Moo On My Plate: Update

About 3 months ago I wrote about my recent medical drama.  Didn't read it?  It's here.  My update:

A couple times I went to the doctor because of dizzy spells.  I've had three rounds of follow-up blood work.  All came back better than the previous tests.  I am getting healthier.  My last round even had me at the bottom of the acceptable hemoglobin levels. Yay!

I'm yummy!  Just not to you.

I'm down to one iron pill and at least one iron rich meal a day.  No more fortified breakfast, spinach lunch and  Mr. Cow for dinner with juice at every meal.  Which is good because all that iron and vitamin C were seriously disagreeing with my tummy.  My awesome friend recommended some more non-traditional iron rich foods (other than just my friend Mr. Cow) and I started making changes in my regular diet.

I go back for more blood work at the end of the month.  They'll check to see if I can stop taking the supplement all together.  I'm pretty sure they will tell me to keep taking it.  It is what it is.

Nummy veggies!

What I've learned in these 3 months:

• Eating a spinach salad loaded with veggies every day is ... ahem ... cleansing.  
• Mr. Cow still does not taste all that good to me.  Buffalo tastes way better, but I guess I am just not a red meat eater by design.
• I feel better when I eat right and remember to take my iron.  I feel grumpy, sleepy and crappy when I forget and slip back to my old ways. 
• While coffee and eggs (egg whites) are supposed iron inhibitors... I have a really hard time keeping them out of my diet.  Coffee more than eggs.
• Time release iron is a smaller dose, but will not make you nauseous all day.
• Extra Vitamin C is essential.  So is lots and lots of water.  
• Dark chocolate is an excellent source of iron.  That was a damn good tip! (I can't have much milk chocolate anyway.)
• My digestive reaction to iron is not the same as most people.  Nuff said.
• People in my family don't talk about medical issues, even if they are genetic and preventable.  Jerks.

In this journey of learning about anemia, I also learned it's pretty significant in all the women in my family.  Not just the pre-menopausal women.  Even my grandmother has to watch her diet and take iron pills. So this will be something I will have to monitor and pay attention to for a long time.

Probably the rest of my life.