For the past month I haven't felt like myself. I've been burning the candle at both ends, working as hard as I could when I was in NV before I came to MO. Cleaning closets, making a donation pile, doing as much as possible before I left so that I could help Todd before I wasn't going to be there full time.
After I got to MO, I figured all the mental stress of living without my family, starting a brand new job, worrying about selling the house in NV, worrying about where the heck we were going to live in MO and how to pay for it were taking a physical toll on me. I haven't worked out in 2 months. So all this mental stress was manifesting itself physically and I was tired. Physically worn completely out. That was my theory anyway.
I gave blood almost a week ago. When they do the finger-prick test to check your blood in the beginning, they are checking your iron level to make sure your hemoglobin is at a healthy level. The hemoglobin is what carries oxygen through your blood to all the parts in your body (if hemoglobin is low, your fingers & toes can feel cold). This was the first time I donated blood that they had to stick me twice for that first test. The girl who did it said that she usually has to be stuck twice because the first reading is too low. My second reading was just fine. That was my first clue. She told me the first reading meant that my iron level was too low to donate but the second one worked just fine. Huh. I said I guess I should have had a steak last night (note to self).
When I got some lab results back from a physical, I was shocked to see that my iron level was low. And not like just a point or two. So, I put 2 and 2 together and did a little research. Well guess what? If you take a lot of acid-reducing OTC drugs or anything prescription that reduces the acid in your stomach, cause maybe you have acid-reflux, did you know your body does not absorb iron like it should? Also, drinking coffee and milk decreases your ability to absorb iron. I had NO IDEA. I couldn't figure out why I had no energy. I didn't want to work out, I didn't want to go anywhere, I just wanted to crawl up on the couch or in bed and do nothing, which hasn't exactly been an option lately. I had an iron deficiency. So off to the drug store I went. I know that iron can be hard on my stomach, and the last thing I want to do is take it before I go to bed. That would just start the whole acid-reflux thing all over again. So I started taking an iron pill at lunch, and making sure that I eat a decent sized lunch. No lite-TV-dinner-only for me. Within a day, I felt better. Seriously. It was that fast. I have been taking one iron pill a day and I feel back to normal. I had a fuzzy feeling in my head like when I take too much antihistamine. Only it felt like my eyeballs were floating above my head. That feeling is gone. I am shocked my response was that fast. So I wanted to share, in case you didn't know this either.
I'm trying to eat lots of foods with iron (and low cholesterol) such as beans and spinach salads. And I am drinking OJ right before and after I eat those foods, so the acid helps my body absorb the iron. It's amazing how side effects of drugs, even over the counter, can have a domino effect. I stopped taking a stomach acid reducer.
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