I’m not anemic.
Or malnourished.
Or lacking in some vital nutrients essential to energy.
My vitamin D levels are perfect, and for the most part (with the exception of just one thing) – my blood work is looking pretty good.
I'm not dying.
And I’m still not depressed.
Although – ask me again tomorrow. I have a feeling that once I get Loo on that plane, I’m going to lose it.
None of that really explains that exhaustion I’ve been experiencing lately though.
And the only clue in my blood work was a fairly high white blood cell count, and a slightly elevated TSH level.
Just for the record though – my T4 and T3 levels were still within normal range.
It does turn out that I’ve been running a low grade fever for who knows how long. Since my appointment last Friday (when Dr. Naturopath asked me if I realized I was running a temperature – and I stupidly replied that I had been achy, and also clearly non-observant) I’ve been tracking it. It’s been hovering around 100 ever since. Not a high fever by any means, but still… coupled with the high white blood cell count, it’s obvious I’ve got some kind of infection.
Nothing too drastic or scary. My body is just fighting something. Not real sure what exactly (no sore throat, or coughing, or trouble breathing to be found), but… something.
Still, just an infection. Dr. Naturopath thinks it may have something to do with my adrenals, so in addition to changing up the dosage a bit on the thyroid medication I've needed ever since that first IVF threw me all out of whack, she set me up with an adrenal tincture.
And that’s pretty much it. She wants to do blood work again in 6 weeks, but in the meantime – I just work on being good to my body and letting it fight off whatever it’s fighting off. If things get worse, I’ll of course go back. But for the time being – I’m just going to ride it out.
My father is of course not a fan of this plan. He’s of the school of thought that infections are deserving of antibiotics. No if’s, and’s, or butt’s about it.
Poor guy has always had a bit of a tough time with my more natural approach to all things health related. I think he about had a heart attack the first time I got cupped.
But there is a reason I now see a naturopath as my primary care physician. A reason I’ve learned to rely so heavily on acupuncture and alternative (or at the very least, integrated) therapies.
It’s because at the end of the day – complete trust in (or total reliance upon) Western medicine has done me far more harm than good. I don’t believe submitting to drug use is the best way to solve every medical problem.
And I loathe antibiotics.
Besides, the natural approach to things has actually been working for me. I had my annual with my regular lady parts doctor yesterday, and even she couldn't deny the improvements I've made over the last few months. She even commented on the reduction of inflammation my most recent ultrasound showed. I could tell she wasn't entirely sold when I explained to her the different methods I've been using to treat endo, but she was quick to admit that something was working and that I should keep doing whatever it was I was doing.
So for the time being, I’m going to try to cope with the exhaustion. And keep an eye on the fever just to make sure it doesn't get too out of hand. If that’s the worst of my symptoms – let's face it, I've handled worse before. Sometimes even at the hands of western medicine treatments.
I'm just going to have to work on listening to my body a little better until whatever this is clears up. Because if I'm being totally honest, pushing to enjoy every second of this weekend with Loo really didn't help matters much.
Which is why I may have taken PTO today - solely to stay in bed being lazy and napping at random intervals.
Still – I’m not hacking, or wheezing, or burning up with fever or pain. I’m fine.
Just tired.
Which to me, means my body is trying to do its job and kick whatever the heck is going on.
For the time being, I’m going to let it.
We’ll reassess again in 6 weeks though – or sooner if things seem to get worse.
As far as those allergy panels I submitted to?
Yeah, um… let’s just say that I’m not so pleased with the results.
Remember how sure I was that I didn’t have any food allergies at all?
And then remember the part from earlier in this post where I acknowledged the fact that sometimes, I might be a little non-observant.
Well, it turns out that I’ve been really non-observant when it comes to certain foods and how they effect my body.
Either non-observant, or totally in denial.
Because according to this report, I’ve got sensitivities to things I’ve never even thought of.
Like chocolate – who the heck has a sensitivity to chocolate?
The way Dr. Naturopath explained these results to me is that people have varying symptoms to food sensitivities – it doesn’t always exhibit as stomach upset. They can present as fatigue, or skin issues, or in ways that most people wouldn’t even detect.
She did say that this list of sensitivities doesn’t necessarily mean I can never have these foods again. Apparently from here, you do an elimination and re-introduction diet with the foods identified. Going a set period of time without the foods mentioned (time periods vary depending on the level of sensitivity – and yep, you guessed it, the highest level of sensitivity for me was dairy) and then reintroducing one item at a time for 3 meals in one day, and watching for symptoms over the next 3 days. If nothing happens that seems too drastic or concerning, that food item can be eaten in moderation. But if the symptoms are noticeable – it gets the boot.
So, here I am. At the start of the elimination period. Giving up things like eggs, and garlic, and citrus, and gluten, and dairy, and peanuts and walnuts, and… and… and… plus a handful of things I don’t care much at all about, like beef and shrimp. I’m doing it, solely because I want to prove to myself that I’m not crazy and that I really don’t have noticeable reactions to any of these foods, but – I’m pretty sure I’m going to be eating bland chicken and lots of spinach over the next few weeks.
I didn’t realize how often I used lemon juice and garlic to cook with until now!
The longest elimination is going to be with Dairy – and that’s only 6 weeks. Dr. Naturopath did say that the test looks at cow’s milk specifically (which I never drink anyway), but that sometimes people with higher sensitivities to cow’s milk still do fine with things like cheese and yogurt because the proteins are broken down differently.
I’m kind of counting on that.
Because while there are plenty of lifestyle changes I am willing to make in the name of better health, I am here to tell you:
A lifetime without another morsel of cheese is not one I’m sure I’m so excited about taking on!
ADSPACE
