Years ago, SELF magazine published an article which involved apparently health conscious people holding up signs exposing their ‘nasty habits’ and today I’m going to make a little confession.
I haven’t seen a doctor since I had my shoulder repaired in 2010 and I haven’t had an annual check up since 2009. I reasoned that, because I eat well and get plenty of exercise, I’m in good health. However, this year, I’ve been doing quite a bit of complaining about feeling tired. All. The. Time. Of course, I’ve been putting that down to a very hectic lifestyle and hoping that the occasional twelve hour Sunday sleep ins would heal all my woes.
Unfortunately, things weren’t getting any better and I began to notice that I was turning into more of a nutter with homicidal tendencies during PMS week than usual. However, I couldn’t “see” it, rather I just kept putting it down to that great big bucket of ‘lifestyle factors’.
Thankfully, I was given a bit of a prod by LL Coach, Dave Greenwalt, whose coaching services I still use. From thousands of miles away, he could see that I wasn’t quite ‘myself’ and suggested of all things, a thorough check up. I did a fairly standard round of blood tests and also did a round of salivary tests to see if the PMS was being driven by an underlying hormonal imbalance. I am fortunate that during my pharmacy days, I did some extra study on bio-identical hormones, evidence based complementary medicine and women’s health.
Being the ‘healthy’ type that I am, I wasn’t expecting to find iron deficiency anaemia and my oestrogen/progesterone levels out of whack – this looks to be the beginnings of perimenopause kicking in. I wasn’t expecting to find low levels of cortisol in my early and mid morning diurnal samples and on the good side, I wasn’t expecting my HDL cholesterol levels to be off the charts.
Thus the past few weeks, I’ve been implementing a few changes to get myself back into balance. I’ve been trying to be a little less busy and I’ve been taking a nice strong iron supplement. I am about to start using bio-identical natural progesterone cream to slay the PMS dragon. Plus I’ve been on a cocktail of herbs to help improve my cortisol levels – and have been delighted that they have been making a positive difference.
I’m feeling a little bit silly that I couldn’t ‘see’ it myself, but as I often tell my classes, you often don’t see yourself the way others see you – meaning that you’ve often got the negative voice within that says “can’t, whereas other people in the class – or me up there on the stage only sees the potential.
Thus, I’ve been taught a good life lesson and am grateful that despite these few little hiccups, that life is good.
How long has it been since your last check up?
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Feb last year and ironically I’m booked in to see my GP tomorrow. With mum now a type 2 diabetic and me carrying some extra weight, I cant get complacent or bury my head in the sand. Plus it might be time to check out some rear end issues as well (sorry if thats too much information LOL).
Yep, that’s important for me too as I have family with history of bowel cancer, so not too much info lol
Full checkup…erm… 2009
You’re lucky your GP does saliva hormone testing. I asked for it a few years back and was told to see a naturopath because it’s not on PBS.
Mish, I’m a provider/professional for salivary testing so I did it myself. Get in touch if you ever need analysis or interpretation.
Thanks, hopefully I’m getting a handle on my cortisol issues but might take you up on the offer.
Feel free to get in touch whenever you need Mish
This is such a good post. All of us do this to some extent. I am behind schedule for the dentist and for Keebler’s vet visit. It does make a difference. We need to know those cholesterol numbers or we stay in denial about food choices. It is good to feel young, but it is imperative to realize the difference between feeling and being young. I’ve concentrated more on avoiding injury than I used to do. It’s made a great difference. All of the things you say above are on these same lines.
Hi Marion,
Yes, it’s worthwhile knowing a few stats on ourselves – that is for certain
I have to confess; I haven’t been in for a good full on check up in a while-and I know I’ve needed one for the last year. Even before I started training for these upcoming comps, I was having too many days of feeling quite tired and run down; and now only a couple weeks from comp-it’s really kicked in. I plan to get a full on check up after all my comps-just not sure of what tests I should be asking for; any suggestions?
I’m wondering if I’m suffereing from a bit of per-menopause….I will be 45 this year…OMG!!!!
;-0
Hey Raechelle, I will do my next post on this. Expect your body to be quite out of whack after a comp prep though. Maybe have a follow up about six months later.
Too right-forgot about that.
I think most of us are terrible at recognising symptoms in ourselves that something’s wrong. The first time I had iron deficiency anaemia, it snuck up on me too – the tiredness had been extreme, but I’d just put it down to motherhood, full time work and lack of restful sleep thanks to a snoring husband. I have my haemoglobin, iron stores and various other things checked religiously every six months now.
