I miss my doctor in Eugene

One of the negative states about living in such a small town -- or perhaps, any town in this part of the country -- is the lack of doctors who care about or are capable of interpreting blood test results in any meaningful way, or in following up to find out what's happening with abnormal test results.  To be fair, even my naturopath in Eugene wasn't terribly interested in trying to solve my 'mild anemia' symptoms.  He did, however respond quickly to the low white blood count I had last December.  I managed to get this back up through eating lots of shiitake mushrooms and garlic, but now it's back down again.  The local doc looked at all these tests and concluded that they were normal, even though many state on the form that they are either high or low, and some call out for further investigation.  But where do I go for this?

Granted, there is a naturopath in Atlanta I could go and see, but I don't even want to think what that might cost me, in terms of the office visit as well as additional blood tests that wouldn't be covered by Medicare because they're ordered by a naturopath.  They do cover chiropractors, and many chiropractors these days are deep into natural medicine, but I'd probably have to go to Atlanta to find one.  I'd like to go to Nashville, to Dr. Asa's Center for Natural Medicine, but that would be costly, too, plus several hours of driving.  His book has a great chart to help interpret blood test results and point to probable root causes, but that doesn't help solve anything. I'm not sure he's all he's cracked up to be anyway, although I do think he knows nutrition.

I also had an 'abnormal' EKG, which is probably normal for me.  But, my doc wanted a cardiologist to review and interpret it, so I'm seeing one on Thursday.  I'm unlikely to proceed further with anything other than possibly a change in my meds, if I can get something benign and inexpensive, but it's good to at least know what's going on.

Stress is the culprit, in so many ways.  Much of the issues I have are stress-related, as is the increase in cardiac issues.  That's always worsened in times of high stress, and I've made a concerted effort to keep stress out of my life to the extent possible. I don't feel stressed so much, but if I take a realistic look, I am clearly stressed 'underneath' by the everyday forces and issues that revolve around trying to live on such a low income, while trying to renovate this house.  I'm rethinking the need for all the stuff that 'needs' be done here.  I've ordered the insulation for the floor, and that's a necessity, but much of the rest of it is 'wants' more than 'needs'.  It would be hard to find a rental for the amount of my mortgage, without going into another of those low-income senior apartments, which I didn't like very well.  I'd still probably pay more, although probably not as much as the mortgage plus what I spend on renovation, maintenance, and yard work, including the garden.  I can't sell this place anyway, so it's a moot point.  But it would be good for me to lower stress, and lower the level of physical exertion that work around here sometimes requires.

So, I'm just musing aloud here on this cold Saturday morning. I'm tired (anemia and low thyroid function, probably) and sleepy.  Will spend the day downtown at the annual Fall Festival, which should be fun.