Which blood tests? Update: An incorrect diagnosis :)

[Wifezilla]

Vitamins and supplements are useless if you are already perfectly healthy. If you aren't, they can be a necessity. I take C, B supplement, maca root and D in the winter. I wish I was well enough to get everything I need from good food, but I was out of whack too long for that. I may be able to stop taking them eventually, but I need them for now.

 

[Lady Henevere]

The vitamins helped, but I still was not 100%, so I decided to go in anyway. Now I remember why I never go to the doctor.

I had to fill in a hundred forms, and then when the doctor came in she asked me all the same questions anyway, because she clearly had not looked at the info I entered into the forms. She asked what my symptoms are, and I told her -- confusion, lack of concentration, short of breath too easily, etc. She asked some general health questions, and immediately prescribed a mammogram. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure my confusion and shortness of breath are not coming from my boobs. Whatever. They took blood, urine, and an EKG, and then she suggested I need to work less. I told her I have been plenty stressed in the past, and this is not the same at all. She said maybe I need to get on antidepressants. I told her I'm not depressed. She said I should try it anyway to see if it helps. I told her I didn't want to treat symptoms, I want to treat causes. She said call back Monday to see what the blood tests say.



A naturopath might be better in that they won't immediately prescribe x-rays and drugs, but I don't know anyone who can recommend one, and online they all look..well...a little out there. They talk about how they meditate looking at the ocean every day and therefore they are good healers, or they advertise that they practice out of day spas, and nobody seems to have been out of school for more than a year or two. I'm a bit skeptical.

I'm hoping the blood tests give me some sort of clue so I can figure out what's going on.

 

[valmom]

As someone in the health care system... it sucks! Good luck figuring out your symptoms! I doubt the mamogram was very useful towards diagnosis, but the doctor likely got paid for it.

 

[AnnaRaven]

The vitamins helped, but I still was not 100%, so I decided to go in anyway. Now I remember why I never go to the doctor.

I had to fill in a hundred forms, and then when the doctor came in she asked me all the same questions anyway, because she clearly had not looked at the info I entered into the forms. She asked what my symptoms are, and I told her -- confusion, lack of concentration, short of breath too easily, etc. She asked some general health questions, and immediately prescribed a mammogram. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure my confusion and shortness of breath are not coming from my boobs. Whatever. They took blood, urine, and an EKG, and then she suggested I need to work less. I told her I have been plenty stressed in the past, and this is not the same at all. She said maybe I need to get on antidepressants. I told her I'm not depressed. She said I should try it anyway to see if it helps. I told her I didn't want to treat symptoms, I want to treat causes. She said call back Monday to see what the blood tests say.



A naturopath might be better in that they won't immediately prescribe x-rays and drugs, but I don't know anyone who can recommend one, and online they all look..well...a little out there. They talk about how they meditate looking at the ocean every day and therefore they are good healers, or they advertise that they practice out of day spas, and nobody seems to have been out of school for more than a year or two. I'm a bit skeptical.

I'm hoping the blood tests give me some sort of clue so I can figure out what's going on.

\

Actually, there's an antidepressant called Welbutrin that is also very helpful for the peri-menopausal brainfog. I used it for about a year with good results.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure my confusion and shortness of breath are not coming from my boobs.

i dunno.. i think boobs have been known to cause confusion and shortness of breath... but not for their owners...
;-)

sorry about all the health flim flam. but if anything i'm pretty impressed they took an EKG. good for them. but wow - unless you walk in with your arm cut off it seems like you get the run around. - western medicine kinda sucks.
:-(

 

[Kingsfarm]

I seem to agree that the symptoms are pre-menopause.... confusion is deffinately one symptom - tiredness is another - memory or should I say lack of at times - stress causes a lot of these also so try to reduce the stress.....may not cause these things but magnify them....maybe a harmone check .... am praying for you and your doctor for a correct diagnosis.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

The vitamins helped, but I still was not 100%, so I decided to go in anyway. Now I remember why I never go to the doctor.

I had to fill in a hundred forms, and then when the doctor came in she asked me all the same questions anyway, because she clearly had not looked at the info I entered into the forms. She asked what my symptoms are, and I told her -- confusion, lack of concentration, short of breath too easily, etc. She asked some general health questions, and immediately prescribed a mammogram. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure my confusion and shortness of breath are not coming from my boobs. Whatever. They took blood, urine, and an EKG, and then she suggested I need to work less. I told her I have been plenty stressed in the past, and this is not the same at all. She said maybe I need to get on antidepressants. I told her I'm not depressed. She said I should try it anyway to see if it helps. I told her I didn't want to treat symptoms, I want to treat causes. She said call back Monday to see what the blood tests say.



A naturopath might be better in that they won't immediately prescribe x-rays and drugs, but I don't know anyone who can recommend one, and online they all look..well...a little out there. They talk about how they meditate looking at the ocean every day and therefore they are good healers, or they advertise that they practice out of day spas, and nobody seems to have been out of school for more than a year or two. I'm a bit skeptical.

I'm hoping the blood tests give me some sort of clue so I can figure out what's going on.

Absolutely Adrenal fatigue....trying to remember...have you gone gluten free?

 

[Lady Henevere]

Yes, I've been gluten free for about 18 months, and it's made a world of difference for my chronic digestive problems. The inability to concentrate, etc. initially started after I was gluten free for a month or two, but then it went away for a while and I felt great. Now it's back. I was thinking that maybe flour is fortified with something I'm missing now....? Or it could be perimenopause (I'm 38), but that doesn't seem to explain the physical symptoms (getting out of breath from even minor exertion, like a single flight of stairs). Or maybe it does? I just don't know.

Lol, ofg!

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Yes, I've been gluten free for about 18 months, and it's made a world of difference for my chronic digestive problems. The inability to concentrate, etc. initially started after I was gluten free for a month or two, but then it went away for a while and I felt great. Now it's back. I was thinking that maybe flour is fortified with something I'm missing now....? Or it could be perimenopause (I'm 38), but that doesn't seem to explain the physical symptoms (getting out of breath from even minor exertion, like a single flight of stairs). Or maybe it does? I just don't know.

Lol, ofg!

Do yourself a favor and read up on adrenal fatigue over the next few days.

 

[Lady Henevere]

The tests are in, and I have the results but I haven't talked to the doctor about them yet. I'm not sure what to make of them.

I'm super low in a few cholesterol readings, I didn't see anything online about problems associated with low cholesterol, so I'm assuming this is fine.

One of the four thyroid readings is low (total T3). I'm not sure what to make of this since the rest of the thyroid readings, including free T3, are fine.

There are a couple of other things that probably need follow up. The rest is normal.

So no answers yet. I will probably find a new doctor to follow up on this. I took me four phone calls to get these test results sent to me (three promises of "I will look for them and call you back" with no call back). Why is competence so hard to find these days?

P.S. I did look up adrenal fatigue, BB, and found that a "cure" is general health (sufficient sleep, vitamins, etc.) I do what I can.