Results of my blood tests have just come through

I recently had a blood test to check up on my iron levels (and a few other things).

My iron and ferritin (iron store) levels are still very low and I need to continue supplementation, which I am doing. It also means I need to start eating things like liver a few times a week. I really don't like beef liver, so I'll try chicken liver, which is more mild in taste and while it has less iron/vitamin B12, it still has them in ample amounts and enough to help me replenish my iron/ferritin.

In addition to this, my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) was quite high. It was in the normal range, but right at the top of the normal range and basically double what it was only three months ago! This is probably because my thyroid is getting hypothyroid due to the multiple nodule goitre I have on my thyroid. Apparently high stress (which I am under at present) can increase the amount of cortisol circulating in the body and this can cause the thyroid to function less effectively as well.

With the low iron/ferritin levels and high TSH (potentially hypothyroidism) results, it means I will get more tired, feel lethargic, feel cold easily and put on weight easily. The higher TSH results also mean more bleeding during menstruation.  Thyroid disorders often go hand-in-hand with PMS and PMDD!

Low iron/ferritin levels not only have the above symptoms, but they can make you feel depressed and anxious, as part of the symptoms. Once the iron/ferritin levels go back to normal, these symptoms also disappear! This means that PMS symptoms can become worse if iron levels are too low and become more like PMDD symptoms.

The blood test was taken when I was still really sick from the flu and I had my periods at the time, so that is probably why they the iron and ferritin levels were extra low.

I have just ovulated. I know because of the symptoms I get during ovulation is the same every month. This means PMS is coming!

Fluid retention all over right now

Well I have some fluid retention most noticeably in my breasts and stomach. I can tell because my stomach is a bit more bloated and less flat (which is how it normally is) and my bra feels like it's too small for my breasts, whereas a few days ago, it was okay.

I haven't got much pain in my breasts from the fluid retention, which is good. Today I noticed that my bra feels quite small, like I need to get a bigger bra to accommodate my breasts, whereas yesterday, it didn't feel that way. My breasts also feel really heavy, much heavier than they did yesterday - as if the fluid has added a few grams of weight to them.

I have been doing a little exercise most day, but not very much at all.

I have been taking a liquid iron supplement (to build up my iron stores), some psyillium fibre and acidophilus probiotic powder. I think the iron is helping quite a lot. I don't feel as tired as I normally feel and it may be helping in other ways too - by topping up the iron in my body, I get more oxygen flowing around in my blood and this gets to my cells and helps to give me more energy. I no long feel like totally lethargic and sleepy every day, I have a bit more energy. That is something positive. I guess it means I need to finish this bottle of iron and maybe buy another one to take after my next cycle has ended.  I really don't eat much meat and don't eat enough other foods rich in iron and then I bleed heavily during my monthly flow, so it means my iron stores get a bit low.  I have to review the foods I eat and start eating an egg and some spinach every day, both of which have high levels of iron.

I have also been eating organic chocolate every day - some days more than others. If I get upset, I tend to eat more chocolate.

Officially in PMS mode for the month

I just checked my calendar and it has been three weeks and two days (23 days) since my last period started, which means I am well and truly in PMS mode.

There should be less than a week before my next menstrual cycle starts, if it's going to be on time, otherwise, it may be a bit longer than that. Still, I am very much in PMS at the moment.

When I had my jeans on today, I noticed some bloating in my stomach - it was not as flat as it normally was (and even not as flat as it was just yesterday). At first I thought maybe I had eaten too much of something (probably chocolate), but then I realised that my stomach couldn't have gotten  bloated that much in one day, all of a sudden from eating something and besides which, I didn't eat a lot of anything yesterday. That's when I thought that it must be because I am in PMS mode that my fluid levels are a bit wonky and making me retain more fluid in certain areas than others (my thighs and legs feel a little bloated too). So when I looked at my calendar to find out when I had my last periods and that's when I realised where I was in my cycle. It all made sense - PMS!

I have been keeping track of my of my menstrual cycle for a few years now, to try to make sense of the actual length of my cycle. It helps, because it means I can work out when my periods are about to start (give or take a few days), especially lately when my cycle has been a lot more regular than normal. And that is nice.

I have been taking a liquid iron supplement again, because of my heavy menstrual flow and lack of meat in my diet means I tend to get a bit low in iron and iron stores and tend towards iron-deficient anaemia. I can feel that this second bottle (I took some last month too) is making a difference as I have been feeling less tired.  I am supposed to get a blood test done in the next few days to determine levels of iron and a number of other things, so that should tell me if this iron supplement has been working.

PMS/PMDD continues to improve

Well, it's been over 2 months since my last post and I have an update on my PMS/PMDD as well as my health in general.

My periods the last two months have continued to be regular and that is really unusual for me.In April, my periods came 4 weeks and 1 days after my last ones and in May, my periods came exactly 4 weeks after my last ones.

This means my menstrual cycle has been incredibly regular and consistent for the last 5 months and having such regularity for many months in my menstrual cycle is totally unusual for me as my cycle has always been very unpredictable and irregular - anywhere from 28 days to about 35 days, with no regularity between one month and the next. That was before. Now, it is totally different. Now I am getting much more regularity and it is so nice to know when I am going to menstruate, as I can plan things around it. In addition to the regularity of my cycle I have also noticed that I am getting much less pain during my periods and that allows me to have a much more normal life.

PMS also is staying constant and I am not getting the symptoms that I used to get to the same level that I used to get - breast swelling and tenderness, irritability, fluid retention - I have found that these symptoms continue to be significantly reduced. In fact, last month when my breasts did start swelling a little and were a little sore (but not as sore as prior to starting this blog), I did some more meditation and the next day and until I got my periods, I had no more breast swelling or soreness. It's pretty clear that meditation helped. My moods are also more stable, even when I do get irritated, I don't get irritated to such an extreme level, now I am much more calmer.

In addition to this, I noticed I have been feeling really tired lately and when I got a blood test it showed that I have iron deficiency, that my iron stores are very low. My doctor suggested that this could be due to my heavy menstruation. This is right, as I do menstruate quite heavily for the first three days of my periods and the challenge of having such regular menstruation for me now is that I am menstruating more than before, so I am losing a lot more blood than before and I hadn't been eating enough iron-rich foods to replenish my iron levels. Due to this iron deficiency, I have been eating a lot more meat and particularly liver (which I find totally disgusting, but it's more palatable when I mix it with chicken and lots of vegetables) and as liver is one of the richest sources of iron (as well as other vital nutrients such as selenium, vitamin B12 and vitamin A). I also eat some food rich in vitamin C with the meat, as it helps the iron get better absorbed and I have noticed a major improvement in the reduction of my tiredness within only a few days.

Food is medicine!!