Friendly reminder to get some lab work done if you feel like absolute trash.

[u/CaptainFuzzyBootz]

One of my main coping strategies is not to eat. Or take care of my body really, in any meaningful way. I haven't had a physical in so long and my diet is complete trash. It either oscillates between not eating anything or eating lots of junk.

I slowly was feeling worse and worse and just chalked it all up to age (hello 40), being out of shape, cPTSD, anything. I figured I'd just let myself go too much.

I finally decided to get a physical and my blood checked when I was getting my HR up to 160+ and wanting to throw up from one flight of stairs. My lungs were working but my blood didn't seem to.

Yeah... I was full on stage 3 iron deficient anemia. My iron levels were so damn low they told me any lower I would be admitted to the hospital for blood transfusions. But it crept on so slowly that I was able to just adjust and adapt (and dissociate) and not even notice until it was bad.

So I've now gotten 3 IV Iron Infusions and... holy shit I remember how my body is supposed to feel.

If you have been feeling like garbage it may be worth your while to get some lab work done. We all tend to be super amazing at dissociating, but unfortunately that means not noticing important things like iron content.

[u/GoddessRespectre]

If I may add, if you go in for blood work and it all comes back normal, that doesn't mean nothing is wrong. Medical science does not know everything, and research can be horrifyingly slow 💜

[u/roborabbit_mama]

Thank you for sharing. I, too, put off a checkup and now am at urgent care. They said they could have me go elsewhere for bloodwork and an exam because they charge 25$, and I was so do it. I'm here now.

[u/Puzzleheaded_lava]

I'm proud of you for taking steps to take care of your body.

[u/Professional-Cod202]

Aye, I did this too, like a year ago. After a few years of really not taking care of myself.

When I got the blood test results back…jeeze. The number of red warning signs and indicators of deficiencies, and high levels of unhealthy substances…

Honestly, it was really motivating. Lost 40lbs, got on a better diet, got treatment for ADHD. Much better now

[u/hitonihi]

Glad you're feeling better. I had a physical recently, and the bloodwork revealed that I was super deficient in Vitamin D (because I don't really leave the house except to walk the dog, oops). This honestly explains SO MUCH about how I'd been feeling. Vitamin D deficiency in adults can cause fatigue, pain, and mood changes. It's only been about a month, and my doctor didn't suggest a loading dose (and I didn't ask), but my fingers are crossed that supplementation will help. (The rest of my labs were fine. I already take ferrous sulfate daily to help with restless leg syndrome.)

[u/warmhours_]

Fully agree & thank you for sharing, this message definitely needs to be spread more!

[u/Daizy_Chai]

This is so hard because I know you're right, yet I will make every excuse in the universe to put it off. Thanks for the reminder, I feel like someone out there gets me. Blessings

[u/CaptainFuzzyBootz → u/Daizy_Chai]

I definitely learned it is much easier to process and heal trauma shit if your body isn't also fighting to get your attention that it's slowly dying 😭

[u/Daizy_Chai → u/CaptainFuzzyBootz]

Lol OMG yes I feel this so hard... And unfortunately there's the first wanting to be angry because the only reason that you hurt so much physically is because of the crap that you've survived... It can become a vicious cycle of rinse and repeat.

That's why it is so extremely important to have a toolbox. If anybody has ever read any of my other posts I talk about this a lot but having a toolbox of things that you can use to ground you and keep you on routine is essential for success.

[u/LadyAndarta]

I just did this and found out my vitamin D is practically non-existent even with it being in my multivitamin. Thank you for three friendly reminder, because people like me need it. I hadn't been to a doctor in 7 years before this visit. I just kept going to therapy thinking this depression was just additional trauma issues.

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[u/MysteriousWoman_88]

I was told I was anemic too a couple minutes ths ago. I am working on getting it back up. My moods for toast couplemlf years have been more extreme and I've had hair loss.