For a moment today the last 8 months of my life, doctor appointments and tests, flashed before my eyes and I wanted to say like Homer Simpson: "D-Oh!" Then I laughed and felt hopeful and relieved.

Here's the scoop. As I mentioned, I went to a gastroenterologist a couple months ago and he did some tests for nutrient absorption. One of those tests came back a little bit off, but he said it was nothing to worry about.

Today, with my glucose tolerance test results in hand, I went to an endocrinologist in the same building. He took one look at the test and said they did it all wrong, and even if it were right, it doesn't explain my symptoms. So it appeared I had come to the wrong doctor, for the wrong reason. But then he saw the test results on his computer screen from the gastro's tests, and turns out it looked exactly like something he sees almost every day in his specialty.

The first real numbness I had was in my lips and face, and diabetic neuropathy usually doesn't start there, but a test result from the other doctor explained everything. Hypocalcemia starts in the lips and face, and I have a vitamin D deficiency, which causes hypocalcemia. The active form of vitamin D is within normal limits, but the stored form is less than half what it should be, and in light of my symptoms, that's not something to be dismissed. (I was a little surprised that the tests would be of such interest to him, until I remembered that vitamin D is a hormone, and building block for other hormones, so an endocrinologist would know a lot about that one). It was all kind of a happy coincidence (or a message from the universe, fate, God's hand) that I went to the same network for both doctors and the tests were in his computer staring him in the face. He might have ordered the tests and figured it out, but this sped up the process and eliminated some "if"s.

I could be upset about it taking this long when I've been asking every doctor in town to test my nutrient levels... frustrated that I didn't figure it out (though I do remember reading a bit about it somewhere, it wasn't the complete info to tell me to really look into it)... or disappointed that maybe I was a bit of a hypochondriac about it all. I'm too happy to feel any of those things though, I was ready for some good news and I got it!

I believe that there's a reason for every problem, and something important to learn from every trial. I've learned tons of lessons from all this, and I'm happy that apparently I've learned what I was meant to learn, without something really big actually hitting me. I've been dodging diagnostic bullets, and was merely hit by a water-gun.

Of course, time, results, and a few more tests will tell if he's right, but it sure makes sense. I did feel better when I took my vitamins, got exercise (sunshine), and ate right...just couldn't pin down why until now. It all comes back full circle to celiac disease, malabsorption, and the results of some restaurant roulette I played earlier this year.

I also feel much better when I eat like a diabetic, or like a non-secretor should, so I'll stick with that too. Maybe I will enjoy a little of my compliant thanksgiving risotto and blueberry pie afterall though!

That's something to be thankful for! Oh...another thing to be thankful for is that I fit into my jeans again...the jeans I wore before I was pregnant...I've lost about 20 pounds now! Scared straight when it comes to diet can be a very good thing.