I had to have my yearly thyroid function blood test in December (I have Hypothyroidism and take levothyroxine- as mine is autoimmune where the body attacks it's own cells it was get worse and the medication levels will have to be adjusted. Eventually I won't produce my own thyroid hormones and will then be reliant on the levothryoxine).
The nurse rang me to to tell me that the levels were fine. I had queried this as I had been refused a course of antibiotics at the emergency care centre in about November because they had felt that my thyroid was not under control.
Then I received a letter asking me to repeat the blood test.
I rang them and they told me the red blood cell count was odd but that I was probably an anomaly.
I went back in January- on one of the days it snowed. I got the healthcare parctitioner- who is like a Nurse in training.
I warned her that because my thyroid is a mess I don't regulate my body temperature very well so she might struggle to find a vein.
She decided to just go for it and ended up stabbing the needle through both sides of the vein. I was sick, my arm went purple and I couldn't feel my fingers for almost an hour.
She panicked and aborted the blood test- as there was plenty of blood but none in the phial.
I went back to work feeling very sorry for myself and looking like I'd been in a weird fight.
I then received a phone call telling me that I urgently needed to reschedule the blood test. I explained what had happened and was told that on the last test my red blood cells were large and misshapen and that I was anaemic by blood count.
I managed to repeat the test finally in March and the results came back the same.
So, as my B12 levels are nonexistent I will have to have vitamin B12 injections at the hospital every week for 16 weeks.
This is very inconvenient.
The reason why I am deficient in vitamin B12 is because my thyroid level dropped off the chart. This has further damaged my intestine and bowel leading to deficiency in almost everything.
So, in addition to the B12 injections I will also have to have another set of biopsies done to check that I don't have any cancerous cells in my digestive tract.
This is done under a general anaesthetic and will require time off work, in addition to being painful and unpleasant.
I'm very angry about this because it was avoidable. All of this could have been avoided if the blood test levels had been monitored properly and kept at the same level as they were in Bedford.
It's no wonder I've been feeling to tired and looking so rubbish!
The doctor I saw for the blood test results upped my levothryroxine from 100 micrograms to 150 micrograms per day so that's something.
It takes ages to have an effect though so I'm still feeling pretty exhausted and gaining weight like theres no tomorrow!
(To clarify, Increasing the levothyroxine won't help to lose weight, but it should stop me gaining weight quite so quickly which will be a blessing- it'll help to speed up the processes in my body too which should make me feel better.)
Hopefully I'll have red blood cells that actually work and are the correct shape, enough red blood cells to carry out normal functions and enough hormones in my endocrine system to give my body a break soon enough!
No wonder I've been finding running so difficult!
I have to say though, one of the biggest symptoms for me with my Thyroid is insomnia (OK, and theres the bad skin, crazy periods, weird cramps, thinning hair, food allergies, vomiting, upset stomach, hyper pigmentation and hair, but not sleeping is the worst.) in the last week- so a week after upping my thyroid medication- I've started to sleep better.
I know I have because I don't look like an extra off the walking dead at the moment, and I've had dreams!
When you don't sleep properly for a while and then you finally do, all your dreams are completely mental.
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