Hmmm. In an effort to figure out why I'm tired an awful lot, I went in to see the doc last week. She sent me for bloodwork to double-check my thyroid. We've checked it before, but maybe it's borderline, which is fine for most people, but not all. Whatever. An answer would be nice, but I've never gotten one before. In fact, a lot of my medical problems are mysteries. For example, no doctor has ever been able to diagnose my joint pain. Even if they don't know the cure, having a label for it would be nice.
Anyway, today I got a phone call from the doctor's office, saying I should come in for another blood test. This one I'm supposed to fast for (ick... I hate fasting... I like my breakfast in the morning!), and is to test my cholesterol.
Does this mean my cholesterol was bad on the first test, and they want to see if the fasting result is different? (I have bad cholesterol?!? Ack!!! Isn't that for *old* people like my dad?!? Does this mean I'm old?!? Noooooooooo! ;) )
Can high (or low?) cholesterol make me sleepy?
*sigh*... I sure hate the lack of answers. Is there a recall on my body yet? Can I have a new one? Sheesh!
8 comments:
Unfortunately, I have learned the medical community does not have all the answers at all and it pisses me off. I wish they all could be like "House", where 4 doctors do nothing but work on you 24 hours a day til they get the answers, usually within a few days.
I wish high cholesterol was only for old people! I was on cholesterol lowering meds at 22. I've been off of them for a few years because my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant and those statin drugs are kinda bad for developing babies! But, my cholesterol is still bad. My doc kept checking it, and it kept being high. He finally told me to come back after we have our family, since he can't medicate me at the moment. *shrug* I don't know if cholesterol can make you sleepy or not though.
As for medical mysteries, my husband and I finally went to a specialist for infertility. My diagnosis after many tests: unexplained. Joy. So yes, it is very unfortunate that the medical community cannot find all of the answers.
Yuck! Did you hear about that recent study that showed consuming whole milk and full fat ice cream and yogurt can improve fertility? I don't know if it'll make a difference for you, but being able to eat ice cream guilt-free has other benefits. ;)
Hey, Andrea - you've had allergic problems in the past, right? I wonder if maybe you have some underlying food allergy or intolerance that is causing these symptoms. It kind of sounds like it could be. If you don't get answers that you like at the doctor's office, you might want to consider trying an elimination diet. Not fun, but in the end it could be worth it - just a thought.
I did see that report! Hopefully I won't have to worry about that much. It appears that the specialist we've been seeing has helped us even without a diagnosis. Official announcement won't be here til next week though. ;)
Shelly: *sigh* It very well could be an allergy. I try to mostly stick to foods I'm either not allergic to, or only have a minor allergy to, but I have so many allergies that avoiding all food I'm allergic to is pretty much impossible. Also, the last time I eliminated foods I was allergic to, I lost all tolerence to them that I had. I've been able to get some of the tolerances back, but not others.
Boredelf: Hmmm... well, that gives you a week of eating ice cream, right? ;)
Sounds very familiar. High cholesterol and joint pain are side-effects of thyroid disorder. My completely unsolicited advice: Ask your doc for your TSH level. If it's above 3.0, ask about starting a low dose of synthetic thyroid meds. Many docs won't prescribe meds for anything less than 5.5, but a lot of new research is showing that the guidelines should be changed. I know it's probably weird getting advice from a complete stranger, but I went 6 years from doctor to doctor without a diagnosis before they finally sorted me out, so I'm hoping my frustration can help someone else. :-) Cheers, Kate
Thanks Kate!
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