That's absolutely brilliant yvonneu and as Foggyme says "Well done for persevering".
Please do ask about about your Folate level. There is a complex interaction between folic acid, vitamin B12 and iron. A deficiency of one may be "masked" by excess of another so the three must always be in balance.
Is Folate supposed to be normal or? My mom is struggling with blood loss and low rbc count but I'm convinced he hematologist hasn't tested her for PA. Do you know exactly what she should be tested for? Sorry to jump onto someone else's post...
Hi Canyonk8 has the haematologist tested your Mom's serum B12 and serum Folate (B9) levels? If so, was she deficient in either one or both?
In addition to what I quoted above "Folic acid is crucial for proper brain functioning and plays an important role in mental and emotional health. It helps in the production of DNA and RNA, the body's genetic material, especially when cells and tissues are growing rapidly, such as during infancy, adolescence, and pregnancy. Folic acid works closely with vitamin B12 in making red blood cells and helps iron function properly in the body. Vitamin B9 works with vitamins B6 and B12 and other nutrients in controlling the blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine".
Vitamin B9 (Folic acid) University of Maryland Medical Centre
I am not a medically trained person but there are others on here who will be able to give you good advice concerning your Mom's low rbc.
Folate looks to be OK and the B12 at the low end of the scale but would be flagged as "normal".
Is your Mom able to eat red meat, fish, seafoods, poultry, eggs and dairy produce as these are the only natural sources of Vitamin B12 from food?
We get folate from leafy green vegetables, sprouts, broccoli. asparagus, spinach, peas, beans etc so the good old fashioned "meat and two veg" meals are ideal for maintaining a balanced diet.
Whilst B12 and Folate are involved in helping iron to produce red blood cells your Mom's levels in both would appear to be sufficient but as I say I'm not medically trained just someone who has had P.A. (a form of B12 Deficiency) for over 45 years.
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