Hope the super-iron pills have you feeling better fast.
Hehe. If I ever utter the words “I’m tired”, my husband tries to force-feed me steak…. he remembers how awful it was when I couldn’t hang out the washing without having to sit down and recover for half an hour.
Did that mean he had to hang out the washing he he!
Kek, I’m giggling away here picturing you with mouth wide open and a steak being shoved down (like they force feed ducks and geese LOL). My husband used to think steak was the answer to his poor energy levels when running, until I carb loaded him one night and he ran like the clappers the next day. Carbs = energy, baby!!! And now he finally believes me.
Sorry Liz, I’m replying to your comments. (Cant help myself LOL)
I love it – that’s what a good comments section is for my friend. Perhaps we could do a “mere male” post – that could possibly bring out a lot of lurkers!
I used to avoid doctors like anything and it could be years between appointments, but lately I’ve found various things taking me in and I’m not particularly thrilled about it! Still, you’re right in that it’s important. I also had a wake up call last year in being deficient in Vitamin D – like a lot of people I think – and low-ish in iron. I now take Vit D daily and an iron supplement weekly and make more of an effort with non-meat iron sources, which seems to be working.
I think being Vit D deficient in Australia is amazing – BUT it seems to becoming more and more commonplace – maybe to do with the fact we’re inside more? Who knows
It has been awhile since I have been to the doctors for a checkup. I went a few years ago complaining of fatigue and felt like I was being a hypochondriac. After a couple of blood tests which came back normal I was told that it is most probably just lifestyle and I should do some exercise (?!) and spruce up my house by painting a wall or changing the colour of my cushions to get me out of the rut I was in. I never went back.
Sheesh I hate that! That sounds like the doctor I went to for my IBS issues a few years back-”oh, just slow down in the morning” If my mornings were any slower I’d be dead! Some doctors really suck!
That’s hilarious
Hi Michelle, I think if I had a paddle close by to me, I would have given that doctor a really good whack
Hey Liz,
Since I spoke to you the other week and you told me about your anaemia it has got me thinking. If you, my fitness and health role model, can be suffering from this than what can that mean for me…
I’m thinking a good thorough blood work-up might be in order, as I normally just blame tiredness on my training and haven’t wanted to think about more sinister causes.
Thanks again, as always, for some insight. Love ya xx
Hi Emma,
yeah! Love ya back xx
Iron deficiency is incredibly common in endurance athletes and salivary cortisol will change if you become overtrained (as I did). But with the right rest, the mojo is coming back
Good topic, I just had a letter from my GP asking me in for a general health check and I will go. Am unusual in that I like doctors and hospitals!! Anaemia is a killer, but easier to fix than other things.
What are these 12 hour lie-ins that you speak of??!!! I know that getting enough sleep is THE major influencer of my health physical and mental. Tragically no long lies here yet… but soon…
Hi Seana, the lie ins come when the kids hit pre teen/teen years – my kids both relish a good sleep in and I never ever thought it would happen
No wonder you were feeling tired. I’m a bit like you – not inclined to go to the doctor unless there’s something definitely wrong. The problem with that is that sometimes things just creep on so gradually you don’t realise that there’s something wrong for quite some time. And then there’s the conditions that are there that leave the doctors scratching their heads and telling you there’s nothing wrong when you know there is. I think an annual check up and an annual blood test can give good data so when something does go wrong you’ve got a good base-line.
Hey Char, I reckon I’ve learned my lesson – besides, I have Lucy at the vet more than I am at the doctor so it’s time to turn the tables
I’m pretty slack, though have a few auto-immune diseases which I should monitor better. I’m overdue for an endoscopy to check the coeliac thing plus some other stomach thing I have and I haven’t had my thyroid tested for ages.
I have recently however, gone and had a breast exam and a skin check, so I’m slowly getting there!
Deb
Endoscopy doesn’t sound like much fun
This has totally made my day! For weeks now I have been on a mission to get myself in order….I too have the tired all the time thing happening. I have hashimoto’s and keep sort of blaming it on that, but I am medicated? I recently read a book called “hormone heresy” and was really interested in doing the saliva testing….the want to kill someone pms thing is in full swing with me too! Pleeeease tell me how I can get a kit and get tested as my GP (we live remotely) is just too mainstream and throwing up obstacles, women’s intuition, priceless.
Hi Pebbles, if you need any further direction, feel free to shoot me an email – just hit the “@” icon on my home page to get in touch