Saturday, February 26, 2011

Aging, Iron and Flowers

I received these from a dear friend this week for my 29th (wink, wink) birthday. They are stunning and such a welcome burst of color. Even those of us who love winter enjoy a bit of early spring. Thank you K*!
The past week has been a bit tough for me. Don't know whether it's turning older, the craziness going on in Madison or that my iron is plummeting again. Could be a combo of all three I suppose.

Low iron doesn't just affect me physically; it's like someone is pulling a gauze curtain over my brain. I didn't realize how low I had been until the past few months that I have felt like Super Woman. Lot's of energy, positive mood, needing less sleep--who knew a human could feel so great! Since last May I had been taking a mega-dose of iron supplement. It took nine months to build my iron (almost) up to normal levels. Nine months! I stopped taking the supplement (per doctor's instructions) about a month ago and the gauze curtain feels like it's coming back. I am more tired, a bit more snippy and melancholy. I realize I can't take the iron supplement forever, but I just can't go back to living the way I did--really it wasn't living, it was more like surviving each day. I hope this week was just a minor blip. I head back to have my levels checked in a few months, so we'll know then. In the meantime I will keep my chin up, eat well, exercise and trust.

2 comments:

Michaele said...

Did you find out why you were low iron in the first place? I would be curious to know how this goes. I like your blog. You might consider doing a post for Farm Friendly Friday at Verde Farm http://www.verdefarm.com/ this Friday. It is fun to post and to read the posts and you will probably pick up a few more followers also.
Happy Birthday also.

Deb said...

The hematologist that I had been working with believes that it is a result of pregnancy, child birth and not restoring the iron afterward. In a few months, we'll see where it's at. I'd like to get to the bottom of it, but I think it will be an ongoing issue. I'm also seeing an acupuncturist. I will be blogging more on this in the future, I'm sure.
Thanks for the birthday wishes.