The appointment went alright. There was no magic cure from the lovely lady doctor which let me down. It's ruined my childhood vision of doctors miraculously healing anyone that walked through their doors. I've got to go back on Friday for a blood test and we'll take things from there. I've outlined below what the test is being taken for but she said it could also be stress related and to take it easy for a while.

I shall try walking into work again in the morning and hopefully I'll get further than the station. It's really frustrating that I feel ok when I'm lying down reading or idly watching the telly but when I get active and do anything I get faint and feel sick again. I'd appreciate being able to concentrate sitting up all day so at least I could do a full days work from home, but I'm so exausted all the time.

The Blood Test

I've been told that I could have a stomach infection called Helicobacter Pylori which causes the symptoms I've been experiencing. Noone knows where this comes from but it's easy to treat. I'm having a blood test to, at the very least, rule this out.

At the same time my blood test is being used for a "U and E" which stands for "Urea and electrolytes". It's a routine blood test to assess fitness of the liver. I actually felt a pang of worry in the hope that I've not done any damage to my liver whilst at University. On top of that, it checks for levels of potassium which indicates the electrical activity of the heart.

The third test I'm having done on this blood sample is a "CRP" test. This stands for "C reactive Protiens". The check is for these protiens and an elevated level of these is a very accurate indicator of future heart problems and double chances of a stroke.

And, of couse, a complete examination of my blood wouldn't be complete without the FBC, the Full Blood Count. This is very common and tells a great deal about the state of the persons health. It can help diagnose problems with bones, lungs, the liver, the kidneys, etc.

I'm not a hypochondriac at all. I don't say all this because I wish for something crazy to be wrong with me. It would though, in a strange way, be exciting for something to be wrong but I mainly think that because I'd like to know why I've been feeling so energyless and down for ages.

Anyway, I thought I'd decypher the scribbled doctor written codes on this form I have to take back on Friday and share with you the suspicions of the Doctor.