Olivia M. – Part I

After maternity leave, I went back to work. I had a medical examination in 2020. CBC Hemoglobin test showed a level of 83 units. At the medical Anaemia examination test they wrote: can work. Of course, it can’t; there is no one at work to work; they dreamed of me going to work earlier)

Ignoring the Symptoms

Those especially sympathetic asked, “Did I not feel anything?” Weakness, fatigue, dizziness, tiredness, heart palpitations—it was all there. I thought I was just tired, overwhelmed with a small child, and not getting enough sleep.

Hair was falling out; nails became soft and constantly broke. Dry skin. Paleness.

The workload increased, and I started getting out of breath when going to the second floor with two pieces of paper.

Attention! The following do not apply to treatment CBC recommendations and cannot be taken as a guide to action. Please consult a doctor.

First Medical Steps

The local therapist looked at my thinness, although I am always like this.

  • – It’s the stomach! We need to do an FGDS. And get some paid exams.

CBC Ferritin level showed 3. Serum iron was also low. B12 is normal.

And I started drinking Ma****fer in capsules 3 times a day. I drank it and waited a month to retake the Anaemia Blood level; it showed 85.

The girls in the lab said:

  • – It’s just a mistake, nothing has changed, what are you drinking? Change the drug.

Switching Medications

And I started drinking Sor***er twice a day. I drank it and understood that I couldn’t last that long. I started feeling nauseous and constipated. And because of the nausea, I started eating less. The circle was complete.

  • Meanwhile, I got to the FGDS. The doctor asked why the FGDS. I told them my haemoglobin numbers. They looked at each other warily:
  • – Well, let’s look.

Results

The search yielded no results. I was sitting after the procedure and was recovering when the doctor turned to me and said:

Everything is fine with you; there is nothing to find fault with! The mucous membrane is smooth and pink, like a child’s. I haven’t seen such stomachs for a long time. Keep looking!

I came out and didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. As an Anaemia doctor, I understand that the cause has not been found, which means there is no cure.

I visited a gynaecologist. Our doctor examined me from top to bottom and asked about my monthly cycle, but that was also a no-no. There were no fibroids, polyps, or heavy periods, either. The note “healthy” decorated the card.

Return to the Therapist

I made a CBC appointment with Stella Nazarovna, the local therapist, again.

I was already feeling really bad.  And I felt nauseous and bitter, and my intestines were rumbling so loudly that those nearby could hear it.

I put all the complete papers in front of her. I started saying that I don’t tolerate the drug well.

Well, I don’t know. Drink it once instead of twice. Repeat the Anaemia Panel test. Then come back.

Observations

The lab technicians started looking at the analysis visually. Because the device doesn’t see hypochromia, I had it in all its glory. For those who don’t know, this is when the red blood cell is large but empty and colourless at the edges. There were other distorted red blood cells, like a drop and with horns. The haemoglobin showed 92. The girls clicked their tongues.

  • – Iron is toxic in itself; you can’t absorb it. Is your stomach okay?

Everything is in order except for the numbers in the blood exam.

  • – So what’s wrong with me?

She even dropped her pen. And nervously adjusted her glasses:

  • – Well, that’s it! You’re going to the regional haematologist! We need to share patients. So what’s up with our examinations?

It turned out that everything was bad with the complete examinations. My native medicine held back on my abdominal organs and urinary system ultrasound. I also needed to have my breasts examined. If it weren’t for the referral to the regional one, no one would have examined me.

– No haemorrhoids? You need to do a colonoscopy! It’s the intestines.

Refusing Further checks

At this point, I was already furious:

I won’t do it! The same thing will happen to my stomach. I have no complaints, and everything is fine with my heredity!

  • – They’ll make you anyway!
  • – And I will refuse!
  • – I’ll tell you more, my dear, they’ll look for oncology.
  • – ???
  • – What do you want? There is no such thing as anaemia without a reason. You can go ahead; the nurse will give you everything later.

Under the sympathetic glances of the nurse, I flew out of the office in confusion.

Sharing My Experience

I was sitting at lunch in our common room, popularly called the “tea house,” sadly chewing stewed liver with buckwheat porridge and choking on another capsule, this time with India. Amelia, a CBC nurse from the preventive test care office, came in for lunch. She asked how things were going. I told her everything very emotionally. Her heightened empathy distinguishes Katerina. She was moved, in short.

– Come, he says, to our medical examination. We’ll give you a stool sample for occult blood, and you’ll find out how your intestines are. This year, we’re sending you to in vitro; they look at you well there.

On top of all this, they also forced me to have a mammogram.

Investigating Other Causes

I also studied a lot of literature on non-obvious causes. I took TSH, CT4, and CT3 and made an appointment with an endocrinologist.

Everything turned out to be normal with the intestines.

According to mammography, too.

TSH showed a slightly elevated value. “Wonderful” doctor Natalia Igorevna, without thinking twice, prescribes me a hormone. And says that it can be caused by hypothyroidism. I will not dwell on how I treated hypothyroidism because that is a completely different story.

Struggling with Treatment

I will only say that I was unable to take the drug for a long time, and my haemoglobin did not rise even by one iota.

And so the solemn day arrived! Having collected a bunch of tests and made some Anaemia conclusions, I happily went to the regional hospital to see the legendary haematologist. We have only one in the region. The road was long, but my thoughts were the brightest:

– Now the doctor will sort out my problems. I will likely have to take some other full tests, but it is not a pity for my CBC Panel health. But then, when I get out of my zombie state, I will finally live a full life!