Recently Diagnosed Pernicious Anemia and Menopausal

[Poly74]

Hi All

I'm in my early 40's. Was diagnosed with pernicious anemia 4 months ago. Have always suffered with Anemia. I go 6 monthly for iron infusions but that's only past 2 years or so. I have had many scopes with no real answers. I also have mild asthma. I have brain fog, chronic fatigue, hravy periods every 24 days or so, sweats get upset easily, anxious about everything, it's endless. It's only through asking to get my hormone level checked that they now tell me I'm in early menopause. I struggle with my weight all the time and it really gets me down. I get b12 injections off and on but really have to be asking all the time to keep on top of it. Has anyone advise where I go from here as I'm really struggling. I feel like an old women and cannot continue like This. Thank u

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Poly74 are you in the U,K?

If you have P.A. then b12 injections should not be "off and on" with you "to be asking" for them, but regularly from now for the rest of your life.

Go back to your doctor and insist on the correct treatment for Pernicious Anaemia.

I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anaemia (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.

I wish you well.

[Poly74 in reply to clivealive]

Thank you. I live in Ireland clivealive👍 yes trying to get control on this....

[loves-dogs]

Have you tried hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? It can be a life saver for some women. If it is available to you, I would recommend a bio-identical form of replacement and there are many available - topical creams, pellet injections, sublingual tablets. Your hormone levels are monitored by blood tests after the treatment is started to maintain a balance as you progress through menopause. The whole process of menopause can take years to complete with a lot of physical changes, HRT can calm a lot of the symptoms and make it a much less traumatic experience.

As for PA, clivealive is correct. PA is an autoimmune disorder/disease where you are unable to absorb B12 through the gut. You should be on B12 injections, possibly folate as well. PA is treated with regular supplemental B12. This is not a choice and administered regularly, not every once in a while. Most, if not many, individuals with PA keep a prescription of B12 and self-inject independently at home. Methylcobalamin is the ideal form of B12 to have. Some inject as frequently as once a week or every two weeks, some less frequently. Each person is different. If your healthcare provider isn't addressing this with regular injections I would consider a second opinion.

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) can sometimes be helpful for autoimmune disorders, you may want to research it, but I would save it for last after everything else has been addressed and more under control.

You may want to consider testing for food reactions to address the asthma. This requires a blood test and is not the same as testing for food allergies. Food reactions and food allergies are different. There are several different labs in the US that test for food reactions, one is LEAP. Have you been tested for gluten intolerance? I know when I eat gluten, especially wheat (and soy, which I don't think has gluten), I become asthmatic. After testing, I was discovered to be gluten intolerant.

It sounds like you have a lot of different issues going on with symptoms overlapping each other. I would focus on each condition and address it separately, watch for the results and then move to the next. Personally, I would first focus on a treatment for the menopause and PA. It will take a while to get it all under control so don't panic, it'll only make it worse.

[Poly74 in reply to loves-dogs]

Thank you loves-dogs. A lot of information given. I have a fear of HRT as there can be complications from it. Also with regards to the PA I don't absorb well through my gut so I'm unsure best way to go about this. I have a Dr appointment next week to discuss where I'm at. I just really have to get control on this as I feel I am ageing so quickly by feeling tired and all the other issues I have when at this stage in my life I hoped i should be enjoying it.....thank u. I will post what my gp says next week.