Getting older bites
I have been feeling run down and tired for a while now. On top of that, my sleeping habits have become more like a series of short naps and I have put on a few pounds even though I have been a gym rat of late, stopped drinking for most of January, and have been subsiding mostly on Lean Cuisines and salads. Oh, and I have been freezing, too. My office is so cold, I have to run my hands under hot water every hour just so I am able to type. In a nutshell, I feel weird and not myself. I finally gave in and went to the doctor. Here is my fun list of answers:
1. A person's vitamin D levels should be between 40-100 units (or cubits or parts per million or something). Mine are at 18. Low vitamin D levels can cause fatigue, random aches, and a general feeling of malaise. Without proper amounts of vitamin D, your body is unable to process calcium, making you at higher risk for osteoporosis. Severe vitamin D deficiency is almost always found in people diagnosed with MS, so when a doctor finds an issue with vitamin D levels, they try to solve it expeditiously. For the next 8 weeks, I will be taking a ginormous dose (50,000 IU's) of vitamin D once per week.
2. My thyroid is low which is not a surprise to me. Cold all the time, weight gain, etc. My doctor will retest my thyroid after the 8 weeks of vitamin D supplements.
3. I have rock star cholesterol levels. My doctor put a smiley face by those test results. Seriously.
4. The sleeping issues may be caused by the issue with my mitral valve. I was given a prescription for Trazodone to take 1/2 hour before bed. So far, I have slept much better.
It is nice to know that nothing really bad is wrong. Having two parents who died fairly young makes my panic threshold about health problems much lower, and I tend to be fatalistic even though I am adopted and am not related to them and their health issues. Stupid brain. :)
Hopefully, I'll have something to report in 8 weeks. Oh, and if you're not taking a vitamin supplement, please start.
xoxox
1. A person's vitamin D levels should be between 40-100 units (or cubits or parts per million or something). Mine are at 18. Low vitamin D levels can cause fatigue, random aches, and a general feeling of malaise. Without proper amounts of vitamin D, your body is unable to process calcium, making you at higher risk for osteoporosis. Severe vitamin D deficiency is almost always found in people diagnosed with MS, so when a doctor finds an issue with vitamin D levels, they try to solve it expeditiously. For the next 8 weeks, I will be taking a ginormous dose (50,000 IU's) of vitamin D once per week.
2. My thyroid is low which is not a surprise to me. Cold all the time, weight gain, etc. My doctor will retest my thyroid after the 8 weeks of vitamin D supplements.
3. I have rock star cholesterol levels. My doctor put a smiley face by those test results. Seriously.
4. The sleeping issues may be caused by the issue with my mitral valve. I was given a prescription for Trazodone to take 1/2 hour before bed. So far, I have slept much better.
It is nice to know that nothing really bad is wrong. Having two parents who died fairly young makes my panic threshold about health problems much lower, and I tend to be fatalistic even though I am adopted and am not related to them and their health issues. Stupid brain. :)
Hopefully, I'll have something to report in 8 weeks. Oh, and if you're not taking a vitamin supplement, please start.
xoxox