This month has been one for the books! I had the opportunity to go to the Texas State Capitol and advocate on behalf of IgAN awareness with my fellow IgAN Foundation ambassador and a couple of other lovely women. I was amazed and impressed by how much hard work is being done. As nervous as I was, I’m thankful for how people were so open and willing to hear my story. Since I left Houston on Valentine’s day, Brien came with me for the trip and we had a cute dinner in Austin. Hopefully, we’ll all be returning to the Capitol again in May for something even more exciting!

Health-wise, the only appointment I had (besides the dentist) was a follow-up visit with my primary care. I pressed her a bit to increase the frequency of my lab work and she agreed. I’ve been a bit concerned with my health because I’ve feeling weaker and more tired, so I thought maybe things were going downhill again. Just the opposite, in fact! When I got my lab results back they showed improvement across the board. It was a very pleasant surprise, and I couldn’t be happier.

Since my labs showed improvement, there are a couple of different possible explanations as to why I’ve been feeling crummy. First, my dosage of lisinopril increased from 5mg to 7.5mg recently. Lisinopril is a great drug, and it’s doing its job for my kidneys, but since its primary use is for high blood pressure and my blood pressure is normal, I now have low blood pressure. I get dizzy constantly and I have to be careful exerting myself even just a tiny bit. I nearly passed out going up two flights of stairs because my heart just could not keep up under the effects of the drug. I don’t want to lower the dose, because keeping my kidneys happy is more important than not passing out. I just have to be more careful, and that’s not really a problem since I work from home and I’m never out by myself.

The second possible explanation for the fatigue I’ve been feeling is iron deficiency anemia. I’ve been taking iron supplements, and I even tried topical patches, but so far my iron levels have stayed the same and my blood counts have only improved very slightly. My doctor said it’s more difficult for kidney patients to absorb iron through capsules, so I got a prescription for liquid iron (ew) but I was also referred for iron infusions.

The clinic that does the iron infusions has been really pushy and weird, and the nurse practitioner at the clinic is really awful and making me feel more uncomfortable with every conversation I have with her. I was supposed to go for my first infusion today but I rescheduled it for next Monday instead, and honestly I think I’m going to cancel the appointment altogether because the nurse is really rubbing me the wrong way. It feels a bit bratty of me to cancel an appointment that a lot of people wish they could get just because I don’t like the vibe, but I’d truly rather live with the symptoms than risk having this weird lady do my infusions. I’m not being dramatic, she’s really terrible over the phone—interrupts, doesn’t listen, disregards my concerns, plus more… I don’t want to find out how she is in person.

I’m currently trying to find a pharmacy that has the liquid iron I need, because my usual pharmacy doesn’t carry it. Hopefully I’ll be able to get the prescription filled this week, and hopefully it’ll help. In the meantime, I’ll just deal with it. It’s really not that bad, I just have to wear fuzzy socks to stay warm and not stand up too fast.

I’ve got a lot going on next month, and I’m very excited and thankful for what’s in store! I’ll try to share as much as I can on my Instagram!