Sunday, February 24, 2008

In Sickness And In Health....

For a while now I've been dealing with a variety of symptoms with no explanation. I have had severe fatigue (to the point where I am literally falling asleep at my desk or I feel like I can't lift my arm up to answer the phone), my left arm and leg go numb and tingly, I have muscle twitches in my left leg (kind of like a spasm), I've had little to no appetite, and I've been very forgetful. I've been going to chiro for over a year now and it has helped some but not completely. They referred me to a nerve specialist guy who said I just need to stretch more, my muscles are wound up too tight. I had an MRI on my neck but nothing looked wrong. I finally told my GP that I think I have a sleeping disorder or something. She did some blood work and it appears that I am deficient in B12. It is very rare for a young person to have this unless they are vegan (which I am definitely not) because you get B12 from animal products like eggs, milk, and meat. It also stores in your body for years at a time so it's hard to deplete the storage.

I did some research on the internet and it explains pretty much all of my symptoms. I also found that if gone untreated for too long it can effect your nervous system and become other diseases such as Alzheimer's (which runs in my family, both my great grandma and grandma had it). I'm supposed to take 1000 mcg a day (normal is 6mcg daily) for eight weeks and then have my blood retested to see if my body is absorbing it. I've been taking it for a week now and no sign of improvement but I think it will take a while to see results.

I just want to thank my husband and family and friends for putting up with me lately. I am a very cranky girl when I am tired which is all the time lately. My husband has picked up a lot of slack around the house when I can't force myself to get up and make dinner or clean up. He never gets frustrated with me. Just makes me a frozen pizza and gives me a kiss. I love him very much and can't even begin to explain how grateful I am for finding him. He really is amazing.

2 comments:

Lindsay said...

I'm so sorry you're not feeling well, but it sounds like Russ is taking very good care of you!

Allison said...

I'm glad you got such a good guy too. Please let me know what's going on as soon as you find out because I'm really worried about you.