Somewhere back a while ago I went in to see my doctor on a regular visit and to have my thyroid levels checked. They did a whole blood check and diagnosed iron deficiency anemia. So in addition to the synthroid that I’ve had for several years now I’m taking iron capsules. Three a day. And it isn’t helping. So more tests. Colonoscopy (fun!) and then the upper scope, too. Nothing wrong on the colonoscopy, but the other one turns up H. pylori. So medicine for that, but it still doesn’t explain the iron problem. More bloodwork done (no wonder I’m anemic) and more tests coming up soon.
So, right now I’m taking about fifty pills a day (actually 14 and a Tums, but it feels like more) and feeling very much like an old lady. And I know that the medicine is supposed to fix the problem, and that sometimes to do that it has to be yucky. But dang it, I spent the afternoon making quick trips to the bathroom and trying to move slowly and carefully in between so I wouldn’t throw up. At least that was successful. I just felt queasy all afternoon. Also like I didn’t have any bones. Just walking was tiring. Not to mention the slightly metallic taste in my mouth that I’ve had since Thursday night and will probably have for another week and a half. The doctor told me the medicine might leave a bad taste in my mouth, but he didn’t tell me it would be constant.
I know it’s all necessary stuff and I’m fairly confident they’ll find the trouble eventually, but I didn’t feel all that bad with the untreated conditions and now I feel nasty. I’ll just be glad to be done with ten of these pills every day. I bought one of those seven day containers and it wouldn’t hold them all.
Oh, well, at least a pelvic ultrasound (the next step) shouldn’t hurt or be too uncomfortable, right? Not like the last two things.
Sorry to dump this stuff here, but I’m sitting here feeling crummy and sorry for myself and I needed to talk to somebody.
I’ll go and make a cup of tea now and then go to bed, I think.
I hope you feel better soon - I know it’s awful to be in that diagnosis limbo. My doctor had me on major iron pills for a while, and I don’t know if they’d have helped in the long run or not because they made me so miserably sick I couldn’t handle them. I’m not at all given to nausea, and I don’t think I hardly ate for three weeks because I felt so ill.
Did your doctor reccommend the Tums? I’ve read that antiacids may interfere with the absorption of iron (and it didn’t make me feel any better anyway). Of course, if it’s doctor’s orders please ignore that.
Saltines with peanut butter were easiest for me to keep down, FYI. It’s hardly nutritionally balanced, but better to get a little something to stay down than nothing at all.
Sorry to hear this. Medication can be a tricky issue.
If it makes you feel any better, one of my friends here at school (a freshman) takes literally 30 prescription pills a day. He often shakes, involuntarily, only very slightly (usually not noticeable, although tonight it was pretty bad) but uncontrollably. It’s to the point where he says he’s going to just stop taking the problematic medicines, because it’s not worth it.
Er…didn’t mean to suggest that you should stop taking your medicine, there.
Just offering a similar anecdote I’ve become familiar with of late.
Actually, I’ve had an uncomfortable medication situation not too long ago, as well–a bit more than a year ago, I believe. My doctor had me on one stimulant after the other (not concurrently) for ADD; first Ritalin, then Dexedrine, etc. One drug wouldn’t work, the next would give me a facial tic, the next would make me hyper, the next would make me sad all day. Finally, he prescribed me Adderall XR, or extended-release. 12 hours of suffering every day, guaranteed. It got to the point where I nearly offed myself because the Adderall made me feel so bad. I finally went to the doctor’s office and said “either you’re prescribing a non-stimulant or I’m taking anything. Stimulants are no longer an option.” Finally, I walked out with a script for Strattera, which has been working wonderfully for me. (Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of like a stimulant too. But it’s not quite, and it doesn’t make me feel like shit, and it works, and that’s all I care about.)
You know, you can skip the pill if it’s making you feel that bad. Stimulants for ADD don’t have to be taken continuously. I hated Adderall as well; it made me incredibly grouchy, it made me grit my teeth, and my thoughts kept going in circles. I can’t imagine how anyone could take the stuff.
On the upside, I can tell you that pelvic ultrasounds are a breeze - if you’ve done a lot of porn movies or are just naturally comfortable with inserting a probe up your ying-yang and letting someone else manipulate it!
Thanks for the encouragement, guys. Especially you, Terrorcotta. That was just what I needed to hear. :dubious: Guess the SAHM thing was the wrong career choice, huh?
