Friday, September 26, 2008

Do I get a prize?

I recently went for my annual checkup with my family dr, & while my blood pressure was holding steady at 120/80 (yay me), apparently my ferretin (iron) levels were very low. Yep, not only am I hypothyroid & hypertensive (not to mention infertile, but that's neither here nor there…), now I'm anemic too! Do I get a prize??

I went to his office again this morning to talk about it, & he showed me my results. "Normal" ferretin levels are about 10-280-something -- I was at 10. He gave me the name of a non-prescription iron pill I could get at the drugstore, & I got a bottle on my break this morning. I'm hoping they'll do the trick, without too many side effects. I asked his receptionist if I needed to come back for another reading, & she said to call when I've finished the bottle.

Apparently heavy periods can be a major factor behind anemia, & I've certainly had some of those lately. I just figured it was perimenopause raising its ugly head. I've mentioned it to Dr. Ob-gyn and he's never seemed too concerned. Family Dr. asked whether I was feeling fatigued. "Hey, who isn't??" I said. I wish I just could feel normal & healthy -- it seems like there's always something... -- although I realize that both "normal" & "healthy" are relative terms & that I really don't have that much to be complaining about when compared to the problems of others…

In other news, we (finally) bought a vanity on Tuesday night. Couldn't get hold of stepBIL (apparently he was out of town), it wouldn't fit in the car & the rental van wasn't available, so we wound up having it delivered. Even though we bought it Tuesday night, the first available delivery date was today (!) & "anytime between 7 a.m & 6 p.m.," of course. Dh took the day off to stay home & wait, and it finally arrived around 11 a.m. Not quite sure how it's going to look (I think the wood colour is fine but I would have preferred a white marble-ish top), but I was under pressure to make up my mind…! What do you think?

StepBIL arrived late in the afternoon, tore out the old vanity & sink & set some floor tiles where the old one used to be. He'll be here bright & early tomorrow to resume work (grout floor tiles, paint, new toilet & new vanity). Dh & I will be going out for part of the morning (just as well, it gets awfully noisy in here sometimes when he's working...!). Our pg loss support group is holding a waterfront fundraising 5k walk/run. It's been going on for a few years now but this is the first year we'll take part (walking, NOT running!! & paying a flat entrance fee vs collecting pledges) -- at least, so long as the forecasted rain holds off...

Time to watch the U.S. presidential debate...! Happy Friday, & have a good weekend!

21 comments:

  1. I like it a lot!

    Man, I can't wait to get a new house. We're in out "starter" house in which we hope to be out of by next summer. So although I just purchased carpet, had my windows all replaced, new doors, new roof and attic and crawl space all reinsultated, I still don't think any of that was "fun", you know?

    Oh, and yes, you should get a prize!

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  2. Oooo, that's pretty! What kind of faucets?

    jc

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  3. JC, we're hoping to use the old sink's Moen faucet (so long as it fit, & I think it should), which is actually less than a year old. Nothing spectacular, but functional. ; ) I think the vanity itself is ornate enough as it is anyway without adding really fancy faucets on top. They had some brushed metal taps on the display model, but they were $245!!

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  4. stupid blogger ate my comment.

    Love the vanity. It's what we are looking for. Or maybe American Standard, they do some period reproductions that would fit the vintage of our house.

    Mind the iron, in the sense that it can, ahem, plug things up. Might want to increase your fibre and water consumption.

    Steel cut oatmeal and raisins are a great source of natural iron, to give you that extra boost. . . .

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  5. I actually really like the vanity but I'm a total sucker for dark woods.

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  6. D. is renovating our upstairs bathroom right now and, as always with our older (1926) house, it's like an archaeological dig. The sink in that bathroom has a manufacture date of 1941 stamped on the back.

    Happy renovating. : )

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  7. I'm also in the midst of picking out new bath fixtures and tile. The choices can be overwhelming!

    Sorry to hear about the heavy periods and low iron count. There's nothing worse than fatigue. It's just so hard to get anything done!

