Doctor Visit

[sraun]

Well, it was off to see the hematologist yesterday afternoon. Being the paranoid sort that I am, I took all the prescription meds and over-the-counter supplements I take. He looked at the copies of my test results that had been faxed to him, looked at the assorted bottles, made notes of which were taken when and how many, weighed me (248 lbs - I'm supposed to be working to loose about 25 lbs of that), poked, prodded, and listened for a while. He wrote up a two prescriptions for lab tests - one to immediately get seven tests (including Serum Cu and Serum Zn), another to get two tests 'in a couple of weeks when I tell you to'.

He told me he thought it was the Zinc supplement I've been taking - too much Zinc interferes with the body's Copper chemistry, which then affects hemoglobin production. So, I'm off the Zinc, I'm calling him to get the results on the immediate tests early next week. If the tests come back as expected, he'll tell me to go in for the other tests, which should confirm that it was the Zinc.

If this doesn't work, then I probably end up having a Bone Marrow Biopsy. I'm really hoping it's the Zinc.

Comments

[debmats.livejournal.com]

Keeping fingers crossed.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

fingers crossed for you!

[sraun]

Forgot to mention - my loving wife Irene met me at the doctor's office, and I made her drive home. There was something about the blood draw at Fairview Riverside Hospital that my body didn't like. I didn't pass out, but I did get a serious case of the sweats, my vision started to grey out (but never reached the tunnel vision stage), and it sounded like someone put plugs in my ears. Went mostly away in after about five minutes and a glass of water, but I decided that I'd rather have her drive home. She agreed that that was probably a good idea.

Might have been that the very tip of the needle was against the other side of the vein - I don't have bruise, but it hurt more sharply than I'm used to having a blood draw hurt.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

I hope it's the zinc, too. Best wishes for this to turn out to be nothing to worry about.

[davidschroth.livejournal.com]

I, too, am hoping that it's the zinc. And it's good to know that Too Much Zinc can have that kind of effect...