Thank you for this incredibly thoughtful post. I requested an appointment with a CNP in the endocrinology department at the Cleveland Clinic (I find I have better luck with female CNPs than with any doctor, particularly male doctors, who tend to talk to me like I’m annoying them because I know my medical terminology).…

Thank you SO much. This is VERY helpful!

I think that one is as simple as a spit test, right? ETA: Oh, it’s a blood test. I could have sworn they could figure something out with saliva.

Okay, so this is a stupid question, but what do you suggest I say to my doctor to convince her to give me the tests I need? Like... what tests do I ask for? Just the ferritin? Something else?

Breathing disorders, yes. I’ve had a collapsed lung, so they’ve been doing all kinds of breathing tests since I was 7 (when it happened). I have some nasty asthma, and of course that lung doesn’t work quite right anymore, but nothing else going on. Believe you me, my boyfriend’s wife died from lung cancer, so if he…

I had mono when I was 14 (oh my god that was the WORST summer of my life - no air conditioning, a fever of 103, swollen and sore throat, body aches, I ended up in the hospital on fluids for two days).  I know it can rarely recur, so maybe it’s worth getting the spit test.

I will definitely ask my doctor about this blood test.  I don’t know what Medicaid will cover, but it’s worth trying!

No to the first two (God, I wish I could lose weight, but I’ve been a steady 150 for two years despite regular exercise), but definitely eating more than normal - and have especially been craving sugar. All the sugar. My thyroid tests in August came back normal, but I’ve emailed my doctor and asked if we could do it…

Not perimenopausal - I’m in my very early 30s - but I could always ask my OBGYN about it anyway!

Yep, no allergies other than my own cats, lol.

My health has definitely been worse since Dickdrip has been president.  I’m glad to know I’m not alone, though... it’s really gotten, no pun intended, exhausting. <3

I’m basically just desperate for any relief at all, hence the herbal remedies (there’s a particular brand of tea I like that has helped me with symptom relief of sore throats, bronchitis, and constipation before).

Yeah, I’m slightly low in red blood cells, but nothing that should be causing *this* much fatigue.  Vitamin D is right smack in the middle of healthy.  I’m taking an iron supplement, but it’s too early to tell if it’s helped at all. Tell me more about infusions.

Omg, your “for some reason” made me LOL. And yeah, I actually think I may try that too - I recall being on a prenatal (essentially the same as hair/skin/nails) and having a better quality of life. 

Oh, dear, I’m so sorry you’re suffering with that awful illness.

Thanks! Multiple people have suggested B vitamins so I will probably ask Mr. Yacht to grab one on his way home from work.  <3

The thing that frustrates me so much about doctors is that generally if your level is “normal,” they ignore the result - even if it’s just BARELY in the normal range.  I’m going to look into all of this - and yeah, I gave up caffeine for the most part.  I default to herbal tea.

Oddly, I never thought of testing my testosterone level as a woman.  I wonder why no one in the medical field has.

You know, it’s funny, I just did that - the vitamin D is fine (they put me on a prescription level Vitamin D ages ago) but it looks like the red blood cells are at the low end of the range, and iron is the same.  I’ve recently started taking a daily iron supplement but I probably haven’t taken it long enough to see a…

I have bipolar disorder, and one of the only good things about it was that it gave me a shit ton of energy. Problem is, I didn’t make good decisions with that energy. So now I’m on Lamictal and Wellbutrin, which I’ve been on for years - the reason they put me on the Wellbutrin, in fact, was to up my energy level.…