My health story is similar to many others.
I knew something wasn’t okay. I didn't feel 100%.
Constant brain fog, decreased motivation, finding it hard to do simple tasks. I couldn't remember things I had just read over. Sometimes I felt nothing at all.
Physically, I was doing all the "right" things. Eating clean, watching my nutrient intake, decreasing sugar, exercising for sometimes 2 to 3 hours a day. I still couldn’t lose even 5 pounds. I felt horrible.
I went to my doctor and begged her to test my hormones. She told me that "the tests are expensive and unnecessary."
"Your hormones are fine. You're 21. It would help if you went back on the pill. We can increase the amount of estrogen in your birth control pill. It should help with acne. Your body is just too used to the dose you had been taking for the last 6 years."
I expressed my concerns. I felt like my hormones were affecting my mental health that they were causing my depression.
"Maybe you should go on an antidepressant."
I told my doctor I didn't want to go on antidepressants to solve my problems. I wanted to see if birth control was affecting me negatively. "Please run a full panel. I'll pay for it. I want to know." Afterward, she finally ordered the tests.
Not enough to get the full picture.
Now I realized my old doctor didn't even do a full hormone panel. She just measured the basics. TSH and a few others. I was left guessing. She called back a few weeks later, saying everything was “within range.”
I called and asked them to upload the results onto the patient portal. I wanted to see my numbers. They said that they don’t usually do that. I had to push them to share my data with me.
When I looked them over because the results are within the “normal range” for the lab, so the doctor thinks it’s fine. But most of my numbers were on the low end for most of it.
Years later, I saw a different doctor. She changed my life. I finally got the right tests done and the answers I needed.
Hormonal birth control was destroying my body.
Now looking back, I don’t understand it. Why are most doctors hesitant to do extra tests?
Today when I get my blood results, they are "normal." But I can see them and see they aren’t normal for me. I can feel like a totally different person when my thyroid or testosterone numbers are a few points higher.
The doctor I work with today takes a more holistic approach to my health. We order lab tests (even the "unnecessary" ones) and track my progress.
I discovered imbalances in my body.
When I look at my data now, I don’t care if I’m in"normal" test ranges.
I’m looking for a difference in my data in relation to my health habits. I can see if my lifestyle habits, diet, or even the supplements I take are changing my data. I’m looking for optimal health.
Each individual can learn critical health data from their blood panels. My goal is to educate as many people as I can about the value of understanding their data.