On Thursday, I have to drive about 20 miles to Orland and get a vitamin b 12 shot. About a month ago, I learned that I have b12 anemia, which may or may not be caused by a more serious underlying condition. It can also be a side-effect of nursing & trying to keep up with my older kids.
Perhaps I should give some history: about 3 years ago I found myself in constant pain. It sucked. I went to the dr, and after asking questions and running some tests, I was diagnosed with arthritis and referred to a rheumatologist because I had a positive ANA and an elevated SED rate, meaning that my body was inflamed & attacking itself. After many more tests (like 15-16 vials of blood) and a series of x-rays (hands, feet, hips, head), the rheumatologist decided I might have psoriatic arthritis--at least that's what he was going to call it for now. I didn't trust that diagnosis. Yes, I have psoriasis, but it seems like a mild case, and the places where the psoriasis show up did not hurt.
Eventually, through trial and error, I figured out that when I wore better shoes, my feet, knees, and hips felt better. I started to wonder if it was all because of my feet. My fingers and wrists ended up diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome, and now I have braces for when I type, etc.
My dr (technically a FNP) ended up relocating to a new practice, and I was so unimpressed by the nurse-practitioner that took over his patients because of lengthy wait times and her constant interruptions that I quit going to the doctor.
But about 9 months after I had Tasmia, I started to hurt again, so with the help of my good friend Chrissy, I followed my dr out of town to Orland and updated him with my theory that foot problems were actually causing most all of my pain. He decided to re-run several of the tests; and threw in b12 for good measure. I ended up spending lots of money on really high arch supports, and my pain has already disappeared, yay! But he found my anemia. It can actually contribute to nerve damage and peripheral pain.
It looks like my feet were in fact killing me, and that any auto-immune problem I may have isn't currently beating me up. My latest ANA was negative, which leaves several unanswered questions. We'll figure it out eventually, I'm sure.
Regardless, the b12 shots are great energy boosters, and I'm hoping they'll kick in for more than a few days at a time shortly. The ride is nice: lots of agricultural land between Chico & Orland, and I have to cross a river & a canal, so lots of trees. And there's this patch of wild grape on the way too. I enjoy the passing scenery when I'm not running late.
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