Showing posts with label blood work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blood work. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Waking Up

For the first time in nearly a month... no, three months, I feel almost normal. No chest congestion, no real coughing, voice has returned, although still husky sounding. I also have no pain but still have terrible fatigue, except today. I have no idea why but I'll take it.

I've spent the morning reading posts. I should have been "doing" but I didn't. So there. I am going to get to writing after lunch and I have a ton of other stuff I want to do. Because I know the energy won't last and the pain won't stay at bay.

I got the results of my CAT scan yesterday. Most will already have read it on the book of face. I still have one small nodule on the bottom of my right lung. There are no other nodules on either lung and it is probably not anything to worry about.. unofficially. I see the doctor on November 3rd. He will tell me if that is correct.

Was I ever worried? Actually, for about five minutes in the ER when they told me they found it. Then they told me RA can cause it. RA is my curse and therefore, I knew it probably was a benign nodule. Still one must be sure. Did I worry they've find more? That they'd be serious? I realized that I can't fix it. That if it was, and if there were there wasn't a single thing I could do that would undo, change, or fix it. So, I decided to ignore it. I asked people to pray about it, had prayer for it, and left it there.

I went for labs yesterday and got those back. My white count is still very low, 3.3. The acceptable range starts at 3. When I looked at the drop in the white count over time I noted it dropped from 5 to the very low range in August. That is when I got so sick with a cold, just after Sarah started school. She got very sick as well. She missed a week of school. For a child, that's pretty severe for a cold. I suspect my immune wasn't as good as her's because I was down with that thing two weeks and had to go on a Z-pac.

I'm still struggling with fatigue also. I'm going to have to start running a closer check on my blood sugars. I am wondering if I'm experiencing spikes. I got up this morning and felt pretty good, all things considered. I wasn't overly tired once I walked around and had coffee. By now, after I ate lunch, I got slammed and had to go to the recliner. I went to sleep and slept like a rock for two hours. I had a hard time waking, too. Once I was up, I felt o.k.

Yes, I'm still waiting on the sleep study. I was supposed to call today and forgot. I have a lot of stuff to follow up on tomorrow so I'll do it then.

Writing... very little. This is the first day I didn't really feel like I was half dead. As I said above, the cold has receeded.

I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday with my RA doc, at noon. I have one with my Primary care doctor on Friday at 9:45. That should fix me up for a bit. I have to close one of my savings accounts to pull the money from it for all these copays! $25 a pop and by Nov 3 I will have had 10 visits in 4 months. Got to stop this.

Ok, I think I'm done. Now, I'm going to get ready for bed. I began this early this morning... LOL, g'nite.


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Just Tuesday?

I am still alive but yesterday I was so sick! I went back to my doctor again after lunch because of how I was feeling. It was just awful. However, she found nothing unusual. I told her it felt as if I had jello in my brain for about 2 hours.

So, more blood work. This time we're looking at possible diabetes. I'm insulin resistant. I've avoided the full blown disease up to now. I have no idea what happened yesterday but it felt like I was going to pass out as any minute. I had a bowl of grits for breakfast and toast. Delicious but very high carb content. For lunch I went home and had an egg sandwich. High fat and protein content even though there was the carbs in the bread. I had my sister come by and take my blood sugar count. It was 84! That's actually good. So.... after lunch, while I was at the doctor, I was a bit better. I wondered if my blood sugar had dropped too low.

She instructed me to get a massage because I have multiple trigger points, some I didn't even know until she pressed them. So, I get one tomorrow after work. David, bless him, gave my back a very good rub down last night. He knows exactly how much pressure and where to take out the kinks. I still had terrible neck ache and headache yesterday. The doctor felt all the tight muscles in my back were contributing to it. I took too acetaminophen and after he worked on my back, neck and shoulders, it did feel much better. And today, not so sore. No real headache either.

I have no idea what I'm going to eat. She's taken me off any sweetener..... even artificial. Just water or natural unsweetened drinks such as tea or coffee. NO breads. NO milk. NO rice. NO potatoes. NO processed sandwich stuff. I'm to try and get rid of as many chemicals as possible. I'll probably have to go to the grocery every day to buy something fresh to eat.

I did another chapter of Hidden in the Mist. If you have a link you can go see. That monster is just a mess. I wish I could get enough energy to sit and just write it all out and be done. I went to bed around 10 last night but I dozed on the sofa for hours. Missed half of my show I was watching and had to rewind it. Anyway, I think I actually like this little bit I wrote... the writing not so much as just how it directs the story. I've been trying to teach Sam that the Outland situation is unjust and the reasons for that but in this scene Reece lets her make the point very nicely. Now to find out if she recognizes it.

Ok, post done. I'm still feeling wooly headed today. I would like to get past that. It seems impossible. Prayers would be appreciated.


