Anemia be damned

Another piece of my bloodwork that was interesting is that my H&H (hematocrit & hemoglobin) are back within normal range but my Iron Serum level was higher than the normal range (depending on who you ask for a normal range).

This lab lists 35-155 ug/dL for the normal range but I've seen online that other labs consider 60-170 being the norm. My Iron Serum came in at 169 which got flagged as high from this Lab where my bloodwork was processed. I'm hoping that is just from the four-month iron supplement I was on for my Anemia.

I'll find out more about that # next Wednesday when I have my follow-up appointment to review my bloodwork and discuss what supplements and medications I need to start for the Lyme.

At least it has a name, at least it has a name...I keep repeating this to myself when I start feeling depressed and overwhelmed by the months and years of recovery I have ahead.

The Meds

So after seeing the Holistic doctor, here is what I'm taking the first month of treatment. I have a follow-up with the Doctor in 4 weeks to review my bloodwork and assess how I'm feeling:

1. Diflucan - anti-fungal medicine for one month, to be re-evaluated at my next visit. May have to continue. There is a Herxheimer Effect from Candida die-off which produces toxins in your body as the yeast dies. It makes you feel worse, before you feel better. Should be a fun month.

2. Omega-3/Fish Oil - Taking 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon.

3. ActivNutrients - A powerful multi-vitamin, 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon.

4. Vitamin D - pretty much everyone is VitD deficient these days so he put me on a supplement immediately until we get blood work back.

5. Probiotic Pearls - 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon. Basically everyone should be on Probiotics daily. Especially someone like me who has such massive stomach issues on a daily basis. I was "diagnosed" with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in High School and have suffered the consequences for 20 years. I've enjoyed a very normal schedule for the past few weeks since I started popping these little gems. (I started the Probiotics before I had my appointment with the Holistic Doctor.)

6. Trazadone - a happy pill, non-habit-forming, to help me sleep. And boy have I slept well. I fall asleep quickly. I did wake up a few nights, but I feel right back to sleep. It was fantastic. I can't remember the last time I had such a peaceful sleep through the night. This is a drug you have to build up to. You start with 1/2 pill for a week, then 1 nightly for a week, then 1.5, then 2. If I'm not sleeping well still, it can go as high as 4 per night, but I'm already seeing benefits from just 1/2 so I don't think I'll ever get as high as 4. I hate drugs, but I'm enjoying this one so far.

7. Iron Supplement - until I get the blood work back, I still have to continue my Iron Supplement to battle the Anemia. Once I get my Hematocrit and Hemoglobin levels back, I'll know if I can stop the Iron or if I have to continue taking it. The Doc might change my dosage if I'm still deficient.

So that's it for now. I go back to the Doc mid-October to check my bloodwork. I also sent in my hair sample this week. Had to cut large chunks of hair from the back of my head and cut off the last one-inch sample closest to my scalp (new growth) and pile it up on a scale until it tipped. It took a lot of hair to tip that scale. So now I am waiting for those results too. They test for heavy metal toxicity (mercury, lead, arsenic, iron, etc.). I'm almost afraid to hear the results.

Another step we're taking is getting an indoor air quality test and mold check in our house. Again, totally afraid of those results since we know this house had 4 feet of water in it after Hurricane Isabel in 2003. That was before we owned our house but the previous owner told us he did a "total rehab" after the flood. But that doesn't mean there is not still water damage and mold lurking in our walls.

My Symptoms

First, let me document my most annoying symptoms, the ones I've been visiting doctors for, for years...

1. Anemia - This is a new and short-term issue. I had a bad miscarriage in May 2010 and hemorrhaged badly. I called 911, lost consciousness on the way to the Hospital and almost had to get a transfusion. Thankfully that didn't happen but I was left with a very low Hematocrit and Hemoglobin (I think it was 8 and 25?), which left me in the "severe" Anemia range. I was supposed to go on an Iron Supplement (my OB told me any old OTC would do) and I would be fine. I wanted assurance that the Anemia was under control and she told me to go to "any doctor" and ask for a blood test in a few months. (thanks, doc, for thinking of me). 4 months later I still feel like crap, but only my recent blood work will tell if the Anemia is gone and I can stop taking these horrible Iron Supplements.
2. Sinus Infections (chronic) - I've had sinus infections for years and years, they have become a fact of life. Although now I"m reading they don't have to be. I went to an ENT, I started Allergy Shots, they weren't for me. All the allergy meds they put me on made me feel jittery and insane. I hated them all. I got nosebleeds from some. How is this helping??? My allergy shot regimen was 2x/week and it took me almost 2 hours roundtrip to do the shots. I just couldn't keep it up with the demands of my job, when the allergy center was only open 10-4 and closed for lunch. What????  How is that helping people? My Internist willingly wrote me multiple antibiotic 'scrips month after month without ever suggesting I go see a specialist. I had to ask him if he knew of one. Fat lot of good that did me. The ENT actually asked me if I was a regular Cocaine user. Offended, I told him simply, NO! He then (in so many words) told me he didn't believe me because he'd never seen such horrible nasal and sinus cavities other than regular drug users. I explained to him that not only have I NEVER used Cocaine, I've never even SEEN it in real life. I was so pissed, I walked out of his office and I haven't been back.
3. Insomnia - I've never been a good sleeper. I have both kinds of Insomnia. Trouble falling asleep. Trouble staying asleep. Sometimes I fall asleep at 9pm with a book in my lap, but I'm awake at 2am and never fall back to sleep. Other times, I go to bed at my normal time (11pm) and toss and turn until 2am when I finally get up, go to the sofa or guest room and either read or watch TV for the rest of the night. Sometimes I will sleep for 2 or so hours at the end of the morning but most nights like that, I'm just awake the whole night, never sleeping for one...single...minute.
4. Dandruff - My head has been itching for one solid year. Head & Shoulders, Denorex, other random "scalp itch" solutions found in the pharmacy. A talk with my Dermatologist gave me chemical shampoo (I decided not to join that bandwagon). I still itch. I still hope to find out what the hell is going on with my body. I'll never wear black again at this point, I'm paranoid.
5. Joint Pain - As mentioned before, I have to score my child's banana in the morning because I can't peel it by myself. My finger joints are just that stiff and swollen when I wake up. Reminder...I'm only 37 with no history of early onset arthritis. My parents are in their mid-60s with no arthritis to speak of other than normal aches and pains.
6. Vertigo - Ever feel like the world is spinning and you want to get off? That's what Vertigo feels like. Turn your head one way, and the whole room keeps on moving. Lay down in bed and feel like the bed is floating on an angry sea. Get up from a chair too fast and your upper body keeps on moving in that direction and you either fall over or you bump into a wall. I bump into a lot of walls. My family calls me clumsy but I'm actually a pretty coordinated person. Now I absolutely KNOW this is not just silly clumsiness. Something is wrong inside causing this. I always linked it to the sinus infections (fluid in the ears, etc.) but now I think it's much more and linked to some other health issues.

It doesn't seem like a lot, but if you've lived with these things chronically for many years, you would understand the agony. Any chronic illness, whether it's an incurable disease or a relatively minor inconvenience, any chronic illness will wear on a person's soul. It tears you apart emotionally and physically and eventually causes other issues which just exasperate the problem. I'm hoping to help people find true health by following my own journey. I'm not a medical professional by any means. I'm a 9-5 employee for an IT company. I have just been sickly for many years and I have a cabinet full of prescriptions that I'm ready to burn.

Here's to health and happiness!