I had a doctor's appointment today to go over my blood work result and check my back after throwing it out of whack on January 17th. I feel good. I've been exercising, eating well, and taking my fish oil pills. I was hoping for good news and was not disappointed.
First the B12 results. If you read this blog, you've seen the struggle with this since last July when I developed neurological symptoms and got the initial diagnosis.
B12 level in July: | B12 level now: |
173 | 522 |
Yes, I finally hit over 500 where my doctor wanted me. This means that my current dosage is good. I'm happy with this. I'm not so happy with having to do an injection every other week for the rest of my life, but it could be much worse.
Now for the cholesterol. I've been getting grief about this for a few years now from my doctor. I don't like taking statins because they mess with my short term memory. I've tried diet before but it never had much effect. My current combination of diet (heavy on the greens) and exercise seems to be helping. So has the 10 lbs I've lost since starting the routine in January. I've also been taking 1,200 mg of fish oil twice a day.
November 10th results: | January 25th results: | Desired Range: | |
Total: | 247 | 190 | <200 |
HDL: | 36 | 32 | >50 |
LDL: | 158 | 121 | <130 |
Triglycerides: | 267 | 183 | <150 |
That's a great reduction. I still have some work for the triglycerides and need to get the HDL up to 50, but all in all, it looks okay. I'd worry about the HDL more if my mom didn't have the same troubles with it that haven't been fixed with either diet, exercise or medication.
So it was a good appointment. We'll see how it all goes at my next check-up in 6 months. Random note: My fasting glucose dropped to 92 from 96.
I've also gotten permission to donate blood at Dragon*Con this year. I might have to take an iron supplement for a week or so ahead of time but it'll be the first time I've been able to donate in years.