Thursday, April 18, 2013

The Results are In

And I'm no more enlightened that I was before. 

Back to the doctor today to review blood work and see what she wanted to do. She gave me an antiviral med - acyclovir.  I take it until it is gone and see how I do. I return in two months.

Although the test indicate I have Epstein Barr, she did not commit to it. She said that I could have has another virus that caused a similar reaction. What's up with that?

My cortisol was low. Indicating my adrenal glands were "getting tired". No, I don't know what that means except I'm under too much stress for my body to recover fast enough. How do you fix it?

Interestingly enough, the RA factor was only mildly elevated and the other RA marker was normal. Again, what does that mean? No idea. Apparently, I have no inflammation. 

Really? Then why are things hurting?

Anyway the acyclovir is to help me recover some of my immune system function. I also have to get DHEA and take that. I forgot it tonight. I got off at noon and didn't get home until six. David's friend arrived and we went to supper. I came home around 8 and have sat here watching shows ever since. I'm exhausted and I had to take an Imitrex. A storm front has moved in and it has been raining most of the evening. 

Now, I'm going to bed. I think I've had enough. 


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Blah, Blah, Blah

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon, at noon actually  I am taking half day off because I need to and because this doctor usually takes a couple hours to get in there, see her, and get out. If she ask for any other tests, I have to do it another day, especially blood work because I have to fast. So, I'll use the time to do something at home that needs doing.

Tomorrow I have another doctor's appointment with my other doctor to review my blood work. That won't take as long and it is after lunch. So I'll take my lunch and go.

I am tired this morning but I think it is my fault. I forgot the time and didn't get to bed until just after midnight. That is something I try hard to avoid. It is never good the next day. I've been going to bed around nine or ten for a over a month because I was so sick.

For the most part, I'm much better. I still have bouts of tiredness and have to stop what I'm doing but I'm not blind with it. I feel sicker today than I did yesterday but I forgot to eat breakfast this morning. I had to call Mike and ask him to bring me something. I won't get lunch till late because of the doctor's appointment and I really don't think I can go that long.

The day feels humid out and it is a mix of sun and clouds. The trees are greening and the flowers blooming. I'm glad we've had rain because it keeps the pollen count within a tolerable range for me. Poor Mike has had a terrible time with his allergies lately. He always has it worse.

Back to work now. What a boring post!


Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Catching Up, Checking Out

I did not get into bed until after midnight.The family issues continued until then. I'm so tired today and depressed. I was afraid I couldn't sleep so I just prayed for God to give me a blanket of peace and let me rest. And while, I'm very tired, I'm not collapsing. Not yet, anyway.

As happens when you go to bed your mind often does things it shouldn't. I had to get up and write it all down because I knew I'd forget it by morning. I'm glad I did that. It is going to be a good post I think. I'm working on the title. It is about how we change the will of God. Can't go into it now because I'd get started and mess up my post.

Today we are having our insurance meeting and we're supposed to get stuff ready for shredding... he really expects us to move those boxes? I don't think so. Then we're to do any filing we have. The meeting is at 2 p.m. It will probably last until at least 3 p.m. It will take a bit to get the boxes marked. What filing does he think we can get done in the remaining time?

Today is very warm, in fact,  78 at the moment. I had lunch with my NaNo Writer's Asylum pal, Kathy. I think I complained more than she but it was really nice to see her again. Of course an hour isn't enough to really get much said. I hope I didn't commandeer the conversation too much. If you read this Kathy, you looked great and I did enjoy getting together.

I've got to get ready for the next local writer's meeting. My friend, Snowgoon (aka Doug) is going to talk to the group about the Character Arc worksheet. I shared it with them several weeks ago and several folks felt they needed something like that to help structure their story. I ask him about speaker's fees but he didn't give me a price. LOL, I'm trading on friendship. Maybe he'll take a lunch in exchange.

For some reason my head is swimmy. I move it and I feel slightly dizzy. I think it is the allergies but at this point, I'm taking all kinds of stuff and nothing is working.

Later that day......

Well, I managed to get through the day without getting fired. They announced who was leaving today. One of my coworkers took one of the jobs in another department. The second person is still waiting to see if they get the second job available. As of May 1 we're down to 4 case managers and will be handling between 425 -450 files. This is astronomical. This on top of all our own filing and answering the phones and other support duties. Not support staff. They talked like within a year another cut could happen. If that happens the department is gone. We can't process on this small a staff. My guess is that they know we're going down. I believe in a year, maybe two, it will be outsourced. Time to go.

I'm looking for a telecommute job, folks.


Blood work came back. I have to go see the doctor next Thursday for the full results. My doctor likes to explain all the blood work to you. She's really a super doctor. I apparently have Epstien Barr Virus. Mono. They told me I had a "flare up" of the virus. I said, "Flare up? I've never been sick like this before. And I've never had mono. How can I have a flare up?" Look it up. You can have it and never get sick. You can pass it and not know it. Once you have the virus you have it forever and it can "flare" and you are contagious without even getting sick. How is that fair? That's true germ warfare!

