Skipping Out on Bloodwork

My energy has been pretty depleted as of late, so I am able to do less and less during the day before my body decides it's enough. 

Sometimes I push straight through anyways, but for the most part I have had to rest. This means that our youngest pup has been a bit bored and acting out. I don't blame him. I feel awful about it. He still gets tons of play time in the house and cuddles and hasn't had to stay in his kennel through the night in weeks, but he has been bored, which is our fault. 

Today I woke up with a medium level of energy. What I mean by that is that I can do one fairly big activity. One thing today that depletes my energy further, and then the remainder of the day will be spent resting. 

Technically, I should have gone to get bloodwork done. I have a few appointments next week and updated bloodwork would be nice. Not mandated, but nice. BUT I felt far more guilty about our pups, so I decided to take them for a short walk instead. 

I couldn't do both activities, so I chose the one that would make my heart happier. 

Plus, I still have the opportunity to potentially get bloodwork done on Tuesday, so that's the tentative plan. 

So I played hooky on bloodwork to hang out with my dogs and ensure they are well-exercised and played-out today. 

I think I made the right choice. 

New Symptoms

Soooo I have had some new-ish symptoms lately, but they haven't started to really worry me until today.
It is probably nothing.
Or it could be a simple infection or flu that will just take its course.
But... because of how I woke up today, my upcoming appt with my GP to go over bloodwork results is also going to include asking her about the symptoms. It's the first time in a while that I have felt like something was off/wrong.

First of all, my migraines have been occurring almost daily. I definitely have a bad headache each day and for the last 2 months, they have evolves into migraines. Bad ones. Nearly every day. So much so that I had to go on an additional medication to help me handle them.

Then I had this weird day a couple weeks ago where I thought I just overdid it and pulled something, but ever since then I have had difficulty moving my head from side to side without shooting pains down into my shoulder blades. I had overdone it the night before, so it could just be simple exertion.

I have been feeling much worse lately overall - nauseous and weak and shaky and a low appetite. Plus my tolerance for heat is suuuuuper low.

This morning I woke up with an extremely sore and stiff neck. I didn't sleep funny - I slept the same way I always do. And yet I can barely move my neck today it's so sore.
I also have been feeling extra ill and hot overnight, and with all of these new symptoms, I decided to check my temperature. Not bad. It's a little bit high for MY normal but not fever range. (Not that it really matters since because of my HAE my body doesn't usually present with a fever even for the worst infections).

I don't know.
I am probably worrying myself over nothing.
I will go and get bloodwork today and maybe it will show something out of the ordinary. Or maybe I just caught a bit of the flu by being out at Stampede that one day.
Time will tell.

Flashback Friday - Bloodwork Cartoon Edition

When I was in high school, I had to get my bloodwork done twice a week down the street from my school. So during lunch hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays I would go to the clinic and wait to get stuck with a needle instead of eating junk food like a normal kid.
This was ok though.
The ladies there were always incredible. They were kind, funny, and quick.
Best of all though, they used to put up all sorts of cheesy cartoons on a corkboard in front of the two rooms designated for taking blood.
Cartoons like an actual cat performing a 'cat' scan, the inspiration "be like a duck, be calm on the surface, but paddle like hell underneath", a guy covered in tattoos telling the doctor how terrified he is of needles as he is getting vaccinated, and those are just a few that I remember from that cork board. From as long as 17 years ago!
It was a bright spot to read those comics and laugh as my blood was drawn.
The other upside was that these ladies were very good. Sometimes I wouldn't even feel being jabbed. I'm pretty sure the one phlebotomist used pediatric needles to draw my blood.
All of those kindnesses make a difference. You get enough people taking the extra step to make these medical tests easier and they add up to make chronic illness just a little bit more bearable.
:)

Bloodwork - Always More Bloodwork

Lucky for me, bloodwork isn't horrendously painful.

Bloodwork is simply a fact of life, especially for anyone who has ever suffered any kind of illness or has had to get diagnostic testing done.
It is the first test ordered since it is minimally invasive, doesn't use potentially harmful radiation, and can - at the very least - give doctors an idea of which direction to take as far as diagnosing or even treating someone's symptoms. At best, a simple blood test can determine exactly what a person is suffering from.
When you really think about it, that is pretty neat.

It can get tedious though.
Way back when I used to have to get my bloodwork done twice a week. That was nuts. I tried keeping count, but after two years of that I just couldn't keep up. There was too much going on and I was having blood drawn in several different places.
Now it's a lot better... but sometimes it can be confusing.

Take, for instance, the picture here. 12 vials. Not bad.
Seeing a phlebotomist only hurts because my veins are full of scar tissue and some double valves. But even I get a little lightheaded after about 10 vials.
This particular day was to draw blood for three separate requisitions:
1) A standing order for my gastrointestinal specialist to keep track of my liver enzymes and inflammatory markers.
2) A standing order for my rheumatologist for basically the same tests, plus additional tests for other autoimmune conditions.
3) A yearly requisition to check my liver enzymes, Complement Series level and functionality, and to test for any blood-borne diseases since I take a blood product medication twice weekly.

The first two standing orders are required every month by each, but they are ordering nearly the exact same tests. (I don't really mind tbh).
The third test is always unnerving. Blood products carry risks, that's very very clear, but there is always that waiting period where you start to doubt yourself.

Have you ever been checked for something you KNEW you didn't have, but because they decide to test for it, you start to wonder if there really is a possibility?
Most girls will understand this sentiment. Even if you KNOW you aren't pregnant, if you decide to pee on that pregnancy test strip, there are 2 minutes when you start to question yourself - it can drive people insane!
I don't have any symptoms, but seeing a doctor checking for blood-borne illnesses just gets me nervous. Using blood from another human being is not foolproof. They DO have strict guidelines (which I am extremely grateful for, even if a few criteria are outdated and require updating), but there is always a chance that you could contract some illness that went undetected.

I have to go for more bloodwork tomorrow for my yearly physical. This time last year my cholesterol levels had doubled compared to the year before... so we'll have to see.

Bloodwork bloodwork and more bloodwork.
One way to keep ahead of any changes.
It's just a part of life.
Hopefully tomorrow will be about 4 vials instead of 12 ;).