So, I already had typed out a newsletter on a delicious childhood dessert of mine. After a phone call from doctor this week, I thought I would place that one in drafts for the time being.
If you find other people’s medical dramas boring, I apologise in advance, and please skip this until next week!
So, you might recall that I had a bad back that was causing me a little bit of discomfort, and in fact recurred a second time, worse than the initial bout. I had originally assumed I had done myself a mischief somehow, but the cause still remains unknown. The good news is, I am now pain-free!
After a visit to the doctor, she gave me quite a thorough examination and discussion, and I was sent for a barrage of blood tests, a pelvic ultrasound and a phone call with the NHS physio.
When I attended the surgery I was feeling pretty low. My back was hurting, I was exhausted, my skin was dry, and I was just binging on junk food. Clearly something had to give.
The GP suspected I might have an issue with my thyroid, but a blood test quickly ruled that out. A further blood test showed that my cholesterol was high (in a shock to no one) and that my blood sugar levels were teetering on becoming a problem. Furthermore, my iron levels were low.
Long story, short, change of diet but no additional medication to attack the cholesterol/high glucose at this point (read: lots of oatmeal and no more chocolate), but lots of ferrous sulfate, which is traditionally given to raise iron levels.
The ultrasound is to address a recurrence of an endometrial cyst that I had drained about 5 years ago. I was told at the time that it probably would return because they were unable to remove it. It thoughtfully had wrapped itself around my bladder, so the surgeon was queasy about removal.
If you ever have to have a pelvic ultrasound, please do not worry, it is a painless procedure (more painless than a smear test), but essential to rule out the presence of any nasties lurking in or around or cervical areas. Here is a link to describe the process in more detail than some of you might care to read about here.
Most excitingly for me though was the news that my ADHD forms have finally been referred. A year ago I finally decided to tackle what I think is ADHD, and I approached my GP about that. At the time they did not offer a service referring adults for diagnosis, but to submit some forms (lots of forms), and they would refer me as soon as the service became available.
During my discussions with my GP last week, I raised the subject again, and she confirmed that my forms had been referred in January. Now I know from online research that I might not hear back from my referral for maybe another year. This is so frustrating. I would highly recommend that, if you an afford a private consultation, to do so. I have been listening to lots of podcasts from people with adult ADHD diagnosis who claim that it changed their life.
I can only speak for myself, but knowing how hard it is to navigate life with an almost certainly neurodivergent brain, any forms of treatment will be welcomed with open arms. I have spent perhaps all my adult life (and certainly school days too) struggling with concentration and lack of focus, just thinking I was quirky. It was only in my 30s that I considered I might have ADHD, and only in the last year that I stopped procrastinating, and finally started the ball rolling.
If you are interested in the progress of this journey (and it may be slow, so don’t expect an update for a while!), or what I consider my symptoms are, let me know in the comments, and I will happily share my experience.
Thanks for reading this for (if you did, and if you didn’t, well, you missed out), and please share any experiences you might have!
Reading back this newsletter, it is very classically ADHD. It starts off as a newsletter about ADHD but it takes the scenic route to get there.