Okay. Don’t recommend this diary! 🙂
Saw the dr this morning and got good news and bad news. The good news is that there doesn’t seem to be anything majorly wrong with me. The bad news isn’t all that bad. I have extremely low levels of Vitamin B12 (which I’ve had before, but this time my level is 85 when it’s supposed to be around 400) and iron (which I experienced as a teen – the level was ridiculously low this time too). We’re trying pills for a month and if they don’t help, it’s on to regular injections. Hopefully, the B12 will clear up this cloudy head of mine and it actually might help with the pain since a deficiency can affect the nervous system. I’ll tell you what’s affecting my nervous system the most right now – damn, disrespectful, young male roommates – but that’s another story.
As for the kidney situation, I have renal tubular extansa (or something like that – I didn’t write it down). He said my tubes are dilated and he still thinks I either have a kidney stone or some gravel in there that’s continuing to cause this pain. The treatment so far is to drink massive amounts of liquids to try and flush out my system and new painkillers. Oh please – let that work!! I can’t take much more of this.
So – here’s to a clearer head, no more pain, and no more worrying.
Thanks to all of you who helped me cope the past few days. You really made a difference. I went out and got some new bedding plants today (they were on sale, of course), so I’ll have some new flowers to keep me happy as soon as I get them transplanted.
Life goes on…
Catnip, I hope you’re feeling better soon. Those flowers should help your spirits!
Thanks. They already have. We’ve had a terrible spring here with tons of rain and flooding (not in my neighbourhood, thankfully), so the flowers are all trying to catch up now that we have sunshine. Better late than never!
I hope you feel much better soon, Catnip! Drink, drink, drink!
Thanks Susan! I’ll be developing a new drinking problem – this time with water. 🙂
Catnip…what did you learn about B12 and fuzzy thinking? That’s been bugging me for over a year and I just chalked it up to stress or perimenopause. I just can’t concentrate, and I have trouble finding the right word. Frustrating!
I have that problem and it is very,very frustrating. Also I sound slightly drunk at times due to various nerve damage with causes lazy tongue…especially when I get fatigued which happens very easily.
Funny about the B vitamins as the neuro-muscular disease I have means that too large doses of certain B vitamins can cause more nerve damage/numbness…vitamins are not always your friend..or not mine anyway.
It’s just depressing to think that the only reason I’m noticing that my brain doesn’t seem to function that well anymore is old age. Very very depressing. I guess it’s all downhill from here!
If it’s all downhill I guess we can choose to ski or just roll down the hill. I’d rather ski (even if don’t know how). 🙂
Sorry to hear that you’re struggling too. hugs Seems there are a few of us in the same boat, but we still manage to have damn good discussions about things that matter! 🙂
You know – I knew about this before. I’ve suffered from depression as long as I can remember and that really screws up one’s thinking. When I was on the B12 shots before, I really noticed a difference in my cognition, but I really hated giving myself those shots, so I stopped. I never should have done that. Severe B12 deficiency cause cause irreversible nervous system damage and dementia. Just google “B12 deficiency”. Here’s starter article.
In Britland we eat Marmite on our toast. I imported it to Finland. My daughters demand it. B12 on a platter.
Vegemite in Australia does the same trick…
what is marmite?
NASTY!
Unless you’re British!
honestly saw this after I posted:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4649007.stm
French President Jacques Chirac is reported to have cracked jokes about British food at a meeting with the German and Russian leaders.
French newspaper Liberation says Gerhard Schroeder and Vladimir Putin laughed and joined in the banter.
“One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad,” it quotes Mr Chirac saying.
~~
when I lived in Britain, one of my (Indian born) British friends would joke that the real reason the UK became an empire was that they couldn’t stand their own food.
Marmite, IMHO, would be reason enough.
Not exactly a stunning endorsement. lol
Haggar and comrades hauling their longship onto a shore in the rain.
“What is this horrible place?” asks one.
“England” says another. “If you like the weather, you’ll love the cooking.”
That’s our family: our alternative spelling for the verb “cook” is “boil.”
Thanks. I’ll see if I can find some. I know my local store carries vegemite. Is that the same thing?
Vegemite/marmite are similar yeast extracts.
Lots of riboflavin and full B vitamins.
We indoctrinate quite young babies by putting a little scrape of marmite on a thin finger of buttered toast. We call it a ‘soldier’. No baby has ever failed to be instantly hooked – beginning a lifelong relationship. I do not eat it every day, or even every week – but I feel naked if I don’t have it on my shelf. There are some days when you just HAVE to have marmite.
