Numbers, Numbers

Last week I got my blood drawn and lots of fun tests run. My Doctor of Awesome is kind of busy so it wasn't until today that I finally got to talk to her about my test results. The highlights:

*Vitamin-D Deficient: I didn't expect this one because I live in sunny Colorado and because I have been taking a supplement with Vitamin D and Calcium. Guess it's not enough. Women to Women has a page devoted to the importance of Vitamin D. I know that it's somewhat of a trendy vitamin right now, but I guess that doesn't make it any less necessary for our health. They say that "Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones/fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, symptoms of depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities. Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient." That bit about IBS is a little worsrisome!

*High T3: The lab work showed that I had a high level of T3 hormone in my bloodstream, which by itself is worrisome. When I talked to Doctor Awesome I told her that I'd taken my thyroid medication about half an hour before they drew blood, which is apparently the wrong thing to do. So....I won't do that next time because it totally skews the results. Noted.

*Borderline Anemic (The Story Of My Life): When I was pregnant with my DS, I was almost anemic and I guess that this current lab work and some I'd had done previously said the same thing. The reference range for iron is crazy, something like 6 to 115 (I don't really remember, I'm just saying it's BIG). I am at 15 and Doctor Awesome said that she thinks most people function best at 90-100. That's kind of far from where I'm at. A New York Times article says that "symptoms may include weakness, shortness of breath, impaired athletic performance, rapid heartbeat, irritability, apathy, dizziness, pale skin, headache and numb or cold hands and feet."

*Regular TSH: My TSH is at a wonderful .898. This isn't what I expected because of the slight arthritis, low temp, high BP, etc....

I have a hypothesis about why, at the time my blood was drawn, I had some signs of hypothyroidism. I take this thyroid medication in the morning and so it had been basically a full 24 hours since I'd had a dose. I am considering splitting up the dose again, taking some in the morning and some later in the day to make the hormone amount I'm getting more even.

In the meantime, Viatmin D, iron, and better sleep! I also might have to get a tooth pulled, but that's a different story...