Chapter 13 – New Blood Test Results

It had been 3 months since I’d had my blood tests done so it was time to see what was going on again.

I booked in to see my Dr to get the referral when I got back from Canberra. I spoke to my Dr about my irregular period in January and asked if we could check my hormone levels for menopause. 

‘Sure.’ He said, ‘but I don’t find them reliable.’

‘Oh really?’

‘Yes, what I see are three main factors to determining if you’re in peri-menopause / menopause – is your skin dry? Are you more agitated than normal? And are you experiencing hot flashes?’

My answers were:

• Dry skin – no, since removing foods that cause inflammation in my body, my skin was softer than ever.
• Agitated – well yes, but I hadn’t been eating enough so that will make anyone cranky. Generally though, I thought I was doing pretty well given the circumstances.
• Hot flashes – only when I get my periods, not any other time and not every month.

The following morning I headed down to our local pathology and had bloods drawn. I received the results about a week later.

My Results

Good news, my iron levels had increased from 5 to 9 – that’s a big jump for me, and my ferritin levels (iron stores) had increased significantly from 22 to 53 – that was cool. Also, my Vitamin B12 nearly doubled from 479 to 872.

My Vitamin B12 became a topic of conversation. Based on what I knew, it was high for the ‘naturopathic’ range but when I spoke to Brooke she said ‘your body’s probably just absorbing it now.’ She wasn’t worried.

Christine on the other hand asked me a few more questions, but because there were no side effects we would monitor it.

My GP was more interested in my copper which had gone up and was in the ‘high’ range. It was high already, now it was just a few points higher. He wondered if I was on a supplement that was increasing my copper. I wasn’t, therefore we weren’t sure why it had gone up but again it was something we could monitor.

Interestingly, a month or so later I was listening to a podcast episode with the Mineral Shaman about copper and how it interacts with iron. What I took away from the episode was that I’d always pointed the finger at low iron as the reason why I was always tired, but copper could have played a part too and I didn’t now that, therefore never looking at it.

After another follow up session with Brooke, I stocked up on supplements to get me through the next three months as she was going on maternity leave and ordered another stool sample test, which I was planning to take in May. That would be about 6 months since my first test and would give me an indication as to how my SIBO was going.

I was continuing to take my liquid herbs daily plus supplements for my gut, including a probiotic, calcium, magnesium and iron. I had a really good routine, and just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

In summary, my results were great and there were just a couple of things to monitor but nothing to worry about. My energy had increased and it was just about – keep doing what you’re doing – so I did.

 

My next step

I was studying to sit the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches exam in May. Life was easy breezy and low stress. Chris was busy with his work so I was looking after everything at home, making yummy dinners, doing washing, picking Teddy up from school and taking him to his after school activities, podcasting and looking after my clients.

Life was spacious in the mundane, which is where a lot of us can struggle so let’s look at my strategies to enjoy life.

You can check out everything about my Project 22 over here and Chapter 14 – Living and Loving Life in the Mundane.

 

Share with me

Are you going on your own journey in 2022? Then tag me and use #project22 so we can connect xo

 

Disclaimer

Everything shared in this post and across my website is my story and recollection of conversation and events. They are in no way medical or mental health advice, prescription or diagnosis. Should you be interested in what I’m sharing and what this could mean in your life, then I’d encourage you to engage with the relevant health professionals or if you need support please seek out the health professionals that can support you.

In relation to my podcast, the information shared is mine or my guests. Again it is not medical or mental health advice, prescription or diagnosis. If you need support, please seek out relevant medical professionals.