Taking the Advice of Others

When it comes to my healthy I tend to ignore the advice of others. I'm bad that way. I avoid going to the Dr., I self diagnose (with the assistance of Dr. Google) and I self treat - most of the time with just that....time. I don't like taking medication and will avoid it unless absolutely necessary.

It's not that I'm worried the Dr will find something terribly wrong - that's my mom's hang up. On the contrary, if I had some terrible disease, I'd want to know ASAP so I could get better. The catch 22 in this means I actually have to go to the Dr when I don't feel well. The trick for me is deciphering my health and deciding when it's a 'I don't feel good' and treat myself or a genuine "I'm sick" and see a Dr.

We've finally hit the latter.

During March Break I started having a lot of heart flutters/palpitations. Yes, it's my heart and not something I should self diagnose. BUT - I've had these for years and have seen the Dr for them before. I've concluded that when I'm hooked up the the EKG machine my heart plays nice. I've also concluded that this flutters/palpitations are largely hormonal. Upon further examination, I've noticed that these episodes occur when that bitch Aunt Flo is visiting.  It so happens that during March Break she was here. And she was in a mood. It was exceptionally heavy (yeah, tmi - but this goes somewhere)
So one day I came out of the bathroom to go and play with Mary and I suddenly felt dizzy. So dizzy in fact that I actually pushed Mary out of the way so that I could get to her room and sit down before I fainted in the hallway and busted my head open. I told her, "If Mommy faints, go downstairs and get Nana"
The feeling passed. I played with Mary for a bit but the rest of the day I felt very disconnected and drained.

Later that week, when I went to the gym, I had a similar but less severe episode in which I thought I might faint while on the elliptical. I do think, in that case though, part of it was brought on by anxiety.

From that point on though I've lacked my usual energy. I go to bed at 9. I sleep until 5:30.  I don't wake before my alarm anymore (I always used to) I don't wake feeling rested. I spend my day in a funk. I have no patience for the kids at school and little enthusiasm for work - which is completely out of character for me. My co workers have said - take some iron. Go to the Dr. Stay home and get some rest....and I ignore them....because I don't take the advice of others well. Shudder to think...they could be right!

I called in sick yesterday and stayed in bed. ALL DAY. And then I went to bed last night at 9:30 and slept until 6 this morning - and only woke because Connor had to pee. I'm off sick again today - I'm so drained that the thought of working makes me want to cry.

I have self diagnosed. I think my iron is low. (Imagine that - my co workers could be right!) I know this is a knee jerk conclusion for anyone who feels tired but I'm putting it all together.

I'm eating healthier - which for me translates to - cereal or toast for breakfast, salad and yogurt for lunch and for supper - lots of veggies with less meat and starch. All this means substantially less iron in my diet. I'm exercising which means I'm depleting my reserves. I'm a woman which means, especially during that time of the month, I need more iron...not less. And all this started during that time of the month.

So, I'm taking iron supplements in hopes that it will help but more importantly, I'm going to the Dr tonight. Because I'm tired of feeling BLAH. I want to feel good again. And I want to make sure that this is truly what the problem is.

I'm home again today. Two sick days in a row. That is a source of stress in itself. I don't like to miss work. I still love my job and I don't want my time off to reflect poorly on me. But if I don't take care of me, I can't do my job as well as I can/should.

We shall see.