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thank you for being here for us. i have many health issues. taking 14 prescription medications can give you some what of an understanding. one of the issues is chronic b12 deficiency. now am 80 years. have had this anemia for over 35 years. only treatment given is monthly b12 shot for 3 months othen to stoand then to stop. and 6000 mgs of sublingual pill daily. it was so bad this last time that the md said it was off the chart and how is it i am still walking! i was pretty bad and felt as though i would faint. anyway, i am quite active and will not stop doing everything by myself. keeping as busy as i can. question: i have 2 or 3 auto immune diseases. can these be affecting the anemia? or, i think it is mostly part of the aging process.
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@dear oldkarl thank you for your input. i really appreciate. how can an md from the oncology group where i live, whom i have been seeing for over 7 years, knowing i have both rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis (among many other ailments) not know what you do? is this a game with them? they should only suffer as we do then maybe the light will come on in their brains. i have never had a depression that has lasted for any length of time. now i do and i am pretty sure it is because of the worsening of the b12 count. i am sure you have helped me to understand myself and this condition in a better light. thank you and i wonder if i should look for another opinion. (yes i will)
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Hi, @peach414144 You sure we are not closely related somehow? Anyway, I have also been trying to fight a low-grade anemia for at least 60 years. A few years ago a medico in a hospital someplace (kiddingly, I thought) asked if I thought I might have "a plastic anemia". Knowing that he was something of a clown, I just laughed it off. I did not know what he was talking about, but he was certainly telling a joke....I thought. Only recently I have begun to realize that "aplastic anemia" is not a joke, but a serious medical problem which often comes as part of some autoimmune disorder, such as mis-folded protein deposit disease, etc. Like rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Anyway, I have low levels of red blood cells, hematocrit, hemoglobin. So yes, for you and me both, I would suspect that anemia would be part of our packages. Mayo says that a "strong suspicion" that the villain is such a critter as "a(-)plastic anemia!" is a pre-requisite for diagnosis and treatment. The strong suspicion seems to be, in itself, a bit of a symptom. Sounds to me that you are there already.