I’m actually doing okay with most of this. I was just a little frustrated and feeling old. You know, I didn’t figure on having to take this many pills for another ten years or so. At least most of them are temporary. As are the nasty effects. Thanks for putting things in perspective. And for responding at all. Nice to have somebody listening.
I don’t know which treatment regimen you have for the H. pylori, but I went through that and it does, indeed, make you feel crummy for a while. I had to take two different antibiotics, because I’m allergic to penicillin. The metronidazole warns strongly against drinking alcohol, which I didn’t do. What they don’t tell you is that even a slightly overripe banana can make you feel like death for a few minutes, too.
Hang in there. You will be feeling better in a few weeks. Try a little ginger or chamomile tea.
<evil giggle> I had a tumor that I had to have removed from inside my lower abdomen … and I had the ultra sound done…I also had about 8 various doctors do pelvics and rectal exams to determine if it was involved or uninvolved, and the best way to cut me up to get it out…
They were not amused when I commented that because of that I hadn’t seen that much action since my husband left to go to sea…and I referred to it as ‘tag team spelunking’. Navy docs have no sense of humor, but the lab and radiology techs thought it was hysterical
Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctors, and even your nurses while waiting for the docs to get to you. If the meds make you nauseous, let them know - they can give you something for that or suggest a diet modification that might help. When I was pregnant the first time my nurse told me about garlic and ginger combined for the morning sickness and nausea, and an emt told me about using chocolate to settle the stomach after getting gassed with chlorine [dark not milk]
[QUOTE=aruvqan
They were not amused when I commented that because of that I hadn’t seen that much action since my husband left to go to sea…and I referred to it as ‘tag team spelunking’. Navy docs have no sense of humor, but the lab and radiology techs thought it was hysterical [/QUOTE]
Well, at least I’ve had a laugh for today. I am feeling better today, although not as well as I’d like to. Oh, well, each day of the medicine is one day closer to the end of it. Third of the way through, so far. Everybody has been really helpful and informative when I’ve had these tests done, so I’m okay with the procedures and such.
I’ll keep in mind the suggestions from here. I think I actually have some chamomile tea somewhere.
Of course my upcoming birthday isn’t going to help with the feeling old bit, but I’ll just have to remember I’m still not as old as my husband. And I’ll probably get a nice dinner out of the deal, so that helps, too.
Well, my current meds (Strattera) do have to be taken continuously…and all those stimulants made me feel so bad I really didn’t want to take them at all, ever, for any reason, and thanks to that particular Adderall experience I decided I wouldn’t. (Note that this does not include recreational stimulants. Never had a problem with those. Maybe it’s a difference of setting?)
My girlfriend is a thyroider and active on several thyroid msg boards and says your iron is competing with your thyroid meds. The dropoff in effective T4 from Synthroid is a big part of why you feel lousy. You need to space your meds so that you aren’t taking iron within 4 hours of taking the Synthroid (before or after).
She sends twolinks. First is from Abbott Labs, the Synthroid manufacturer itself. Click the second link on that page “Download Synthroid Prescribing Information”, it’s a PDF, see Table 2, look for ferrous sulfate.
Second is from the website of Mary Shomon, author of Living Well with Hypothyroidism.
Thank you for that info. I have been very careful to keep my iron (and the Tums) away from the thyroid medicine. I take the thyroid stuff first thing in the morning, wait for breakfast, then take the first iron about mid-afternoon. I’m trying to be very conscientious about all of them. I haven’t always been this careful, but I’ve decided there’s not a whole lot of point to paying for them if I’m not going to get the most out of them. And they’re one of the few things about this that make me feel like I can actually do something to help myself.
I do think the problem with the queasiness and such was probably the antibiotics I’m taking for the H. pylori. Two different ones and fairly large doses. But it’s at least somewhat better today, and I think if I watch what I eat when that will help.
I know the feeling. I have lupus, which has me on Prednisone, plus about a half dozen other pills a day. My intestines react pretty harshly to the drugs, so I have to wake up early, take my meds, and go back to bed with a heating pad. If I stay awake, I spend the next 3 or 4 hours curled up in a fetal position with cramps far worse than any menstral cramps I’ve ever had in my life.
Not to mention the prednisone has made me gain weight like it’s not even funny, puffed up my face, and has thinned out my hair pretty drastically.
Some days I think I should just take my chances with the lupus…screw the drugs
And I’ll probably get a nice dinner out of the deal, so that helps, too.