25 years ago I had to import the stuff into Finland myself. Today the Indian shops all carry it.
It is impossible to learn to love Marmite in adult life – you have to be hooked as a baby.
It could be used on ‘Fear Factor’
It could be used on ‘Fear Factor’
lol – okay, then I’ll probably avoid it. 🙂
Are these anything like Nutritional Yeast? It has B12 in it and is really tasty, kinda like flaky cheese. I love it on freshly popped popcorn, and it goes well in soups, chili, and lots of other things. Do not confuse it with Brewer’s yeast, that tastes awful!
Here is a recipe I have for a “cheese” spread made from Nutritional Yeast that is really good:
1 cup of flakes,
1/3 cup of flour to thicken
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 cup margarine, butter or oil.
Mix flakes, flour, salt and water together (I suggest doing the yeast and flour first, then add the rest) and cook until bubbly and smooth, then about 30 seconds more and remove from heat. Whip in the margarine and optional 1/2 tsp. garlic and 2 tsp. wet mustard (regular mustard from a bottle)
Very simple to do, and really tasty on things like crackers, bread, baked potatoes and broccali as a cheese sauce substitute.
I learned this years ago when dabbling as a vegetarian, where B12 is a real issue, since it mostly comes from animal products.
What’s in Marmite? I’ve seen it mentioned in various books, usually British cozy mysteries, and assumed it was some kind of odd jam.
Here’s a site from the Nat’l Lib. of Medicine and NIH that was recommended to me…very informative and clearly written…
MedlinePlus
Hope it is of assistance, Best wishes
Thanks. That’s one trusted site I visit frequently along with Merck and some others that I know have good reputations. I also subscribe to the Quackwatch newsletter and it’s very informative.
Hi catnip, thanks for the update. I hope your health problems get resolved soon and that the new painkillers help-I’m a firm believer in pain meds, take them daily or I couldn’t function. And any kind of gardening is usually a very soothing endevour. Happy 4th.
Hi – Thank you for the update! My memory has been fuzzy lately and I’m having trouble with word retrieval and spelling. This is all apparently par for the course for perimenopause of all things.
Gardening, reading and meditation are my tranquilizers. Ingestable ones are herbal, flower essence and homeopathic products. But I’m no Tom Cruise – chemical help in the form of Prozac was a life saver.
Hope your roomate situation improves!
Perimenopause – that’s all I need! 🙂 I really need to read more about what to expect. From what I do know, the symptoms won’t be much different from lupus and fibromyalgia which I have too. Any recommended reading on the subject would be appreciated.
I wouldn’t worry about this one yet – unless you’re sure you’ve got it. It sounds like you have more than enough to worry about as it is. Lupus and I’m sure FN have support groups and much online info. But if you think perimenopause has kicked in, please contact me. I’m either very lucky in that I’m relatively asmptomatic or my regimen is working, and I’d be pleased to share it with you. I’ve also found some online discount supplement stores. With women it seems to be one thing or another.
Perimenopause can be vastly different from person to person (best gauge of how it is going to be for you would be your mother and other female relatives). Mine amounted to problems sleeping, very brief periods of sweating (rather than the extended hot flashes you hear so much about) and two years of completely unpredictable periods.
There is an interesting book called “This is not your mother’s menopause” by Trisha Posner that details developing alternative approaches to managing menopause.
Keeping you in my thoughts, Catnip. feel better soon.
Good luck. I hope the pills work.
Maybe you and your “disrespectful young male roommates” need to have a pie war. <grin> With actual pies. You throw first.
I’m glad the bad news is not as bad as you may have feared and that there is actual good news, too.
I’m at the end of my rope with these guys. If the spineless landlord doesn’t kick them out, I’ll be moving ASAP. It sucks because I’ve been here almost 3 years and I hate moving, but my health and peace of mind have to come first.
Are you vegetarian? We do have a hard time getting enough B in the diet. Yougart is a good source. Off the top of my less than serious head, perhaps a daily dose of spinach and beet salad with yougurt dressing would help or throw it all in a blender and have a smoothie. You can now gag. But, the salad could be better than pills.
I do hope the pills work and that you are soon feeling and thinking better.
Oh, a note of caution on the fluids. You can take too much water. It can result in a electrolite imbalance and hallucinations and seizures can be the result. Please drink about 8 glasses a day, but be careful if you go beyond that.
Nope. Not a vegetarian but I sure need to improve my diet. Thanks for the recipe, but I don’t like spinach or beets. 🙂 I do love yogurt though.
My dr recommended 3 litres of water/day. I told him I’ll now be spending the rest of my life in the bathroom!
