If There's A Reason
Shelley read my Quiet Times post just before we were to head out to the dress up birthday party. She called me.
"Are you okay to go? You sound so tired. Are you sure? It's fine if you don't. Have you been taking your iron?"
She'd asked me that a couple of times before, that last question, and rightly so, because I have been quiet and tired for a little while. Mostly putting it down to moving. And not getting enough sleep, which I don't, which is bad for both my brain and my skin, but I don't seem to be able to fit in all the things and people I want to see and do and get 8 hours of sleep besides.
I was convinced it wasn't the iron. See, after my bloodwork in July, you might remember that the doctor's office called me to say my iron was slightly low and I should get it tested again. I did. They didn't call back. I assumed it was fine, and went about my business, albeit in an increasingly slow fashion.
Today I walked into the doctor's office, sat down. My doctor looked at my file and said "Ah, you're here about your iron."
Wha?
"Um, no. The second test wasn't fine? "
She was visibly shocked. "It was lower than the first test. It was 8, your first test was 17."
"What's it supposed to be?"
"40."
Oh.
Luckily, this is a problem easily fixed. I'll take iron pills for 6 months and get re-tested. Apparently, the iron kicks in after a few days and your pep will start pepping once more.
Today, now that I know I'm tired because of the iron, now that I know it'll be better in a few days, that it's not something I have to live with, well, fucking hell, I'm feeling twice as worn as I'd normally be this time of day. It's made me realize how much tired I've been powering through and pushing aside because I just didn't know I had the choice.
...to drink more Guiness. Or perhaps eat spinach.
Holy crap - you'd think the doctor would want to give you a quick call when that lab test came back, no? Don't forget to add some B12 and folic acid as well. And don't take your iron at the same time as anything high in calcium. Take care.
Take your iron with orange juice - helps your body absorb.
Especially for the reminder about Guinness, J.!
Yes vitamin c, b12, folic acid.
No calcium, coffee, red wine.
Yeah, kind of weird that I didn't get a call, especially when they were concerned that it was a little low at 17. Meh, didn't kill me, but I'm glad I needed more valtrex.
What is up with the folic acid? By which I mean, is there an actual reason for one's own health to take it, separate from the massive social-marketing campaign to get women to take daily doses for their entire reproductive lives to stop a theoretical/future fetus from ending up with spina bifida?
Just curious. (Given my grumpiness every time my mother, doctor, or multitudinous magazine/newspaper writers suggest it, with the unspoken warning of Massive Personal Guilt should disabling congenital disease fall on the heels of unheeded advice, despite the fortification of various staples with folic acid since the link was established years ago.)
you know, i'm not sure. i'm not taking it, i just read somewhere that i should be, that it had something to do with fatigue. somewhere that i've totally forgotten about and misplaced. i'll keep an eye out though...