Posts by Kate Kern

I take Wellbutrin in the evening. I suppose I am wondering whether it is best to take it right before hitting the sack, or if any time during the evening will suffice? I ask because the instructions specify a 100 mg dose to be taken at night.

It’s entirely possible, I suppose, that we might be looking at something more akin to full-blown panic attacks.

I might head in tomorrow, assuming I can actually make it.

The doctor mentioned that I’ll likely be starting therapy soon, though she did admit she finds my extreme weakness a bit unusual, so she wants to run some extra checks just to be safe. I suppose there's a chance the labs aren't performing perfectly, and since everything is tied back to kidney function, they tend to run all sorts of tests when things feel off.

And it would appear that I am somehow responsible for this entire mess, along with everything else that goes sideways due to sheer incompetence.

I’m heading in for an ultrasound this Friday, mostly because my doctor mentioned she might try to squeeze me into a slot since the wait times have become absolutely absurd lately, stretching out for months on end. 🤷

Even though I’m dealing with hypothyroidism, I somehow still end up having my period twice a month. 😢

Everything just feels completely out of whack.

Are things feeling any better for you now that they’ve started you on that treatment?

I suppose it might even be possible that my pituitary gland is essentially "malfunctioning."

And don't even get me started on crowded places; I start feeling lightheaded almost instantly if I can't catch enough air...

Honestly, there are moments when I truly wonder if I haven't just lost my mind entirely. :/

No, I have never actually undergone any kind of therapy. 🤷

Given how utterly wretched I felt—to the point where I could barely even remain upright—my physician, or rather, my primary care doctor at the local clinic, was absolutely certain that I was suffering from anemia. Apparently, my iron levels were quite low, though they seemed more than sufficient on paper.

I suppose, I don't know... it is entirely possible that my thyroid is to blame, though I find it hard to believe it would be malfunctioning quite so severely. 😢
Then again, perhaps it really is just a thyroid issue; after all, we are all unique individuals, and I suppose everyone reacts to these physiological imbalances in their own distinct way.

It has been roughly four years, I suppose.

I suppose I do know. 🙂

And if I’m being completely honest with you, a part of me was actually hoping things would turn out to be a bit more meager. Because there is something truly unsettling about this state of affairs where everything seems more or less functional, yet you're still just barely scraping by. 😢

Honestly, I can't even manage a quick ten-minute jog without feeling as though I might suddenly collapse from sheer exhaustion.

The doctors didn't end up prescribing it to me. 😁

But, honestly, if I'm being truthful, the deviation isn't even significant enough to warrant medication, I suppose.

Driven by this crushing exhaustion and these absolutely grueling periods, my doctor suggested I get some bloodwork done and perhaps start some iron supplementation if my levels were flagging.

However, the results seem almost entirely normal.
My thyroid hasn't been performing at its best for years now; my TSH has consistently hovered around 8, though I suppose I haven't been following any prescribed therapy for it. I was told that the fatigue I’m feeling might just be temporary, perhaps linked to those dizzy spells I occasionally experience, but then again, the exhaustion wasn't nearly this intense back then—though I realize everyone's threshold is different, I guess.
The one thing that truly concerns me in these reports is the antibody count; my ATPO was sitting at a solid 20 before dropping to 5, and my ATG is at 10, which feels uncomfortably close to the borderline.

My cardiology checkup was fine.
And my blood pressure during the last reading was perfectly within range.

I do struggle with scoliosis, but I don't imagine that has anything to do with how I'm feeling right now.

My muscles tend to seize up quite often, and even minimal exertion leaves me completely spent; honestly, for the last three days, I haven't been functioning very well at all.
Sometimes I deal with nausea after eating heavy meals, my hands shake, and I find myself sweating excessively. On top of that, my cycles are frequent, my appetite has spiked, and I've gained some weight. I even get these spots dancing in my vision.
These symptoms have been dragging on for months, primarily this fatigue, though it never felt quite this overwhelming or severe until lately.
Regarding my lymph nodes, I recall the doctor mentioning during my last thyroid ultrasound that a few seemed enlarged or slightly thickened, but I can't say for certain without digging through my paperwork.
As far as digestion goes, I tend to deal with more frequent constipation.
I still drink coffee and I smoke, though I suppose I don't do it excessively.

Regarding the urinalysis:
appearance: slightly cloudy, whereas it should be clear
color: yellow / light yellow
specific gravity: 1.028 (range: 1.002-1.030)
pH: 5.5 (range: 5.0-9.0)

Leukocyte esterase, nitrites, proteins, ketones, bilirubin, and erythrocytes/Hb all came back negative, which is exactly what one would expect.
Glucose and urobilinogen were also normal, as they should be.

EDIT. My memory is essentially non-existent, my concentration is abysmal, and I find myself struggling to even string sentences together... I remember having bloodwork done for my adrenal glands years ago, and if I recall correctly, the results weren't exactly ideal.

Today, I feel somewhat more stable. Tuesday and Wednesday were absolutely miserable; I genuinely thought I might end up in the Emergency Room at the local hospital.

Since I’ve been feeling so incredibly weak lately—to the point where I can barely stay on my feet—and my periods have become quite frequent, my doctor sent me in for a blood draw. My iron levels seem to be perfectly fine, I suppose.

My MPV is 10.7, whereas the normal range is listed as 6.8–10.4.
Basophilic granulocytes are at 0.07, while the standard range is 0–0.06.
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) is 13, though the limit starts at 14–32.
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is 9, when the threshold is 10–29.
Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is 8, against a range of 10–24.
I’ve only noted these specific values that fall outside the margins, though there are other results present which all seem to be within the normal limits.

Microscopic examination of sediment—per field of view:
Leukocyte count is 0–2, with a range of 0–2.
Erythrocytes are 0–2, with a range of 0–2.
The report mentions a few squamous epithelial cells, while the range is 0–4.
There is a fair amount of mucus, though the limit is 0.
Bacteria are rare, even though the limit is 0.

I’ve struggled with thyroid issues for years now, though perhaps they aren't massive deviations:
TSH is 7.37, compared to the typical range of 0.27 to 4.2.

While my antibodies had actually dropped even lower previously—about two years ago, they were
TPO 26.1, with a range of 0–34.
TPO 23.83, with a range of 0–115.
Now, my recent findings suggest TPO is 5.00 and TPO is 10.00.

I feel utterly exhausted, completely burnt out, and I can barely manage to eat properly; I am just barely scraping by...
And yet, my lab results appear to be more or less fine, I guess...

Would anyone be willing to try and interpret these for me and perhaps explain what these numbers might actually signify?