Instead of endless possibilities this year feels like endless diagnoses...and I may now have an answer as to why I always feel dehydrated despite drinking plenty and why my blood is always thick and they struggle to take it during bloodwork. And why I have a ton of cells and high hemoglobin...my doctor posted a note that I have:

Polycythemia

It is a rare blood disorder which may or may not be permanent, and may or may not reduce my lifespan and may or may not be an incurable bone marrow cancer, and may or may not require both draining a gallon of blood out of me regularly (to which i laugh because they cant even find my veins) and may or may not require taking chemo drugs to kill red blood cells to reduce the thickness of my blood...which will also wreck my immune system more than it already is...but either way this increases my likelihood of blood clots, which I already know being that i got one in my hand from an IV and it is likely either stuck somewhere in an unimportant vein or still floating around in me. It would explain my hands and feet going numb if i sit for 10-15 minutes, and when i sleep i wake up numb. It would explain my lowering blood pressure, and why i feel worse when i eat iron foods because that would increase my red cell production even more, and make my blood even thicker. It also explains my extreme exercise intolerance, not only because my blood is the consistency of maple syrup or thicker, but because basically oxygen is just floating around in there going nowhere, so when i need to use it, it doesn't do anything.

It still doesn't answer why my blood cells are so small, or why my body hoards iron like crazy.

I likely will need more testing. On a positive note, maybe i can be allowed to get regular saline IVs which has been the only way i can actually feel hydrated. Because drinking water and gatorade and juices and electrolyte drinks isnt doing much of anything.

Bodies are weird...here's hoping I don't have an incurable form of cancer...or kidney cancer, or a tumor...

Next i need to work on knee, ankle, and spine brace.

I also got a note from my doctor to give to my school to give me a real chair, one that doesn't strain my leg...that accommodation is going to be "fun" to get.

~e