So this blog has road the ride of my crazy health the last year and a half.  In addition to the struggles of getting in shape and losing weight, I’ve faced borderline diabetes, PCOS, a fall down a stairs, unexplained ribcage pain for over a year, possible fibromyalgia and more.  I’ve had a hard time finding a doctor I can trust.  Because I was having so much ribcage pain I decided to go to an internal medicine doctor in August.  Dr.  Ling in American Fork.  Between her and her nurse practitioner Sarah Smith we have made headway.

Yet, still the pain persisted.  Finally Sarah ordered 14 tests last week and xrays. She said ‘we are going to test everything!’.  I really appreciate her investigative spirit.  I find this is the rarest but greatest trait in a medical professional.  I was going to meet with her next Monday but the anxiety (and pain) was making me crazy and I couldn’t take it another week.  So, I called and met with Dr.  Ling today.  I went in anticipating a ‘all your tests were normal’ response but after talking to the doctor she revealed some interesting results:

Low Thyroid level

Low vitamin B12

Low vitamin D.

(By the way this doctor’s office gives you a print out of notes from your visit. How great is that!)

I had been taking a B12 vitamin but evidently you need to have a sublingual pill for true absorption.  This is kind of like a melt-away.  You put it under your tongue and wait 30 seconds to swallow and it absorbs the vitamins into your blood stream faster.

I also got a thyroid med and a prescription vitamin D.  I had no idea before today that these deficiencies could cause pain. She said the pain meds don’t work very well because its not a muscle strain in the traditional sense.  It has more to do with the nerves and endocrine system.

I had also been tested for thyroid problems many times but evidently those ‘normal’ results needed to be dug into more completely. I’ve also learned there are 3 tests not just one TSH/T4/T3. Perhaps that test was done before.  Who knows.  All that matters is we had results now and we’re trying something out. That feels exciting! (I really feel like I should get an honorary medical degree after this year!).

Even if this isn’t the full answer I just feel excited to have a doctor who is asking questions and helping me figure things out.  I will meet with her again in 6 weeks, repeat the tests and see how things are going.  As I was leaving she said ‘I hope you feel better’.  I said ‘That’d be great but I really just want to know what it is I’m fighting against’.

We will see but I have hope and feel more encouragement than I have in over a year.  Still have the pain but at least some of the anxiety about the pain has lessened for the moment.

Will be sure to keep you posted! Anyone who has experience with any of these 3 deficiencies I would love to hear them.  Thanks in advance and thanks to everyone for all your support during this insane year and a half.

Please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. What a journey! I feel exhausted just thinking about it.