Sinusitis is getting a little better again today

I have still got the sinusitis, but it is getting slowly better. My voice is still congested and sounds deep and husky, still. But, it is getting better, albeit very slowly.

I am taking the olive leaf extract three times a day and I think that is what is helping me. My blood tests showed that my white blood cells had increased a bit, so that is most likely due to the olive leaf extract, which while it tastes really awful, is actually really excellent for the immune system as it boosts the activity of the white blood cells to make them function better, as well as boosting the actual numbers of white blood cells

I am also taking the iron and will start on the vitamin D and calcium liquid supplement shortly too. While my calcium levels are not low, luckily, given that I am lactose intolerant and don't have much dairy, it probably would be good for me anyway, to have a bit more calcium in my body, to help my bones and body stay healthy. The last blood test showed I was a little deficient in vitamin D, so I do need to supplement that. I haven't been going outside much, the weather has been crap and I feel worse when I got outside, because the cold air adversely affects my sinuses.

When will my life get better?

Doctor called me to tell me about my blood test results

On Thursday morning, I got a call from my doctor telling me that he was calling about my blood test results (if that isn't enough to put fear in you, I don't know what is).

He told me that my iron levels were very low again, consistent with an iron deficiency (ie anaemia), that my vitamin D levels were also low and that my IgE immunoglobulin levels, while still in the normal range, were very high - they should be less than 100 and mine was 90, which signified major allergies. He also told me I needed to make an appointment with his reception to talk about what I needed to do about these results.

So on Friday morning, I called his office first thing in the morning and luckily he had a spot that afternoon (someone must have cancelled because he's never available so easily).

I saw him and told him I looked up high IgE immunoglobulin plus low iron results and that one of the possible causes (other than severe allergies, asthma, eczema, arthritis) was cancer of the blood and he told me that it definitely was not that, that it was simply due to my severe allergies and was still within a normal range. That reassured me quite a lot as I had been stressed about it from looking it up the night before. My gut feeling told me it wasn't anything as serious as that, but still, I worried.

My doctor told me I needed iron and vitamin D supplementation. He also said that the allergies I have to synthetic chemicals is very hard to treat, but that I had to see the allergy specialist who could give me further advice and treatment options.

I also showed him one of the videos of my family's abuse on Tuesday night and he agreed that it was an abusive and violent situation I was living in. I asked him if he could change the letter he wrote previously to make it clear that I have multiple chemical sensitivities, severe allergies and that the situation with my family makes it all worse. He did it for me, which was nice of him.

Feeling sick - middle ear infection, sinusitis

Today (Wednesday 17 February 2010) I have been feeling quite sick from a middle ear infection that hasn't cleared up - I have had it on and off for several weeks now, but it has just recently flared up again, where sometimes I get pain in my ears, but especially my left ear.  And now I have developed sinusitis too.  

My nose is dripping mucous, I've had to blow it every few minutes; my head hurt, especially the left side, which seems to be the most affected (the middle ear and sinus passages); my lungs hurt to breathe too deeply; I have a bit of a low grade fever and I feel exhausted!

I got the results of a recent blood test today:

• Iron levels - my iron levels are a bit low, but better than last time they were tested (this is because I have recently started taking a liquid iron formula which has enriched my blood with more iron), but still, those levels could be better, so I need to continue the iron
•  White blood cells - my white blood cells, while they are within the normal range, are just on the border of the lowest level considered healthy. This means my immune system is not good and no wonder I get sick all the time
•  Vitamin B12 - surprisingly (or maybe not), my vitamin B12 levels are higher than the mid range that is considered healthy, still within healthy levels, but well within healthy levels. I think it's probably because I have been eating lots of shallots lately, which are rich in vitamin B12 (as well as folate and vitamin K) that I have enriched my blood with this nutrient
•  Vitamin D3 - while my vitamin D3 levels were within the normal range, the level was in the lower percentile, close to the lowest levels considered healthy. This shouldn't surprise me, considering I haven't been out much lately, because I have been feeling sick.  The last time it was checked, it was in the mid-range, so this means I just need to get outside more every day, to get myself some sunshine

I had some green vegetable curry for dinner tonight, topped with lots of shallots and then later had a big shallot and tomato salad, which seems to have stemmed the flow of mucous quite a lot and has reduced some of the pain, but still, it has not all gone.  I need to sleep properly tonight to help my body repair and heal itself from this virus that has infected my middle ear and sinuses.  The pain!

I know it's the stress of my life here with the nutcase family which is making my immune system lowered and makes me so much more susceptible to getting these viral infections all the time.  But in the same manner, the illness makes me less able to do much, which makes it difficult to go anywhere and this decreases my confidence in myself and it's just a catch 22 situation, which I am finding difficult to remove myself.  

Time for me to go to bed, to give my body the rest it needs to help it heal.