Health Update

Last week I wrote about the tests that sashagee and I underwent and this week we got the results of those tests!

Most of my tests came back just fine--my cholesterol is good, my blood tests are mostly normal, etc--but the one glaring deficiency is that my B12 was extremely low--normal levels are 180-914 pg/mL (picograms per milliliter) and I'm sitting at 185. Technically okay, but obviously a sign of probable deficiency (mostly probably that due to kashrut I don't eat a lot of meat) and that I should supplement. I have also started eating more dairy recently--since I started a regular exercise program, doing an Apple Fitness+ workout five days a week, I drink a milk-based protein shake in the morning and have more eggs and yogurt than I used to--and floated the idea of buying and eating liver but sashagee vetoed it if I have to cook it at home (due to smell), so I bought some B12 supplements and also bought some beef liver supplements to try it while I try to find a place that has pre-cooked liver. I do actually like the taste of liver, but if I have to find it pre-cooked, I'll need to look around. It looks like Romanian Kosher Sausage Company has both chopped and boiled liver, and maybe after Shabbat I'll head up there and buy some.

For sashagee's part, she went to a consultation about her bloodwork and her doctor suspects that maybe her continuing fatigue and headaches are actually the result of her medication. She's continually had her dosage adjusted and lowered and lowered and now she's at the low end of the suggested low dosage and still having trouble, so the next thing is trying to take her off her medication completely, because keeping her on the medication if her thyroid is returning to normal function will damage it. The doctor suggested that the stress of an extremely difficult pregnancy coupled with the mental stress of all of Laila's health conditions together are what sent sashagee's body into near-collapse, and they're going to see what happens with no meds. They did say if she has any of her previous symptoms--swelling, rash, etc--call them immediately, and she's getting another blood test in a few weeks. In the meantime, she's glad that she doesn't have to wait an hour after she wakes up to eat.

I hurt my back carrying Laila on my shoulders on the way to swim class last night. I was walking and she was wiggling and I felt something in my back twist and now it's really sore. B"H it's only sore--aaron.hosek hurt his back and was laid up for over a week. I'm writing this on lunch at work and the only problem is that I'm stiff. Just doing stretches and hoping that it'll clear up after a few days. I did skip leg day yesterday, though.