Thursday, May 22, 2008

Anemia is the new black

This long weekend, while everyone else was out camping, sunbathing, and enjoying not being at work, I was sleeping 15 hours each day. I thought it was fallout from the torture session with my physiotherapist or I was coming down with (yet another) cold or flu. My whole body felt heavy and run down.

On Tuesday, I talked to my doctor about the tests I requested last week and she informed me I am mildly anemic. This is a new thing, because I had the same blood tests run a month before my surgery and I was fine.

A number of factors can affect your blood iron levels, and surgery is a big one. Fortunately, the solution to my problem is pretty simple; my doctor wants me to take iron pills for a month and then get my blood tested again (iron builds up in your body and can become toxic, so it's important to get levels re-tested regularly if you're taking iron supplements.)

I hope the iron deficiency also explains why, since the surgery, I'm constantly picking up viruses, getting easily worn out, having problems getting out of bed in the morning, and, as a result, missing waaaay too much work. Because not only do I have zero sick days left, I actually owe my employer for all of the time I've taken off for health reasons. And let me tell you, all of that physiotherapy, homeopathy, supplements and acupuncture don't come cheap. Bella needs a paycheque.

4 comments:

kate smudges said...

Good thing that you found that out and can take iron pills to boost your levels. You'll feel much better! In time for summer.

Bella said...

Thanks for the good wishes, and for stopping by, Kate :)

Dragon (Karen) said...

Good luck with taking the iron tablets, as these should help you fell more energised and also deal with 'bugs' much better.

Keep taking good care of yourself!

Michelle said...

Hope you felling better soon! Have a nice long weekend!!

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