Initially, I experienced immense joy in surpassing 3,000 biking miles in 2022 for the first time in several years. While the journey was arduous, particularly during the latter months, I now comprehend the reasons behind it. After enduring three challenging years that concluded just before the onset of COVID-19, I regained a sense of normalcy. Notably, it was in 2017 when I was hospitalized and subsequently diagnosed with the following conditions:
- Deep vein thrombosis – both legs
- Multiple Pulmonary Embolisms—I asked what that meant, and the Doctor said there were more than they could count.
- Eosinophilic esophagitis (Minor)
- Angioectasias—I learned that Angioectasias are aberrant blood vessels found within the gastrointestinal lumen. They are a common source of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and are acquired lesions, unlike other vascular lesions of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Iron deficiency anemia due to chronic blood loss (definitely in the stomach and intestines)
- Drug-induced autoimmune hemolytic anemia
- Hiatal Hernia: The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle that separates your chest cavity from your abdomen. Usually, your esophagus passes into your stomach through an opening in the diaphragm called the hiatus. Hiatal hernias occur when the muscle tissue surrounding this opening weakens, and the upper part of your stomach bulges up through the diaphragm into your chest cavity. It's not always clear why this happens, but pressure on the stomach and age-related changes in the diaphragm may contribute to the formation of a hiatal hernia.
So, back in late 2021, I started feeling out of sorts. I was super tired, had trouble sleeping, and even wanted to chew ice—crazy, right? It was COVID-19, so I got it checked out. By October 2022, things were really tough. I was super motivated, but my body wasn’t cooperating. I didn’t want to use my deductible, so I held off on a check-up until 2023.
The first doctor I saw was an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist because I’d been having a raspy voice since June 2022. He was really worried about my wheezing and immediately checked my asthma. He wanted to put me on Dupixent, which is a pretty expensive injection. I didn’t think my asthma was that bad, though.
| What (recommended) | 2017 | 2020 | 2023 |
| Iron (35-180) | 18 | 62 | 26 |
| Iron saturation (20-55%) | 6% | 17% | 7% |
| Hemoglobin (13.5-17.5) | 7.8 | 14.6 | 11.1 |
| Ferrittin (26-388) | 8 | 60 | 10 |
| Hematocrit (37-53%) | 29.80% | 46& | 36% |
| MCV (80-100) | 61 | 84 | 68 |
| RDW (11.5-15.5%) | 27.$% | 14.10% | 22.70% |
Upon visiting my clinic for a routine check-up, I discovered that my anemia had returned to its severe state. This is the primary underlying cause of the breathing difficulties I have been experiencing. Above is a table outlining the critical anemia indicators from my hospital stay in 2017, when I was relatively healthy in 2020, and on Friday, the 13th of 2023.
Unfortunately, I do not have a definitive explanation for these fluctuations. I anticipate returning to the infusion cycle, which was necessary to elevate my previous hemoglobin levels.
On a positive note, I managed to capture photographs on one of the season’s coldest days. Some of these images are provided below.
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