On amounts of water to drink: I heard a discussion on a radio program recently that said 8 glasses is one-size-fits-all. That what works is to take half your weight, and that number of ounces is the amount of water to drink daily. So if you wight 140 pounds, you want 70 ounces of water each day, or just under nine 8-oz. glasses. Metric? Hmmmm. Translator here.
So I tried it last week, keeping a tally sheet in the kitchen. The first day, I started drinking water and couldn’t stop. 15 glasses total all day, although never more than 1.5-2 at a time. Clearly, I was dehydrated without realizing it.
Now, I’ve tapered off to where I’m drinking about 8-10 glasses a day. I discussed this with my acupuncturist, who is also an R.N., and she said it’s a sensible approach.
My thinking is clearer, I have better energy, and my skin, which had been feeling dry, is no longer scratchy.
Best of luck Catnip. It sounds like things will get better.
Thanks for the update, and I’m glad to hear that the news was actually pretty good. Keep drinking all those fluids, and I hope the pills work well enough that you won’t need the injections!
Does your doc think it could be pernicious anemia? There’s some association with other autoimmune endocrinological diseases and I think I’ve read that you might have a few of those, so maybe this is a possibility. It’s one of the things they have to keep watching and testing me for because I’ve had disabling autoimmune trouble for 6 years now. (What I have is probably polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, which includes several autoimmune endocrinological diseases, but the doctors where I am are fair-to-useless so I’m currently underdiagnosed and undertreated. I’m hoping to move soon to remedy this.)
Anyway, I’m glad the news wasn’t as bad as you feared it might be, and I hope the B12 supplements help to clear up your pain and brain fog. I know all about the pain and brain fog. :}
I have to get my old medical records – this is a fairly new dr after mine retired. I think I may have been dx with pernicious anemia a few years ago. Of course, because I have such a lousy memory – I can’t remember now!
So many of us are sick! I don’t know how we all manage some days. I’m sorry to hear that you’re dealing with something similar. I have lupus, so I need to investigate this further. Thanks. hugs
Thanks for letting us know how it went at the doctor. Sounds a lot better than some of the things you were fearing at the end of last week.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Yes, I managed to work myself into a frenzy in a very short period of time. I really appreciate your personal support. big hug
Stay with the herbal as much as possible, herbal teas are a great soothing substance.
And most of all,,,,EAT YOUR GREENS YOUNG LADY ; )
LOL…glad to hear the good news, and get well soon. (the good news out weighs the bad ; )
Yes, sir! 🙂
Thanks.
And the gardening is good for cheering the soul. We almost came over to see the gardens in Windsor, then realized it was Canada day (this was the first), so we didn’t. No excuses, finally had to attack the weeds as big as cornstalks “knee high by the 4th of July”.
My husband also has chronic kidney stones and pain. Drink, drink, drink! That B12 could be very important. I had numbers like yours some years back, and felt like I had lost about 30 IQ points and all of my energy. Over time, the vitamins helped a great deal.
And whip those young males in line! Seriously, I hope you are taking good care of yourself, catnip.
I sure know what the loss of IQ points feels like! 🙂
Thanks for the encouragement. I need my brain back. Give your husband a gentle hug for me.
catnip, have they ever told you anything about pernisious anemia? B12 is the cause of that one. It can be remided well with b12 . It has been a very long time since I have even thought of it. Good luck girlfriend. keep a stiff upper lip and you will conquer all….I have faith in you and your will…:o)…hugs
Thanks, Brenda. Yes, I mentioned in a comment here that I think I may have been diagnosed with pernicious anemia at one time. I need to get my old medical records tranferred to this new doctor. Thanks for having faith in me.
Great! I was waiting to hear from you with a little anxiety but I’m sure nothing compared to what you’ve been through.
It doesn’t sound like anything that can’t be remedies, which is a good thing.
I’m relieved for you catnip…now if you can just get you male roommates to but down the damn toilet seat!
Also Arlo: “If you wanna end war and stuff, you gotta sing loud.” 😉
Oh thank goodness Catnip. Sounds as if things can be treated. As far as the fuzzy headed, memory symptoms, I know what you mean. Now that I am all the way through the menopause thing it has gotten a bit better actually. Take good ccare my friend and know that we all are relieved for you.
Catnip, We don’t know each other (yet 🙂 but I flashed on something you said yesterday in one of the diaries where you mentioned something about your doctor wishing to discuss test results with you. I suppose I’m hypersensitive to stuff like that, therefore I did notice, and I must say I’m glad to read today that you’ve received no catastrophic 🙂 news.
