Fatigue, Food & Blood

I have been talking to this page in my head since last Wednesday but have not typed it out. Then the other day someone posted on their FB on the subject I wanted to talk about and I started feeling silly about talking about my problem after they talked about their similar problem because theirs is more serious.
However, now it is time.

For the last couple of months

  1. My fatigue has been growing. I am really having trouble getting off my chair some days. I hate it. HATE HATE HATE it.
  2. I have food issues that have been becoming more of an issue. I have an appetite, I do get hungry but nothing sounds good and as soon as I start trying to push myself to eat something I lose my appetite.
    • My weight has not changed by more than 2 pounds
  3. My skin is saggy
  4. I just in general feel like shit
  5. I am having trouble getting even liquids in me
  6. My mood is melancholy and cranky

I have been looking and hunting and scrolling for an answer. Nothing new is wrong with me. I have my same list of chronic conditions. Is it just age? No because other people get old too.

By default I almost always think everything is food related and also the easiest place to start looking for an answer. So I started thinking last week that for me, #2 on the list up there may actually be the cause and not the symptom. So what happens if we look at it that way.

Problem: I have food issues. I have an appetite, I do get hungry but nothing sounds good and as soon as I start trying to push myself to eat something I lose my appetite.

Results:

  1. My fatigue has been growing. I am really having trouble getting off my chair some days. I hate it. HATE HATE HATE it.
  2. My skin is saggy
  3. I just in general feel like shit
  4. I am having trouble getting even liquids in me
  5. My Mood is melancholy and cranky

Hmmm….that works. If you have the problem than the results make sense. So I tried something new. I went ahead and started eating more. That’s right. Food. I made sure I ate at least three times a day. Sounds simple right? It is not. On Friday I also had blood work done for todays chemo. Surprise, Surprise my red blood cell count is pretty low. So yesterday after five days of eating more and gaining two pounds I felt so much BETTER!

Today is chemo which will start the whole process over but I am trying to prepare for it and will do what I can to not skip meals. I have got in a supply of my favorite liquid meal substitute (organic orgain) and will have at least that if I am not eating.

Moral of the story?

5 Comments

  • mb

    March 14, 2023 at 2:27 pm Reply

    Have you ever been tested for vitamin deficiencies? Most northerners are d deficient. They have Craig on 4000 units a day. He is also B12 deficient because he is a Swede but as a vegetarian/vegan it is likely that you could be deficient. That would make you really tired.

    • Tracy

      March 14, 2023 at 3:27 pm Reply

      I get tested for anything to do with bones since the osteo stuff diagnosis, but I also heavily supplement Bs because of the vegetarian thing. I “think” my chemo meds block certain vitamin absorption.

    • Susan Joos

      March 15, 2023 at 1:39 am Reply

      Being exhausted is the most miserable thing. It’s hard to find joy in anything when you feel like that. It’s takes so much effort just to keep…existing.

      I have to take a LOT of vitamin D and B12 as well, just to approach normal levels. I notice a big difference if I don’t keep up with those.

      I’m glad eating more is helping you feel a little better. It’s so hard to figure out the “why” sometimes!

  • mb

    March 14, 2023 at 2:35 pm Reply

    It is shocking the difference B12 makes. And it works pretty quickly. But because he has been so low probably most of his life, it made him feel really weird once he started taking it. Sort of like a person who has never had caffeine suddenly starts drinking 10 cups in the morning. He is getting used to it but some days he has to not take it because he is so jittery.

  • mb

    March 14, 2023 at 2:37 pm Reply

    I’m sorry you have been so exhausted. It is so frustrating and scary.

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