To B or Not To B: Doctor's Orders

Yesterday I had the actual office visit with my doctor to determine why I'm so fatigued all the time. He had my blood test results from Thursday and gave me the news. Thyroid is fine, I'm not anemic...everything came out well. The only thing I was lacking was enough Vitamin B12. He had the nurse give me a Vitamin B12 shot, which I'm somewhat familiar with since my dad has to get them once in a while. Doc told me that I should started feeling better pretty quickly, and within 2 weeks I should know if it's working. If after that amount of time I'm still not feeling right, I will have to go to a sleep lab for an overnight observation.

His thought is that I may have sleep apnea, which a lot of people with chronic fatigue have. Allergies and being overweight contribute to the sleep problems...and I meet both of those criteria. Doc wants me to lose at least 20 pounds, which he said will help with my energy levels. He also realizes the Catch-22: that I'm trying to lose weight to feel better, but some days I don't have the energy to exercise. He shared with me that he's lost 8 pounds on Weight Watchers for men...it's really nice to hear that your physician is taking the steps necessary for his own health instead of just telling hs patients to do it. He believes the B12 will help boost me to the point that I feel up to all of my tasks and workouts, and if not we can find a solution through my sleep patterns.

I will say that I'm already feeling much better with the B12, and it hasn't quite been 24 hours since I had the shot. Hopefully this does the trick and I won't need the sleep study. Thankfully I'm on my way to more energy and better health!

My Ultimate Goal: No Regrets!!!

In the past two weeks, I've gained half a pound. Many of you know that I'm dealing with some chronic fatigue issues, and tomorrow I should find out more on how to deal with that at my doctor's appointment. Still, I hate backsliding...knowing that I should be working out hard but having days that make it difficult.

I feel that I'm still not doing everything I can to get my health in order. Maybe I'm letting my mind take over and tell me that I'm tired, even on the days that I'm really not. The mind is more powerful than any of us actually realize. If there is a vitamin deficiency or thyroid problem, I will still need to overcome it and get things done. I'm still going to need to train my brain, because that is part of the battle. I just finished reading "Zero Regrets: Be Greater Than Yesterday" by Olympic champion Apolo Ohno. His book is part memoir, but even more than that it takes us inside the power of the mind to do our best on any given day. If you would like to read my review of "Zero Regrets", please go to http://www.suite101.com/content/zero-regrets-be-greater-than-yesterday-by-apolo-ohno---review-a308852 and learn more about this incredible book. I guarantee that you will be inspired!

This is the way I want to live my life...knowing each day that I did everything I could to be my best and live life to the fullest. Time to push harder. Zero regrets baby!

My Date With The Vampires

They wanted my blood...and they would not stop until until they had enough. A little bit just wouldn't do. No way. They had to keep draining more blood out of me until they were completely satisfied. At one point I thought for sure they couldn't be happy until every last drop of it was out of me.

My date with these vampires was early yesterday morning, and they charmed me with music and small talk while they sucked the blood out of me. My doctor had ordered a series of blood tests for me, since I'm fatigued most of the time even though I'm sticking with my healthy habits. I have an appointment with him on Tuesday, so I had to let these vampires disguised as lab technicians draw as much blood as they needed for all of the tests. It turns out they needed 3 full vials of it. Since I had to fast for 12 hours before the blood test, I was extremely lightheaded once they took my blood. Good thing there was a McDonald's around the corner, so I could get an Egg McMuffin and orange juice quickly into my system. I wound up with a headache later on in the day and had to lay down...I'm sure from the fasting and amount of blood removed from me.

On Tuesday I had some energy, so I had a pretty good workout. It lifted my spirits to be able to get moving so much! On Wednesday I did go for a walk, but I couldn't go at my usual pace. I had to slow down some, but at least I was able to do something. Yesterday was, of course, a wash because of the blood test and subsequent headache. So far today I'm feeling pretty good, and it's such a beautiful day here with temperatures in the 60's that I have to go out and take advantage of this gorgeous November weather. Soon enough there will be S-N-O-W!

I will keep you posted on my test results...it could be anemia, a vitamin deficiency, or even a thyroid issue. I'll know more next week, so I will keep on keepin' on in the meantime. Hopefully my vampire date will lead to a healthier me!

Fighting Incredible Chronic Fatigue

See the woman pictured above? Now think of her with blonde hair...a few years older and a few sizes larger. Then it would be a current picture of me.

You would think that with the improvement in my eating habits I would have all kinds of energy. I've been dragging a lot lately, not exercising up to my potential...or even close. My mind is telling me to do it, but my body is not cooperating. I keep trying to work out, and I do get some in, but I tire way too quickly when I've only been at it a short time. I'm taking a daily multivitamin, magnesium supplement, and omega-3's, but I still feel exhausted most of the time, even when I haven't gotten much done yet. I'll accomplish a few things, but then feel like I need a nap or have to sit and relax for at least a couple of hours before getting anything else done. This happens when I have trouble sleeping...but it also happens when I've had a good night's sleep. It doesn't seem to matter either way with this fatigue.

I've discussed this with several friends, some of whom are having the same issues with lack of energy. It seems that a lot of women my age, and even younger, are dealing with some form of this. The final straw for me was this weekend. I sold my jewelry at a craft show on Saturday, but by the time I got home all I wanted to do was sleep. It's not like I was very active during the show...I sat at my table, waited on customers, and stood every so often when I got stiff from sitting. I was not on my feet all day or getting any exercise, yet I was completely exhausted. This turned into a major headache, litereally and figuratively. Even the extra hour of sleep from turning the clocks back didn't help, and I had to scrap most of my plans for Sunday because I could barely move. Finally I watched the Browns win (whoo-hoo!) and got some laundry and editing done, but not as much as I needed to get done. I had to stop and rest, even though I'd slept for hours and should have been raring to go. My headache was finally gone this morning, and I'm trying my best to get my energy up. I suspect thyroid issues, but friends have also mentioned a Vitamin D deficency and anemia as possible culprits.

I called my doctor's office to set up an appointment. He's out sick today (I often wonder how doctors do it...staying well most of the time when coming in contact with so many sick people) but the nurse set me up for next Tuesday. I have an appointment this week to get blood drawn at their lab, so the results will be ready for Tuesday and my doctor can begin to help me with this. In the meantime, I'm not giving up...I will do everything I can to get as much done as possible and exercise as much as I am able. I forgot to weigh in this morning and remembered when I had already eaten breakfast, so I will do it tomorrow first thing. I have faith that God will get me through this and I will be stronger than before!