Fatigue
I've got some answers, for the meantime at least.
My doctor is sending out as bunch of tests, but she is tentatively diagnosing me with chronic fatigue syndrome, and migraines, which seem to be egging each other on.
The chronic fatigue diagnosis doesn't surprise me, although it doens't please me either. It seems to be another of those illnesses where you manage it, but there isn't really hope for a cure. My doctor sent out a bunch of blood tests today to rule out a couple other possible (and treatable) imbalances, and also test for the Epstein Barr Virus. Apparently about 95% or people have this virus, so it's existence in and of itself isn't a big deal. But if you have CFS symptoms and you have the EB virus, it's a pretty sure diagnosis that you do have CFS. Interestingly, the EB virus is also responsible for mono, Juli, which might explain the similarities of symptoms :)
Apparently the usual treatment for CFS is antidepressants, but I already know that's not an option for me. My doctor suggested therapy to help reduce and deal with stress, which of course I'm already doing, and she's sending me to a dietitian to see if he has anything helpful for me. Since I've been wanting to see a diatitian for a while to discuss what would be helpful for my kidney, I'm actually pretty happy about that.
My B12 levels are also being tested, and if they're low or low-normal, I can start taking supplements. When I mentioned how they often upset my stomach to take them, my doctor also told me I could get monthly injections of B12. That would actually be ok with me other than it would mean a monthly drive down to the office, which is 35 miles away from home.
I also found out that migraines can have a lingering fatigue associated with them, either before or after, and that caffiene can trigger them. So my huge intake of coffee on Friday may have set off the migraine on Saturday, which left me feeling extra tired, even beyond the normal CFS, for the past several days. Somewhat ironically, I actually did start feeling less tired today, which helped with the long drive, and I was able to get some errands done too.
So here we are. I feel better for having gone in and having my doctor listen to me and take action, even if I don't know the answers yet. My doctor can be very frustrating to get a hold of when you're not in the room with her, but my goodness; when she's in the room with you, she is IN THE ROOM WITH YOU. She's very present, listening to you, asking questions, inviting me to ask questions, making sure I understand things. There's a reason I continue to drive 35 miles each way to go see her. I mentioned how my urine keeps showing odd things which shouldn't be in it, like keytones, blood, and protein, so she ordered a urine culture to really look into that. I asked what my iron levels wer like (in case that could be a cause for fatigue) and she said they'd been checked several times, but she added that test on too, just to ease my mind. And she also had a full panel run to check my kidney functions, just to keep an eye on them. My big fear going in was that this was somehow related to my kidneys, like they were suddenly shutting down, even though I knew that was extremely unlikely. But I asked her if it could be related to my kidneys, admitting that I knew that was a silly questions, and she assured me that it would not be because of my kidneys, but we would check them anyway, and it wasn't a silly question. In fact, I should ask her anything I thought about and not feel like anything was silly. Then she went through my list of medications and refilled everything I was getting low on, so I wouldn't have to call back soon to do just that. She's pretty good :)
My treat for myself today was going to Joann's for new fabric and Target, where they had sales on all the things I like to buy most: underwear, socks and pajamas. Score! Not to mention I had gift cards to both stores.
My doctor said I would hear from her within a few days if anything was off in my results, and if they were normal, it might be a bit longer, but I would hear soon either way. My appointment with the dietitian is next Wednesday. We'll see what comes of all of this :)
Another newly unearthed photo.
My doctor is sending out as bunch of tests, but she is tentatively diagnosing me with chronic fatigue syndrome, and migraines, which seem to be egging each other on.
The chronic fatigue diagnosis doesn't surprise me, although it doens't please me either. It seems to be another of those illnesses where you manage it, but there isn't really hope for a cure. My doctor sent out a bunch of blood tests today to rule out a couple other possible (and treatable) imbalances, and also test for the Epstein Barr Virus. Apparently about 95% or people have this virus, so it's existence in and of itself isn't a big deal. But if you have CFS symptoms and you have the EB virus, it's a pretty sure diagnosis that you do have CFS. Interestingly, the EB virus is also responsible for mono, Juli, which might explain the similarities of symptoms :)
Apparently the usual treatment for CFS is antidepressants, but I already know that's not an option for me. My doctor suggested therapy to help reduce and deal with stress, which of course I'm already doing, and she's sending me to a dietitian to see if he has anything helpful for me. Since I've been wanting to see a diatitian for a while to discuss what would be helpful for my kidney, I'm actually pretty happy about that.
My B12 levels are also being tested, and if they're low or low-normal, I can start taking supplements. When I mentioned how they often upset my stomach to take them, my doctor also told me I could get monthly injections of B12. That would actually be ok with me other than it would mean a monthly drive down to the office, which is 35 miles away from home.
I also found out that migraines can have a lingering fatigue associated with them, either before or after, and that caffiene can trigger them. So my huge intake of coffee on Friday may have set off the migraine on Saturday, which left me feeling extra tired, even beyond the normal CFS, for the past several days. Somewhat ironically, I actually did start feeling less tired today, which helped with the long drive, and I was able to get some errands done too.
So here we are. I feel better for having gone in and having my doctor listen to me and take action, even if I don't know the answers yet. My doctor can be very frustrating to get a hold of when you're not in the room with her, but my goodness; when she's in the room with you, she is IN THE ROOM WITH YOU. She's very present, listening to you, asking questions, inviting me to ask questions, making sure I understand things. There's a reason I continue to drive 35 miles each way to go see her. I mentioned how my urine keeps showing odd things which shouldn't be in it, like keytones, blood, and protein, so she ordered a urine culture to really look into that. I asked what my iron levels wer like (in case that could be a cause for fatigue) and she said they'd been checked several times, but she added that test on too, just to ease my mind. And she also had a full panel run to check my kidney functions, just to keep an eye on them. My big fear going in was that this was somehow related to my kidneys, like they were suddenly shutting down, even though I knew that was extremely unlikely. But I asked her if it could be related to my kidneys, admitting that I knew that was a silly questions, and she assured me that it would not be because of my kidneys, but we would check them anyway, and it wasn't a silly question. In fact, I should ask her anything I thought about and not feel like anything was silly. Then she went through my list of medications and refilled everything I was getting low on, so I wouldn't have to call back soon to do just that. She's pretty good :)
My treat for myself today was going to Joann's for new fabric and Target, where they had sales on all the things I like to buy most: underwear, socks and pajamas. Score! Not to mention I had gift cards to both stores.
My doctor said I would hear from her within a few days if anything was off in my results, and if they were normal, it might be a bit longer, but I would hear soon either way. My appointment with the dietitian is next Wednesday. We'll see what comes of all of this :)
Another newly unearthed photo.