My last post is from over four months ago, which might be a new record for me. I’ve been wanting to post something, but it just didn’t happen. I didn’t have energy. Back then, I had difficulty staying up past 8PM, I had palpitations, worse PMDD, gained quite some weight because of strong cravings, and had brain fog. I was convinced that perimenopause had kicked in. I stopped taking violin lessons because it was so frustrating to not be able to focus.
So I went to see my GP, who saw my point of view but also wanted to check my blood to make sure that nothing else was wrong. And lo and behold, it turned out that I had very low ferritin (iron reserves, basically) as well as B12.
I was surprised, because two years ago, my B12 was very high, so high that I assumed I wouldn’t have to take supplements for it since apparently, I got enough from my meat substitutes. What happened?
My GP told me that very low ferritin can already cause symptoms, even if your blood iron levels are still okay (which they were). So, I was prescribed large-dosed supplements to hopefully get my numbers back up.
When I read about these deficiencies on the internet, I found out that B12 and iron levels can be reduced when you fight Covid-19 or other viruses. I had Covid-19 in July last year, after which my symptoms started and gradually got worse, so it could be true.
I also found out that there is a connection with the thyroid. If iron levels are low, it reduces how much thyroid hormone can be produced. So, your hypothyroidism (which I have) gets worse. Thyroid hormones on the other hand also play a crucial part in absorbing iron (and B12) into your body. So they influence each other in both directions, it’s a vicious circle!
Anyway, I gave the supplements a try. I gradually started to feel a bit better. After six weeks, I had another blood test to check my thyroid levels, and they had improved, so the supplements seemed to be working. Now, I feel more energetic than I have felt in a long, long time. Even my PMDD has improved, it seems. There will be another blood test soon to check my ferritin and B12 levels after three months of taking supplements.
So, that’s why I haven’t been writing here, and why I haven’t spun or knitted anything since December or so. My projects are still here in the living room, but I haven’t touched them. It feels kind of strange after almost fifteen years of continuous crafting. But I have continued painting on my days off, and I play the violin regularly. It brings me a lot of joy. I’ll write another post later to show you some of the paintings I’ve made.