Dragonsanddemons’s Health Diary

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So that I stop cluttering up other threads with this stuff but can still keep people who care informed.

Presently I am diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia, my iron level was 8.5 at last check. I have had a total of four iron infusions to try to get my body the iron it needs, but I have shown little improvement. I have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, probably just to draw blood to check my iron level again, and find that it’s still pretty low. I might be referred to a hematologist after this iron check, probably I’ll have more thorough panels done there that might hint at a cause. I have been dealing with all this since February, so I’m getting pretty tired of waiting and waiting and waiting some more.

That’s pretty much how I’m doing now, will update after my appointment on Tuesday.

Almost every woman I have dated have had some degree of iron-deficiency anemia.

I’m sorry you’re experiencing this, and your other issues.

Dragon Hugs for the Dragon!

Low iron is difficult to treat because iron is poorly absorbed by the body, which makes little sense considering how critical it is to oxygenation of our cells.

I am sorry you are going through this. I don’t much like having to deal with doctors and lab tests, etc. but have to do it for my own health issues.

I hope the doctor can figure out what is wrong and get it fixed easily.

I don’t know why I’m getting so anxious about this appointment, all they’re probably going to do is ask me a few questions and draw some blood (which I certainly ought to be well used to by now) and not give me any answers. And I’m going to mention that it feels like the lump of swollen lymph nodes on my neck previously diagnosed as benign is now pressing against my esophagus, which it hadn’t been doing until a month or so ago. Initially I attributed it to swelling from an ibuprofen pill that got stuck in my throat (which I do not recommend trying - ow!), but the pain went away after a few days and that feeling remains, and is on the same side of my throat as the swollen lymph nodes, so I got the idea that maybe that isn’t so benign anymore. But even if that’s the case, Doctor Google tells me what I probably have then is actually nowhere near as scary as it sounds (Hodgkin’s lymphoma is what I suspect if Lump isn’t benign anymore, looks like it has a high rate of treatment success and very low death rate unless it’s gone systemic (and mine would probably be early-stage and presently only affecting the one lymph node cluster)), and knowing my body, it probably is still benign. And anyway, anything regarding that would probably be done at a future appointment, not this one. So what do I have to fear? Pretty much nothing. Yet still I’m anxious.

Had my doctor appointment, doctor said Lump is definitely more prominent than it had been, so in addition to a full iron panel, they’ll be doing a white blood cell count, and I need to wait for a different place to call us about scheduling an ultrasound of Lump to be sure it’s still only my lymph nodes and there’s nothing going on with my thyroid. Then we’ll see based on the results what kind of specialist I’ll have to see about Lump, and if my iron level hasn’t improved (which I have no reason to believe it has), I’m probably going to see a hematologist about that.

I wish you excellent luck in your pursuit of answers.

How frequently did you get iron infusions?

Thank you all for the hugs and well-wishes. Dragon hugs back

Wow, apparently my ultrasound is going to be tomorrow. I was expecting to have to wait at least a couple weeks for it. I’ll have to be up bright and early to be leaving by 7:15 AM. Will share results when I have them (I don’t remember if that’s an immediate thing or not, I’d assume so, but I’m not sure).

I wish you the best and hope all will be well. Ultrasounds are probably my best liked medical procedure. A dark room, laying down, a calm technician who doesn't talk loud or talk much at all, no pain and not loud. I wish all medical procedures could be like ultrasounds!

I had an ultrasound of Lump when I first noticed it, and what I remember is that I didn’t like the goo they put on first.

^ Yes the goo is the only part for me that I'd want to change if possible. At least it's warm rather than cold, it's odorless and it's water based and doesn't seem to leave a sticky residue.

Got my ultrasound. I heard something about a thing that was on the affected side but they checked and it wasn’t on the other, so that, at least, was “a finding,” and also something about “numerous” (which I knew already), and I heard someone say “She really needs a CAT scan.” So I guess I know what I’m probably doing next. They said it might not be until next week that I get any results, everything I mentioned is just what I heard the two people discussing (and of course I was aware when they checked the other side of my neck as well).