HI i'm a 50 year old male who was diagnosed with Pernicious Anaemia 15 years ago. I have regular 12 weekly b12 jabs at the local gp. I was wondering if anyone else snly uffers from Diarrhea?
I have had diarrhea on and off for the last ten years,sometimes for months on end. It is not unexpected like i have read with other PA sufferers,but instead of producing solid stools i just have diarrhea. I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy 10 years ago which indicated no problems. I'm generally in good health,don't drink or smoke and eat healthily but concerned that this could result in long term problems. Interested to hear anyone elses experiences or any ideas on better management of the problem.
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gafferg66
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Poor digestion is a symptom of PA ..this can cause diarrhea in some people.
Coeliac disease is very common in people with PA, I wonder if you were tested for this at the time of your endoscopy? Also 10 years is a long time to have constant diarrhea and even though you feel ok it may be time to see your GP again and possibly to have repeat gastroscopy/ endoscopy.
Hi pugdogs10. Coeliac disease is something I've recently considered. I find when I visit the GP i feel like she's googling PA under the table! The diarrhea hasn't been constant for 10 years but i have regular long bouts lasting months. I think you're right about the procedures again,just have to convince the GP
The coeliac test is a simple blood test, if it is positive you will also have endoscopy tests to examine the lining of the stomach/colon.. it seems a very reasonable thing to ask for given your long history of diarrhea.
Like you I suffer from loose bowels and have injections, I assume you have absorbsion problems with your PA. Did the endoscopy show any signs of Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining) I have put mine down to having Gastritis as I too have had both an endoscopy and colonoscopy. I am sure there will be people on the forum who can support.
Not at the time Mark,i should try and persuade the GP for another set of tests. I always get the feeling from the GP that they're clutching at straws a lot of the time. Thanks for the response.
If you have PA then you probably have Autoimmune Metaplastic Gastric Atrophy (AMGA). This means that your immune system is attacking the Gastric Parietal Cells (GPCs) in your stomach. As well as making the protein required for the absorption of B12 (Intrinsic Factor) these calls are responsible for making hydrochloric acid (HCl). Not having enough GPCs means that there's not enough HCl in your stomach (achlorhydria).
HCl has several jobs. One main one is to break down food molecules, especially protein. If you have achlorhydria then protein isn't properly digested in the small intestine and passes through into the large intestine. The bacteria that live there aren't used to such a bonus of yummy goodness and have a huge party. The resultofthat can be bloating, flatulence and diarrhoea.
It an also result in those bacteria invading the upper reaches of the GI tract. Which isn't good.
Some people have found relief from these problems by taking acid with meals. Some swear by apple cider vinegar. My preferred solution is lime juice. I drink about 40ml in water or orange juice with large meals.
Thanks,a very informative post. The lime juice sounds a good idea.
Hi, I have PA and self-inject. I don't have constant diarrhea but intermittent bouts along with constipation, but I do have co-existing Hashimoto's disease which may account for the constipation. What I found worked best for me were digestive enzymes. Along with HCl they contain the enzymes to breakdown the four main food groups. You just take one prior to every meal. You could also think about taking pre and probiotics to see if they help to recolonize your good bacteria.
The only other thing I can think of is an aunt of mine had constant diarrhea for about 2-3 years before she went to the GP. It turned out she had some small benign polyps in her bowel, which were removed and the diarrhea resolved.
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