I got a very early start this morning - up at 6:00, and on my way to Whole Foods to be there when they opened at 7am. I never go to their store because every Whole Foods I've ever been to has a nightmare of a parking lot. I don't know how they manage, but I just can't maneuver it safely and easily, so I wanted to be there when they opened their doors at 7am on a Sunday. No traffic and parking by the door!
I needed a product called "Calm", which is a powder you mix with water and drink, and that contains calcium and magnesium plus a couple of other minerals. I use it to keep from getting nightly leg cramps, and while it mostly works I usually don't make it entirely through a night without some cramping. It is sold other places and possibly some Targets carry it, or maybe their online site carries it, but Jeannie told me Whole Foods was having a sale on it today. I was back home in an hour or less.
That is way earlier than I like to get up and out of the house, so of course I took a nap after lunch.
You may remember me complaining loudly and often during the past year about severe itching all over including in my ears (which is extremely uncomfortable and can get painful when scratched). When I was driving home from Whole Foods I was hit by a thunderbolt of thought - "what if the itching is a symptom of anemia". As soon as I got home and started my coffee brewing (first things first), I looked it up on the internet and "BINGO!", itching is a common symptom of certain types of anemia. I've mentioned the itching to three different doctors. One told me to use Cetaphil lotion, as if she thought it might be dry skin. I knew it wasn't that but I was left to suffer with it until I finally figured it out for myself. I'm going to be the first in line at the Med Center lab tomorrow to get the blood test to make sure I am anemic.
Things are looking up, although I am still rolling downhill towards "77" at what seems like breakneck speed!
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Blue Spring State Park-the Manatee
1 hour ago
Brilliant Gypsy! I didn't know that. I am sometimes the victim of intense itching and use essential oil of Peppermint which calms it within minutes. Peppermint "scrambles" the nerve signals and is safe to use. A quality brand such as "NOW" will work externally. The ears are harder to deal with. Thanks for the fact finding about itching and anemia.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a product that works, hang on to it. So far I haven't found anything except I bought a little bottle of ear oil and use a cotton swab to spread a smal amount around. That helps for about 10 hrs or so. The fat that itching and anemia can be linked might not apply to everyone, but I will find out if it is what makes me itchy if and when they can deal with the anemia. I'm hopeful.
Delete77 - REALLY? That's hard for me to believe. I hope this anemia thing will solve all those little niggly problems that might well be connected. Actually I love being up at 5am when it is cool and quiet. It's easier when the sun comes up then than it is later in the year. Somehow dark at night is more acceptable for being awake than dark in the morning. Though that makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteI started having all sorts of unrelated symptoms at around the same time as my extreme fatigue was starting. It didn't occur to me that they might all be related, and i wouldn't be surprised if doctors deny there is any connection. Another thing I read that could be associated with some kinds of anemia is issues with balance, walking, etc. I have never been able to reconcile me as a fairly graceful woman with the bumbling, stumbling person I became, seemingly overnight. It will be interesting to see if treating the anemia also brings me back to where I was a year and a half ago. It may not apply to everyone, and as I said I doubt any doctor will admit that there is a connection, but I'll be interested to see if I lose any of these odd symptoms. I especially hate being so unsteady on my feet and worrying constantly about falling.
DeleteAs long as you can keep rolling, the speed is a secondary issue:)
ReplyDelete