I hope you “tank” back up on some good ole B12 and that you feel better soonly!
Here’s to wishing you the best. I’ve so much valued your comments and diaries, on both sites.
Catnip,
Glad you’re getting some good, or at least not-bad, news.
Have you also considered the possibilities of allergic reactions? I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, which like lupus is an immune-system dysfunction, and also candida.
With self-education, trial and error, and concentrated attention over 15 years, I’ve learned to avoid things like wheat and sugar, plus loads of other things. I still eat them, but am careful about quantities, and I read all the fine print in labels. Candida, untreated and unchecked, sets up conditions that include brain fog, which mimics things like dementia and exacerbates conditions like arthritis. Many people are mildly allergic to wheat, even if they think there are no obvious symptoms.
I’ve been lucky in that I had access to a very skilled herbalist and acupuncturist. I’ve also studied Chinese medicine. (Allopathic medicine isn’t set up to deal with generalized, systemic problems that can’t be treated with silver bullets. And, unfortunately, it encourages people to accept the word of doctor-gods and not to learn about their own health.)
You might want to do some reading on candida and MCS, ’cause I suspect there might be some info in there of use to you. I have a huge reading list on those, if you want some titles. And there’s lots on Google.
Good morning, my dear! As always, I’m a bit late, but I wanted to start your day with fresh well-wishes (yeah. . .that’s it. I’ll view my late posts as giving diarists the “gift” of fresh comments :^).
So thoughtful of you to provide the update (we really do care, you know!) And as referenced by others, it seems that the good outweighs the bad – and it sounds like you’re in great hands. (Both medically . . . and with us, of course.)
Glad to hear you surrounded yourself with flowers. Very therapeutic. Just do be careful and don’t overdo it with the planting, please. I wouldn’t want you to hurt your back any further (she mentions sheepishly after having injured her own back with too much gardening the week before. . .)
I had to laugh when I read the comments above concerning peri-menopause. So many helpful people diagnose my physical ailments or behavior as being related to peri-menopause. Such as my weepiness. . .which has pretty much been in place since I came out of the womb :^). And I too have heard that we’re supposed to ask our mothers what they went through to best determine what to expect. Then a friend informed me of a peculiar phenomenon she witnessed in speaking with women over the age of 70. None of them recalled having had any menopausal symptoms. So I found myself laughing out loud when I asked my mother (who was 80 at the time) what she went through. Sure enough, she insisted that she too hadn’t experienced any symptoms. (Who knows?)
In addition to consuming water – make sure to find a way to surround yourself with it. Nothing soothes the soul like a shimmering lake, a babbling brook, or the gentle gurgle of a fountain. Not to mention the calming effects of a bubble bath. (Oh. . .who am I kidding with my lame attempts at sounding poetic in presenting the water remedies – perhaps you could just wash some dishes ;^)
Bless you for keeping us apprised, and have yourself a wonderful day. We’ll be thinking about you, to be sure!
with un- (or in my case wrongly-) diagnosed conditions for years. I had nothing as severe as yours–digestive issues–but they were energy-sapping enough to degrade my career. They made me turn to state government employment rather than the private sector for my computer tech career, which has to have cost me scores of thousands in earnings over the long haul.
I noticed early on that there is a truth behind conservative lore about lazy government workers. I was always around numbers of people who had medical or emotional problems themselves or in their family. As we began to hear more and more touting of economic “efficiency” over the decades–especially as a purpose for globalization–I saw the trend on a collision course with the broad nature of the human condition.
It’s not just the under-skilled that our economy threatens, it’s also the under-energied (if I can create a term for it).
In your case, I hope it turns out to be a well understood condition that will soon be properly identified and readily treated.
Hi Catnip, For kidney stones and other kidney issues, Planetary Herbs makes a product called “stone-free.” I had a kidney stone several years ago and after it happened, I took this herb for several weeks. I have not had another instance, can’t say for sure that this is because of the herb, but you might want to give it a try. Also, believe it or not, I have heard that beer is good for kidney stones. An internet search for “Planetary herbs stone free” brings up a number of places to get it. Looks like it runs about $10.00 for 90 pills.
As for perimenopause symptoms, many people are recommending progesterone cream to help keep periods regular and deal with other unpleasant symptoms like sweating or mood swings. I’ve been using it and have no complaints or bad side effects from it that I can tell thus far. You have to make sure you use a reputable brand though, and that is also something you might be able to find out about with a net search.
Good luck and hope you feel better REAL soon!
Good evening Catnip,
It’s so good to hear that everything is managable. I’ll bet you’re glad the weekend is behind you now eh? All the best :O)