    How 'bout those debates. Watched 'em with a glass of wine which made it less intense ;-)

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  8. You totally get a prize. I hope the iron makes you feel better - when I got diagnosed with anemia and started taking iron, it made a huge difference. If you get side effects from the pills you have, I can recommend some that I have used from the health food store that are quite good and don't bug my stomach.

    And the vanity is very nice!

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  9. Just to let you know from a fellow anemic - iron pills work but they tend to bung you up, get you constipated. I was telling my doctor for years that I was tired and all they said was that my iron levels were within normal range - but I was low in the normal range and if your iron stores are low, you will be exhausted easily. I tried the regular iron pills, but I just got constipated which meant I needed another remedy. I tried the liquid, but I am allergic to blackberries so I got a rash. I finally tried iron citrate from Thorne - suggested by a naturopath - and it was way better than the regular iron pills. They are more expensive but I didn't get constipated and my iron levels went up. Also make sure you don't have fibroids which cause very heavy bleeding. Okay, I'm a bit of nut on the subject.

    Lovely vanity - a friend of ours had a very similar one with a frosted glass sink!

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  10. I love the vanity! Good choice. :)

    Re: the anemia. Well, adding to a list of other diagnosis is never fun, but anemia can be pretty easy to treat and you'll feel so much better! More energy is coming your way ;-)

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  11. I like your choice of vanity - the wood look is a favourite of mine :)

    We had a steady fine drizzle here this morning - I hope you were more fortunate for your event. Although in a sense rain might be fitting too. I forget the technical term for when the weather reflects the feelings of a character in a book (but I know there is such a word).

    I hope you get all these health things sorted out asap. It often seems like things happen in a kind of cluster. Hopefully this is the end of your cluster.

    DH & I are political junkies too - though I get most of my US news from the Daily Show & the Colbert Report (ok, some of it comes from the CBC) - so it's not exactly an unbiased source - but it is entertaining! We are also very interested in the Canadian election as we can actually influence that one. (huh, well maybe)

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  12. Yes you do deserve a prize. :)

    I have had similar issues with ferritin for years...I was on an oral iron supplement for a year about 5-6 years ago, and while it works for many people, it did massive damage to my esophagus, which created a whole host of GI problems as their side effect. So just a heads up...if you notice any strange reflux or indigestion type of issues, do bring it up with your doctor. This year I finally saw a hematologist and got started on iron intravenously, which did wonders for me...this is a relatively safe and easy route if the pills cause too many side effects for you or just take too long to work.

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  13. Low iron/anemia sucks! Mrs. Spit is right: fiber and water are key. I hope Anna's right and you start feeling more energetic soon.

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  14. Is is just me, or are the iron pills the same color as the vanity?

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  15. Urgh! I'm sorry to hear about the anemia, and hope things turn around soon. Yeah, drink lots of water!! and take good care of yourself, 'k?

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  16. Love the vanity, Loribeth. Can't wait to see pics of the finished bathroom ;o)

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  17. Hey girl...
    I like the vanity - very cool! And aren't you finding the Amer.ican election a tad more interesting than ours?!?!?!

    As for the anaemia - oy! I hear you!! I've been anaemic off and on for most of my life - not fun. I've tried everything under the sun and prefer, whenever possible, to go as natural with supplements. But I have found over the years that one product works really well for me and keeps the side effects to a MINIMUM -- it's called slo.w fe. (They used to make it with fol.ic acid and it was called sl.ow fe fol.ic, but they don't seem to make it anymore so I just take a folic acid supplement). I hope your energy improves soon!

    Finally, I wanted to THANK YOU AGAIN for hipping me to the Child.less Ste.pmoms website -- it's been wonderfully helpful!!

    peace
    shlomit

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  19. SO sorry you're anemic now, too. My sister was anemic and I know she often felt sluggish. At least you know and now you hopefully can feel better soon.

    And I LOVE the vanity. Great colors.

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  20. My doctor said the same thing about my iron. Now guessing by your profile we are quite a bit different in age but the iron I take works wonders!!! I wonder if it's sort of in my head though. But it seems like I have more energy. It took a week or 2 to get there though. Good Luck!

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