Worst case scenario!

For someone that swore I would never diet, this has got to be the worst case scenario!

I have been wanting to update our blog for a while now, but I have just not been feeling well. For years (about 12 actually) I have been battling with anemia. Much of it during my pregnancies, but it just never seemed to completely go away. I have been put on iron several times and my body just would not absorb it. In fact, when I was pregnant with Michael I had to go to the hospital 3 times a week for 3 weeks to get iron infusions, twice! I did one infusion when I was pregnant with Jacob, but decided to just do the supplements rather than going back and forth to the hospital.
The last few months I just felt like I was getting worse so I decided I was going to finally get to the bottom of this and went to a doctor that my friend Candace recommended. We went through a series of questions and she came to the conclusion that I have a buildup of yeast in my gut causing a number of problems, including the fatigue. She wanted to do some blood tests to make sure that there wasn’t anything else going on so I did that and came back in 2 weeks. The tests showed that my iron was low (Shocker!) and my bilirubin was high. She mentioned a few things, but when she said something about the spleen, I told her that my mother and half my siblings have had their spleen removed. That caught her interest and after giving me a prescription for iron and going over all my supplements and diet restrictions for the Candida (yeast thing), she asked me to come back in 6 weeks for more blood tests and with the reason that my family had their spleens removed. Of course I went right out the the car and called my mom. She told me that it was a hereditary thing (that would have been helpful 12 years ago!) and sent me the name and info about it. After spending the evening reading and looking it up on the Internet, I have come to realize that I may have a mild case of Hereditary spherocytosis. This is what my mom sent me:

Hereditary spherocytosis is an inherited disorder in which the normally disk-shaped red blood cells become spherical. The misshapen, rigid red blood cells are trapped and destroyed in the spleen, resulting in anemia and an enlarged spleen. The anemia is usually mild but may be more severe if an infection develops. When the disorder is severe, jaundice and anemia may develop, the liver may enlarge, and gallstones may form. In young adults, this disorder may be mistaken for hepatitis. Bone abnormalities, such as tower-shaped skull and extra fingers and toes can occur. Treatment usually isn't needed, but severe anemia may require removal of the spleen. This procedure doesn't correct the shape of the red blood cells, but it reduces the number that are destroyed and thus corrects the anemia.

So, What now? Well, I wait for 6 weeks and in the meantime, I am taking handfuls of supplements including iron and Vitamin D. I can’t eat fruit, breads, anything with wheat, corn, potatoes, dairy (except eggs and plain yogurt), sugar in any form and no KETCHUP! I am super tired from the low iron and normally I would be able to eat a candy bar or drink caffeine to give me the energy to get through the day, but since I am cleaning out my system, I just have to fight through it. It is not fun and I sleep a lot! I am grateful that I am getting answer and it helps to know that I will be feeling better soon. I don’t really want to have my spleen removed, but if it will stop the fatigue, I will do it. Just because I have the eyes of an 80 year old, doesn’t mean I need the body of one too! I know my doctor will try everything before surgery, and I will definitely get a second opinion.