My kidney doctor says my medical checkup tests all came back within their usual parameters (no changes to my kidney function) except that I’m anemic and I apparently have an infection happening somewhere inside my body. So, I had her send my lab results to my PCP, who has ordered some additional tests to see why I’m anemic and where the infection might be.
I had a UTI last month. It’s possible that it didn’t get kicked completely out of my system. That’s what I’m imagining until I hear another theory, so I’ll take a urine sample in this morning when I go in for the blood draw. If that’s the case, my PCP probably has to put me on another type of antibiotic to see if that cures the infection.
I’m fasting until the blood gets taken at 8:30 A.M. It has been more than a year since I’ve had fasting bloodwork, and since there is a history of diabetes in my family, it’s good to keep checking for it. Last time, I wasn’t even prediabetic, so I don’t anticipate there will be anything amiss.
ANEMIA
When I was told I have anemia, I looked it up online and I have nearly every symptom (extreme fatigue, paleness, brittle nails, slight headache and occasionaly lightheadedness, occasional heart palpitations, dry skin, damaged hair, cold hands and feet) except seizures, which only happen when the anemia is super severe. So, those anomalies stand explained.
INFECTION
Of course, an infection would add to the mix of symptoms. But I haven’t experienced a fever or chills, so whatever the infection is, it’s probably pretty mild. I never know when I have UTI, but I get them pretty frequently. I think that’s because I don’t drink enough water. I never feel thirsty. I am going to put 64 ounces in a bottle and drink 6 ounces of cranberry juice every day going forward to help out my one operational kidney. It’s doing the work of two (and may have been all my life) so I need to give it what it needs to keep on keepin’ on.
INR LEVELS
My INR levels have risen lately, so the pharmacist reduced my Warfarin intake level and I have increased the amount of greens I’m eating (and I’m eating more red meat to help offset the anemia, per my kidney doctor’s instructions). I will have it checked on Friday and will let the “blood getter” know about the anemia and infection. One or both of those anomalies could have caused the levels to rise, I suppose. So, the pharmacist who checks my INR levels needs to know about them.
CONFESSION
I’m typing this post simply because I’m hungry, and I can’t eat until after I get the bloodwork done this morning, so I’m using this as a displacement activity until I can get some grub in my system!
I slept outside in the tent from 7 pm to 2:30 a.m., and that seems to be all the sleep I needed tonight, so got up and took a shower, peed in the specimen cup, and sat down to look over my bank account and Facebook page. After completing those, I came here to do this. Now it’s 5:10 a.m. and I only have to wait about another three and a half hours to eat. I suppose I could fall back asleep for a while.
Reckon I’ll try that. It couldn’t hurt — and it will shut down my brain for a while so I don’t think about eating. That would be a very nice Mission Accomplished!
