Well, this has been an eventful week for me in my medical world. You might remember that I decided a while back to enlist the help of a naturopathic doctor to get my body back in balance. I had been diagnosed with an oddball little autoimmune thing called Sjogren's disorder, and my cholesterol was out of whack, even after trying for a year to get it under control. Since there is no obvious reason for my cholesterol to be bad (not even my love affair with cheese!), and I've just felt a little funky for quite a while now (I won't bore you with all the details), I knew I wanted to find out what the heck was going on and work on making my whole self healthy.
The first big news was that I have an issue with cow milk. Long story short, I cut out all dairy for 3 weeks, then had some dairy, and it shocked my system. It was unpleasant. So far milk is bad, and cream cheese. Sliced American didn't affect me much, and yogurt is just fine. I'll try brie soon and find out if life is still worth living. So, is the digestive upset the biggest problem? Nope. Turns out that my body doesn't absorb B12, most likely because of the dairy issue. So, I have a B12 deficiency. And you know what that means? I have to get a flippin' shot once a week for 4 weeks, then 2 more every two weeks, then probably once a month forever, unless my body does better and I can switch to the oral version. It's not an option for me at this point because my levels are so low.
Now, I have a needle phobia. Don't laugh. It's horrible, and it totally screws with me psychologically if anyone approaches me with one. This year, however, seems to be the one to cure me of this problem. I've had 2 surgeries involving 3 iv's, a billion labs done, one tetanus shot, and now I get to look forward to regular puncture wounds. Well, CRAP!
But you know what? I'm finally going to feel better. My low B12 means my body isn't taking good care of it's veins, and the cholesterol has lots of places to gunk up and stick around. I am a thin, healthy, 29 year old woman, and I would like my arteries to reflect that. I'm going to put on my big girl panties and be a WOMAN, because I am strong enough to handle this. When I need inspiration, I'll call my mother-in-law, one of the strongest women I know. Now she can tell me about some needles.
4 comments:
Yes, your mother-in-law is a strong woman! You could do no better than to imitate her! I hope your health troubles will improve now that you know the reason. Sorry you have to get all those shots, but just think of the end results. Health, and feeling better. You are WOMAN! You can do it!
You CAN do it. When I was forced to start daily shots to fight my MS, I was so bitter. And they hurt to boot. I started to use an auto injector to take what control of my illness that I could. Now the MS is doing better (or worse from its point of view) and I hate the shots less. Of course they still hurt and I still can't stand needles. But I do it anyway. MS sux and I won't let it win! Same for you!!
sunny
I can relate to being lactose intolerant, Amy. I have been for basically my whole life. I also take oral B12, or have it in supplements, because being vegetarian (and almost vegan because of the dairy limitation) I don't get much from my diet. I take it orally, which is no big deal. Plus, soy milk, many "women's" health bars, etc. are supplemented with B12. Hopefully you'll get it all figured out and feel better than ever.
Thank you all of you for your encouragement! Somehow I didn't see that I had these comments until now or I would have responded sooner! I am getting used to the shots, and I already feel better so I know it is helping my body. That makes it worth it!
Post a Comment