At my doctor's appointment, she tested me for mobility function. She said there was some fluid in my ears, but I wasn't uncomfortable with that. She ran a blood test that checked for a1c anemia, diabetes, B-12, folate, potassium, sodium, chloride, as well as the health of my liver and kidneys. She noted that I had lost 8-9 pounds, which I told her was because I'd been doing as much cardio as I could stand with a goal of 40 minutes a day. I have not been doing 40 minutes since August 9th, when the blackouts started to occur. I explained that I've had these blackouts before, when I was pregnant, during college, and now. However, eating and drinking more water has remided them in the past. This time, I do not have nausea, ringing in my ears, or the gravity pull I would associate with diabetic shock. I've only had extreme tiredness and the blackouts 1-3 times a day.
My results came back showing that everything was fine except my iron level, which is 9. I've been reading a lot online and there are people with levels much lower than mine that have yet to dropped dead (thank God). Still, my doctor prescribed me 150mg iron, which cost $18 at my pharmacy and $21 at Walmart. Insurance doesn't pay for OTC medicine. I can get 180 pills of 65mg tablets for $5 OTC, which my doctor said was fine to take twice a day - once in the morning and once at night. I don't want to take a pill, but I will do so anyway because of the Nuremberg effect. If it hurts my stomach, I fully intend to drop down to taking one tablet at night only. I'm also looking up ways to naturally consume iron.
Through reading, its odd that my doctor didn't consider my recent dedication to exercise, that my vitamin and nutrient levels were not checked, and that she did not need a glucose test to rule out diabetes. I told her at 3pm, that the last time I'd ate a meal was the day before and I had eaten a few pieces of my son's popcorn before arriving because I couldn't handle being hungry anymore. I don't know if that would affect the blood work or not. I have recently tweaked our grocery list to accommodate yogurt, cheese, and milk because I know dairy helps with bone strength. I now know that dairy inhibits the absorption of iron. Wtf, body?! Should I eat dairy for one meal and meats or beans for the next?
I have made huge strides towards avoiding fatty purchases in the grocery store. We still get pizza, but junk food is rare. I can make changes to our food to include natural sources of iron. Beans, nuts, fish, parishable veggies, and maybe even liver can be added to our menu. I mean, as long as I use all of the parishable items, they're not a waste of the food budget. Sometimes you just have to give in and buy meats that are full priced, so maybe giving in has to mean some fresh dark green veggies and fish too. I've been eating black eyed peas (because I know they're a good source of iron) and making myself eat the full 4oz of meats until I can get to the store for better tasting sources of iron. I swear its like taking medicine! I have to say no to antioxidant-enriched energy-inducing coffee, tea, and soda. I have to slow down a lot more on smoking. I have to consider the benefits more than the cost or gross idea of all sources of iron.
I'm still not up to par to exercise that much. I did some easy abdominal exercises off and on for about 2 hours yesterday. Today, I'm going to try to do my elliptical. I find that, after 7-10 minutes, I'm sweating profusely and have to stop to catch my breath. I aim to keep these stops down to less than a minute long. I know that sweating has something to do with low iron because I can seriously feel it. Believe me, it pays to listen to your body! I'm not going to press so hard that I hurt myself because that'd just make things worse than when I started. I won't give up on exercising just because I'm tired. Perminent changes take permanent results. I'll just change my exercises to accommodate my low energy until I can naturally medicate it by improving my diet. I refuse to gain back the weight I've worked so hard to get rid of. I won't do it! And I refuse to stop using the machine I'm still paying off. Its low iron, not no iron. I can fix this! Before, I was smart enough to know how to minimize fats, lower carbs, and increase calcium (broccoliiii). I'm not as ignorant about iron now. If I can tweak the hard dietary edges, the bumps will be easy to overcome. I'll still take the supplements, but I will add iron to my diet. I can fix this!
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