The doctor's office calls - my results are in. But I must come see the dr to get them. They won't mail them, or tell me over the phone. I have to wait another 5 days to see the doctor and be told in person. They do tell me I have a vitamin D deficiency and should start taking supplements - but nothing else.
I go to my appointment with my heart beating out of my chest. This is it. . .this is where they tell me A - I have this disorder that requires this drastic life change, B - I have some rare and deadly disease and I should begin making a will or C - there is nothing wrong with me except the crazy.
The doctor comes in - she is a sweet, young woman with an understanding smile that has heard my story several times. She inspires confidence in her abilities, at the same time, making me feel like perhaps we would be friends if I were not sitting naked on a paper covered table with nothing but a thin cloth covering my body. She smiles and opens my chart.
It takes her an eternity to look over it all. "Well, Ordinary Idiot, you do not have adrenal fatigue." My breath, which I had been holding, flies out in a single "woosh" that sounds loud in the quiet room. I'm so confused. I was so sure this was going to be the answer. I'm at once relieved (I had really missed my coffee) and devastated.
She clicks on her laptop. Her face registers something like surprise. She looks up at me. "Ms. Idiot - you do not have adrenal fatigue. You have a crazy severe progesterone deficiency." My mind goes racing - what does that even mean? She goes on to explain:
Normal range for progesterone is between 150 and 270. Mine is 17. Seventeen. She tells me she is impressed I am upright and walking. Low progesterone causes: fatigue, depression, weight gain. Think PMS without an end. The treatment: a lotion. Every day, I have to put a progesterone lotion on my arm.
And that is it. It almost seems too easy.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
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4 comments:
Well....
That does seem a little anti-climatic.
But now every time I see you I get to say "It puts the lotion on the skin, or else it gets the hose again."
Cuz I love ya.... in my own special way.
I know you do :)
And hysterically, I almost titled this post "She puts the lotion on her skin"
Does this mean that everything is great, and fatigue, depression, weight fluxuations, etc are all gone?
Almost.
Fatigue is GONE. Like crazy gone. And this honestly is such a huge thing. 8 years of fatigue is kinda sucky.
Depression is GONE. I still have moments of what we'll gently term "moodiness" - and these show up on those days when I don't use the lotion.
Specifically: I am supposed to use the lotion on days 1-25 of my cycle. Then stop using the lotion till my cycle starts over. Which should be 3 days or so. But my body hasn't totally adjusted yet and sometimes this goes as long as 10 days - which gets a little intense and I get back to being weepy. The doctor thinks we may just need time, or we may increase the dosage on the lotion if it doesn't start regulating my cycle soon. But the "nobody likes me, everybody hates me, pass me the plate of worms" feelings are mostly gone.
As for the weight stuff - eh. It isn't falling off in gigantic amounts like I had hoped. But to be fair - my gym use has been drastically reduced the past few months thanks to work. But - despite not going to the gym nearly enough. . .I'm not gaining any. So I'm taking that as a good sign.
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