Thankful.

I've been going to the doctor for years to see if maybe this time there will be a magical cure for my tendency to have extreme fatigue and feel pretty much like trash. ALL. THE. TIME. They suck my blood and then 2 weeks later I pay for another visit that generally goes like this:

Dr: Well, you're not pregnant and you don't have mono.

Me: Oh. Ok.

Dr: I hope you feel better soon.

Meanwhile, in my mind I'm raging. OH REALLY? THANKS! Because it's not like I don't know what it's like to have mono... and PREGNANT? SERIOUSLY? Yes, I have been carrying a child for 3 years straight and of course that's the reason you and I both suspected extreme fatigue. I mean, wow... thank you Doctors for making me feel so stupid. Of course I should have known.

So, one day my Mother-in-law was telling me about how amid similar experiences, she decided she was finally sick of receiving the run-around treatment and tried something new. A naturopathic doctor. She said that her Dr looked at all the nitty gritty that other doctors don't usually give the time of day to. The things she learned and the actions she took as a result were amazing, she said. Finally, after mulling over the thought of trying something new and not covered by insurance, I decided to go for it.

Off I went. The naturopathic doctor spent about an hour asking me very detailed questions about all aspects of my well-being, and then right off the bat, told me some things I didn't realize were problems. First, I am wound so remarkably tight that my adrenal response is off the charts in a bad way. Second, I had no idea that the reason I always felt the worst on weekends was because my entire life revolves around my commute and job, when I break from the schedule and stay up late and sleep late, it really screws me up. He ordered some labs. First, the complete blood count that I'd had taken so many times before. Then, a thyroid test, a MTFHR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) test, cholesterol, and a few others that I can't remember because they were strange. One of them, he said, was for a somewhat bothersome gene mutation that most doctors don't suspect.

After a few weeks, the labs came back. Almost everything was normal! Except for my vitamin D levels... way too low. And, my MTFHR test. What?? I don't even know what that means! My Dr reminded me that it was the gene mutation one. Apparently I have a tiny mutation on chromosome 1 that makes my body so it doesn't know what to do with folic acid. I don't produce the enzyme needed to break it down properly. Aha, so that explains everything. He put me on a supplement plan that includes D and an "activated" version of folic acid.

I would link to a page with MTFHR info, but they are all crazy scientific. Google it yourself and see if you have better luck than me at deciphering that foreign language called Science. What little I understood helped me to see that a deficiency of folic acid is not fetus-friendly (and possibly not even conception-friendly) or me-friendly at all.

Glad I found that out now instead of later.

I think that the only way to sum it up is that I feel thankful that someone has gone above and beyond in the interest of my health and well-being. I am optimistic, and happy to finally have some answers.

There's also the part where he prescribed me to take 100 deep breaths a day. Bonus points to Dr for having a sense of humor while treating a total basket case :)

[RACHEL]