Well something in the last month has definitely NOT been clicking. I've been just so off and I had no idea why until my doctor's office called me on Friday.
Since the middle of January, I have felt lethargic, filled with anxiety, having increased heart palpitations with chest pain and breathlessness, dizziness, moody, trouble swallowing - just really off. I chalked it up to anxiety from the build up of stress I've had in my life in the last few months but I didn't really feel that stressed. At least not more than usual. Luckily I had a doctor's appointment scheduled in January and had her check my blood work after I told her how my heart palpitations were getting worse, especially when I ran.
Last Friday I got a call from her office and her receptionist gave me a message from her telling me that I was pretty anaemic and needed to start taking an iron supplement immediately. I know it sounds crazy but I was so relieved. Maybe this has been the reason for the shift in my normal. Immediately I thought this might be the reason for my heart palpitations but as I read the list of symptoms related to anaemia, I could check off each one:
- extreme fatigue
- feeling lethargic
- anxiety
- cold extremities
- tingling extremities
- chest pain
- heart palpitations
- dizziness
- difficulty swallowing
- moody
- brittle nails
- hair loss
Yup. I have every single symptom. But I never thought I could group them all together like that and to my surprise, anaemia causes every single symptom.
I have started taking supplements and I sure hope the symptoms lessen sooner than later. My anxiety has been through the roof because I've been feeling so bad and worrying about what it could all mean. But low iron also causes anxiety... Obviously! My body is freaking out because it can't get enough oxygen. I'd be freaking out too! I realize now that as a frequent blood donor and as a woman who probably has a pretty heavy period, my poor body had no red blood cells left.
I've been just barely maintaining my weight. With this feeling of being lethargic and anxious, all I want to do is eat all the carbs because my brain says "that makes me feel happy and satisfied". I made myself two bowls of homemade mac and cheese the other day. Hadn't done that in a very long time! I haven't been counting points since I started maintenance but I think I needed the mental break from it. Luckily, the changes I've made this year do help me keep things pretty in check. I may have mac and cheese one day but I can reign it in pretty quickly to get back on track when I need to.
But all this just proves something very important to me. When you feel good and take care of your body, you are way more capable of understanding when something isn't right. I knew there was something strange going on with my body. I didn't know what it was but I knew it wasn't in my head. Once you find your "new normal" and understand how your body is when it's at its best, you know pretty darn quickly when something is not working. Be an advocate for your health. Know your body and know when to ask for help.
Please pray for me and send me healthy vibes that the iron helps restore me to the bubbly, healthy and happy person I used to be. I haven't been posting on social media much because I find that I am very irritable and any negative remarks or comments puts me right over the edge. I need to balance myself a little here while I figure all of this out. I need to find my normal again.
Peace to all of you beautiful people xoxoxo
Nat
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