Health Update: Chasing the Why

By now, I’ve ruled out just about everything — or so it seems.

Back in June, my ferritin was 9 ng/mL — barely hanging on, the kind of number that explains the bone-deep fatigue I’d been living with. After a summer of iron infusions, my September labs came back at 167 ng/mL, and now, in mid-October, I’m sitting at 161 ng/mL. They’re already starting to drift downward.

I did my own research — because who else will? — and learned something important about copper and iron. They’re deeply interconnected. Copper isn’t just about getting iron in; it’s what helps the body mobilize and use it. Copper-dependent enzymes act like a bridge that moves iron out of storage, loads it onto transferrin, and carries it into red blood cells. When copper is low, that bridge breaks down.

That shift in understanding changed everything for me. Maybe I’m not only short on ferritin — maybe I’m missing the mineral that lets iron actually work.

So I asked my doctor to test my copper. She questioned it at first, but after I explained my reasoning, she ultimately agreed. I’m still waiting on those results, and part of me wonders if that might finally be the missing piece.

It’s the kind of imbalance that can hide in plain sight — normal numbers, persistent symptoms, and a story that doesn’t quite add up. My results haven’t confirmed anything yet, but I can’t help but wonder if this might finally explain what’s been missing all along.

On paper, that’s progress. In real life, it still doesn’t feel like healing.

My ferritin may have finally climbed, but my blood still tells a different story: hemoglobin is low, red-blood-cell count is low, and hematocrit is barely holding steady. In other words, storage looks better, but utilization is lagging — exactly what you’d expect if iron isn’t being properly mobilized or if something upstream is in the way.

The truth is, this has been my test pattern for over a decade — and the symptoms have only gotten worse, especially when it comes to cognitive fog and focus.

The rise makes sense — iron infusions work — but the question remains: why does my body keep burning through it?

In mid-September, I had my upper endoscopy. Normal esophagus. A medium-size hiatal hernia. Normal-appearing sleeve gastrectomy. Normal duodenum. Biopsies showed mild, nonspecific inflammation — nothing that screams “problem,” just enough to make you wonder. No H. pylori. No atrophic gastritis.

A few weeks later came the PillCam study. Forty-five thousand images of my insides and not one clear answer. Completely unremarkable.

And so, the mystery continues.

This week, I see hematology — the next stop in a journey that’s beginning to feel like a never-ending hallway of specialists. I’m hoping for insight, but also bracing for another round of “everything looks fine.” I’m curious what she’ll think about the copper.

Because here’s the thing — fine isn’t fine when your body has been whispering for a decade that something’s off.

Every test that comes back normal feels both like relief and defeat. Relief that nothing dangerous is hiding. Defeat because “nothing dangerous” still doesn’t feel like health.

And I’m frustrated — not with Function Health itself, but with my lack of results. The platform is solid, and I still believe it can be a great tool for understanding your body in new ways. But like everything in health, it’s not one-size-fits-all.

I paid $499 a year believing I could track my biomarkers and see real progress. What I didn’t realize is that the retest doesn’t actually include all your out-of-range markers — so it costs more money on top of what you’ve already spent. For some people, that might be worth it. For me, it’s been a mix of insight and frustration.

I’ve shelled out thousands for supplements, protocols, and hope — and after months of it, I feel exactly the same.

I even took a few weeks off my supplements just to see if my body noticed. It didn’t. So I’m doing one final retest on November 10th — another $449 — to find out if anything actually changed. After that, I’m done.

Maybe my body doesn’t even absorb these damn supplements. Maybe the problem was never something a capsule could fix.

From here on out, I’ll continue working with my primary-care physician in the conventional system — not because I believe in it, but because that’s the only way I can get some of these labs covered under insurance and monitor them directly. Of course, they won’t test everything I need — but it’s something.

Because this much I know: being told “that’s just normal for you” when your ferritin has been low for over a decade is not medicine — it’s dismissal.

I’m frustrated. I’m angry. I’m tired. But I’m still paying attention.

Maybe I’ll never get the answers I want. Maybe the point now is learning how to live without needing them.

Because sometimes healing isn’t about finding what’s wrong — it’s about deciding you deserve better than being ignored.

If you’ve ever poured time, money, and energy into getting well and still ended up in the same place… If you’ve ever felt like your results are improving but your body isn’t listening… If you’ve ever wanted to scream, “like hell this is normal” —

You’re not alone.

With heart,
Rebecca

FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.