- Deep vein thrombosis – both legs
- Multiple Pulmonary Embolisms—I asked what that meant, and the Doctor said it was more than they could count.
- Eosinophilic esophagitis (Minor)
- Angioectasias—I learned that Angioectasias are aberrant blood vessels found within the gastrointestinal lumen. They are a common source of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and are acquired lesions compared with other vascular lesions of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Iron deficiency anemia due to chronic blood loss (definitely in the stomach and intestines)
- Drug-induced autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- Hiatal Hernia: The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle that separates your chest cavity from your abdomen. Usually, your esophagus passes into your stomach through an opening in the diaphragm called the hiatus. Hiatal hernias occur when the muscle tissue surrounding this opening weakens, and the upper part of your stomach bulges up through the diaphragm into your chest cavity. It's not always clear why this happens, but pressure on a stomach and age-related changes in your diaphragm may contribute to the formation of a hiatal hernia.
In late 2021, I started to feel a little off. I had fatigue, difficulty sleeping, wanted to chew ice, and many other oddities. It was COVID-19, so I got it checked out. By October 2022, I was really struggling. I was motivated, but my body did not want to respond. I did not use any of my deductibles, so I waited until 2023 for a check-up.
The first Doctor I saw was the Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist, as I have had a raspy voice since June 2022. He was very concerned with my wheezing and immediately looked at my asthma issues. He wanted to put me on Dupixent, which is a very costly injection. I did not think my asthma was terrible, but based on the South, I could see why that would be a concern.
I then went to my clinic for a check-up and found my anemia was back in full strength. This is a primary underlying reason for the breathing issues in my mind. Below is a table of crucial anemia indicators from when in the hospital (2017), when I felt pretty good (2020), and Friday the 13th, 2023.
| What (recommended) | 2017 | 2020 | 2023 |
| Iron (35-180) | 18 | 62 | 26 |
| Iron saturation (20-55%) | 6% | 17% | 7% |
| Hemoglobin (13.5-17.5) | 7.8 | 14.6 | 11.1 |
| Ferrittin (26-388) | 8 | 60 | 10 |
| Hematocrit (37-53%) | 29.80% | 46& | 36% |
| MCV (80-100) | 61 | 84 | 68 |
| RDW (11.5-15.5%) | 27.$% | 14.10% | 22.70% |
I do not have an answer, nor do I understand why. I assume I will be back to the infusion cycle, which is what I needed to increase the past numbers.
On a better note, I got out with the camera on one of the season's coldest days. Some pictures are below.
I will pray for a healthier 2023 to get to 2024 healthy. It is then, if not before, I will retire.
