This is why you don't wait three years to go to the doctor...

While I have been to the doctor's office several times in the three years since Cocoa Puff has been born, these were all for acute infections and not my overall basic health. I have not had a general checkup in these three years, much less a visit to my gynecologist... well, I finally found a doctor and so far, it's not looking great...

So basically, since Cocoa Puff was born, my health has been declining. I am exhausted, like, BONE DEAD tired ALL THE TIME. This is my most annoying symptom. I have trouble sleeping sometimes as well, which does not help. 

Secondly, I have gained at least 50 pounds in three years. FIFTY POUNDS! That's as much as Froot Loop weighs! While I don't eat super healthy and don't run half marathons anymore, I also am not sitting on the couch eating cupcakes all day either. There is no reason for this amount of weight gain, and that is concerning. I have also gained weight in areas I have not gained before, like my upper arms and my upper abdomen. Annoying. 

The third most concerning issue is my frequent headaches. I get headaches ALL THE TIME. While I thought they were related to fatigue or my chronic allergies, my doctor was concerned about this. 

Yes, chronic allergies. Allergies bad enough to cause bronchitis or sinus infections multiple times a year. I also get ear infections and strep throat occasionally, which is very unusual for adults. 

My blood pressure has been gradually climbing as well, probably as a result of my increased weight. 

While my anxiety and panic attacks are mostly under control, they are not 100%. 

I still have stomach and GI issues, but I also have had IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) most of my life. 

My cycle is way off. I was going every 2 weeks, then every 6 weeks for awhile, but I have been tracking for 18 months now and it's all over the place now. That's not good either. 

I have moderate acne. I'm almost 33 years old. I should not have to be popping pimples anymore! 

I also feel bloated all the time and I suffer from inflammation quite a bit. 

I have family history of lots of not fun stuff such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, thyroid issues, and more. My mom had major surgery last year and I'm concerned about how this affects my health genetically. 

I finally bit the bullet and asked my amazing midwife for a recommendation for someone who can see me and try to get this under control. She referred me to a colleague who actually used to work with our pediatrician as well (who passed away fairly recently and it just GUTTED me). 

Anyway, as with any new doctor, I had some paperwork to fill out and lots of medical stuff to answer. I went over all of my symptoms with her as well as my medical history. This took so long that we had to make a second appointment to actually get to the gynecological part of the visit! She was incredibly nice and I love her. She likes to use all aspects of health, from western prescriptions to herbs and accupuncture and other things. Whatever it takes to fix it. She's a world renouned midwife as well and she specializes in women's issues, so I'm very happy to have found her. It felt like visiting with a friend instead of talking to a health professional. 

She recommended a bunch of blood work and also some hormone testing. I got the blood work done, and we will start the hormone testing when I see her next time. . 

I can't remember everything she ordered, but they took 9 tubes of blood total! I know she's getting a complete blood count, thyroid, B12, D, iodine, iron, A1C, and glucose, but I'm uncertain of what the other one was.... 

Since I've started writing this, I have gotten two results back so far: my iodine is low and my fasting glucose is high. We can't really even start evaluating this until we get the rest of the results back... 

There are a number of things that could be wrong with me, so I guess we wait and see how the pieces of the puzzle fall. 

I am hoping it's something easily treatable. I am attempting to not freak out or think too much. I'm also attempting to stay off of Google. 

I'll keep y'all updated. 

When was the last time you had a checkup?