I feel like a pin cushion.
Just this week, I've had my blood drawn on three separate occasions. This afternoon I got my usual two allergy shots (one in each arm). Earlier this week I had my weekly Glyceron Plus injection for my CFIDS and will be having a glutathione IV treatment tomorrow (also for my CFIDS). I suppose it's all for a good cause: helping me on the path back to good health.
And some people wonder why I stopped my acupuncture treatments! (If you're still wondering, it's because I got tired of all the extra poking.)
I've already gotten my results back from the blood test on Monday. My vitamin D level has gone up from 29 several months ago, to 41 about a month or two ago, to 49. Yeah! I've been on 1,000 IU of the stuff for months, so it's nice to see my numbers improving. The goal has always been to get my number to 50, so we're pretty much there.
Unfortunately, it's now official that my iron level has gone down. It started at a mere 17 earlier this year and went up to 50 about a month or two ago, but it's gone down to 41. Boo! Well, at least it's still safely above 17.
I'm looking forward to receiving the results of my comprehensive micronutrient blood test that I got done Wednesday morning. I think it will be interesting to see if I am missing any essential vitamins or minerals.
My appointment with my regular doctor yesterday afternoon was productive. I've been running a low-grade fever on and off for about the last two weeks. I've also been having problems processing what people are saying lately. My doctor thought this was likely due to my CFIDS, as opposed to anything else (I had an MRI less than a year ago which ruled out MS and other brain problems). Some of her other CFIDS patients have described similar issues comprehending people. When I discussed my hair falling out, she also thought it might have something to do with my CFIDS. Great, just what I need...more weird CFIDS symptoms...
The doctor ordered blood tests to look at my EBV and HHV6 levels, as well as my glutathione and cyclic-AMP (ATP) levels. We're not going to worry about my triglyceride levels for now because my cholesterol is fine. We'll test the triglycerides another time when I am able to go in for the test after fasting.
I'm also excited that my doctor approved a new treatment protocol researched by Rich Van Konynenburg, Ph.D. that I was hoping to try. You can see a full description of the treatment plan here and background information here.
Now I'm in a wait-and-see mode. I'm waiting on various blood test results and waiting on the supplements I've ordered for my new treatment plan. I'll be going out of town for a little while, so I'll have to wait to start the new treatment plan until I get back from my trip.
7 comments:
I get this thing sometimes that people might as well be speaking Dutch. I'm always having to ask for them to repeat things. It happens mostly when I'm tired.
I find face to face conversation one of the most draining activities I can do.
And good luck with the new protocol by the way. I'll be interested to know how you get on. :-)
I hope your newer treatments help.
Interestingly, although most my labs are generally normal (besides occasional low WBC and elevated liver enzymes), I too have low iron (very low - like 5 and 9 the last times they checked) as well as low vit. D. I wonder if this trend is common in CFS?
Jozephine, I completely agree...though the phone is not much better.
upnorth, that's very interesting that you also have low iron and vitamin D. The low iron thing is actually pretty new for me. Since anemia often causes unrelenting fatigue, it was one of the first things I was tested for every time I visited a new doctor way back when I was just trying to find out what was wrong with me. I just developed the low iron this year as far as we can tell, though we hadn't actually tested my iron levels in a while. Until this year my vitamin D levels had never been tested, so I don't actually know how long I've been deficient. Are you on iron and vitamin D supplements?
I should probably be on Vit. D supplements again. It was VERY low so I took them for a while but we never re-checked them. I take an iron supplement called Floravit because my gut just can't tollerate the normal pills (I've tried all three types)....my level has been slowly rising (from 5 to 9 this spring).
I haven't had a consistent Dr. where I live which makes it hard - I just got set up with a GP for the first time in 4-5 years. I see a specialist once or twice a year but I think I've kind of gotten lost in the shuffle there...she's wonderful but WAY over booked.
I just read something today about hair loss being associated with hypothyroid. Have you had that checked in your blood tests?
I just had my throid checked, and it's fine. I'm still waiting on a couple more blood test results, so I'm hoping they'll shed some light on things.
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