparently these supplements are designed for digestion)... And I'm hoping for the best. And I'm grateful this is fixable. What a gift - that I can fix this.
So I had my blood tested. Needed to do it for the thyroid anyway.
Turns out, I am anemic. Again. Like I was four years ago. Except even worse than back then. Since this snuck up on me gradually, however, the change in energy hasn't been as stark - and it's been lingering, I think, and just slowly getting worse. My hemoglobin is at 8.0. Normal range is 12.0 to 16.0. Apparently anything lower than 8.0 is considered severely anemic. (Some say that anything lower than 9.0 is severe.) Four years ago, when everyone was so worried, my hemoglobin was 9.2. So this is worse.
I'm so happy. Not happy to be sick (or thrilled about the months it will take to fix the anemia), but happy that there's a reason I've been tired, out of breath, losing hair, chewing ice... And I'm happy because I know I will feel better soon, and will be greatly improved in a couple months. My lower energy is not just because I'm 48. It is because I need to take better care of my red blood cells.
And then I think - how in the world did I write a screenplay in a month when I was severely anemic? How productive might I become if I had more oxygen in my blood? (That's the biggest thing with anemia - you have no oxygen.) And then I realize - I'm nuts. I've done this all my life (overridden my body's efforts to communicate). I thought I'd gotten better at listening to my body. But my blood test results are written proof that I'm just as capable as I always was of ignoring my body's signals. Does it mean I'm willful? Or that I just have strong stamina? Is it my body that works around the illness, or my mind? If I lived in someone else's body, would I have collapsed by now, regardless of my personal tenacity? If the answer is yes - then how do I monitor whether I'm healthy or sick, if I can't hear my body's SOS?
These are questions I have to consider. In the meantime, I'm taking the supplements that the doctor gave me and they aren't making me too horribly sick yet (I learned four years ago that most iron supplements just make me sick to my stomach - but apparently these supplements are designed for digestion)... And I'm hoping for the best. And I'm grateful this is fixable. What a gift - that I can fix this.
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