There is something else but she didn't talk about it on the phone. Something to do with my RA blood work. I wonder if it is that discrepancy she noted on the last test? One being positive while the other was negative.

I'm sitting on the patio with a breeze blowing beneath the red umbrella. It is 77 out here and the clouds are increasing. I hear a storm is coming.

I'm going to bed tonight, early. I'm not available for the rest of the evening. Sometimes you really need to just check out.



Friday, April 5, 2013

Wanted: A Mountain Cabin & Two Bad Dogs

The vampires have been sated. They took about five vials of blood. I followed doctor's instruction and simply got up, dressed, and went. I hurt everywhere. It is astounding because I have not hurt this much in years. But I've given my blood to find out what is wrong. I hope that is enough sacrifice.

I actually had trouble sleeping. I took my medicine but drinking coffee apparently has a counter effect. Go figure. I wanted coffee. (See below.)


I've spent most of my time off reading and unsubscribing from things. I'm eliminating the excess baggage. It is time to eliminate the things that are counterproductive to my well-being. This morning I've been praying for insight to that end. Maybe everything should go and I should start over with more positive pursuits. After reading up on this adrenal fatigue, there is some hope to correct at least some of the physical problems. Clearing out one's life can be healthy. I always liked it when the Army moved us. I loved starting over with new friends, places to see, and things to do. It was like a second chance every 4 years. That's very liberating. 


I went through a period of wanting to throw away everything after Jerry died. Every three months for a year I did a stem to stern cleaning and hauled out truckloads of junk. I was horrified at the piles. I have photos to prove it. I am feeling that same need now. The junk isn't all material but is junk nonetheless. I'm hoping tomorrow will dawn sunny and warm and there won't be a lot of pain and I can clean some junk out of the house, the material stuff. My problem will be that I'm only good for about 4 hours before I crash and burn and for the rest of the day I may only be fully functional for about three hours total, and not consecutively. 


I looked up Adrenal fatigue. I never heard of it. Thanks to my friend, Nancy, I know a bit about Cushing's Disease but not adrenal fatigue, which is not Cushing's but both are caused by problems with the levels of the adrenal hormone, cortisol. And apparently they both wreak havoc on the body. Here's a list regarding adrenal fatigue I found on a site called Women to Women. They are eerily familiar.


Symptoms and health risk of sustained cortisol levels:

  • Lightheadness & salt craving
  • Fatigue and weakness
  • Suppression of the immune system
  • Muscle and bone loss
  • Moodiness or depression
  • Skin problems
  • Hair loss
  • Autoimmune disorders
  • Insulin resistance
  • Thyroid imbalance
  • Weight gain
  • Insomnia
  • Aches and pains from inflammation
  • Lower sex drive
Sustained high cortisol levels are dangerous because they:
  • Slow down healing and normal cell regeneration.
  • Co-opt parent molecules needed to make other vital hormones
  • Impair digestion, metabolism and mental function
  • Interfere with healthy endocrine function
  • Weaken your immune system
There are apparently things I can do. They tell you and basically the same thing my doctor told me is what I have to do. 
  • Avoid gluten — a protein that many women with adrenal imbalance may be sensitive to.
  • Eat adequate protein at every meal — important for energy and stamina.
  • Eat within an hour of waking — helps restore healthy blood sugar levels.
  • Eat healthy fats.
  • Eliminate all "white" food – refined sugar, flour, and grains, at least temporarily.
Now, I just have to get the blood work results and see what's really going on. But based on what I've read this is what fits all the problems I am experiencing.

Oh... and I have to avoid all the things I'm dealing with in my life...

Things that make demands on the adrenal glands:

  • Lack of sleep
  • Work stress
  • Personality conflicts
  • Yo-yo dieting
  • Relationship turmoil
  • Reliance on stimulants like caffeine and carbs
  • Digestive problems
  • Too much exercise
  • Illness, infection or surgery
  • Unresolved emotional issues
  • Overwhelming responsibilities at home

Yeah, that's gonna be easy. I'd get me to a nunnery but I'm not Catholic. But a cabin in the mountains has always had an appeal. I used to tell Jerry that we'd retire to one. There'd be one road in and one road out and a couple of very bad dogs roaming the woods. The image is always in the back of my mind. 


I have to go now. Just had a dizzy spell and feel sick. I've been up since 7 a.m. and it is nearly 11 a.m. now. That's 4 hours. Right on target.

My heartfelt thanks go out to all those praying friends who have responded to my requests for prayer. I've made many this week. Despite all the medical knowledge in the world, I know where the only solution to any problem lies. When I can't help myself, I know He does.