Blood work could be suggesting pernicious anaemia

[Louise_18]

I hope this is the right place to put this

I’ve been seeing a doctor in a gi due to on going problems I recently had a 2cm polyp removed, I had blood work done in November 2019 and my b12 was low I wasn’t given the number but I was told to take b12 supplements by my gp I did this along with upping my b12 food intake, due to corna I was unable to see the gi unit doctor until recently. I had to do blood tests again the start of September and my b12,folate and iron was low, everytime I search these three as low pernicious anaemia shows up

B12 - 194 (211-760)

Folate - 2.8 (3.8-18.2)

Iron 2.7 (6.0 -33.0) Transferrin 1.78. (1.93-3.08) Tran sat 5.8 (10.0-50.0)

One of the gi doctor consultants said I needed to go on b12 injections I went an ordered these off my gp and I’ve collected them and everything as they have to be self injected and I need to be thought by my nurse first, but my gp was ensure of the frequency on these so I rang the gi unit again and they’ve said I need to re do bloods again so I can’t even start them

I’ve no idea what this is all about has anyone has numbers like these and not need injections or are these the types of numbers some of you have had and required injections

I understand we are all different and are medical requirements will all be different I’m just not getting much answers from anyone as to why I might have these numbers and what I would need to be taking

[Gambit62 Administrator]

The results indicate both folate and B12 deficiency - unless your diet is incredibly bad - no fruit and fresh veg as well as no meat/fish/dairy/eggs that really does suggest an absorption problem and PA is the most likely.

Do you have any numbness/tingling in hands or feet? If so you need to start injections promptly and frequency should be 3x weekly until symptoms stop improving. You should contact the GI immediately to find out why they are delaying things.

If you don't have numbness/tingling then you still ought to have a course of loading doses and sooner rather than lately- 3xweekly for two weeks then injections every 2-3 months is the UK standard (though many find that this isn't frequently enough though that is another story).

You should NOT start treatment for the folate deficiency until 24-48 hours after starting treatment for the B12 deficiency.

You also have iron deficiency so that would need to be addressed.

[Louise_18 in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you for your quick reply my diet sounds ok I have nut/seeds granola breakfast aswell as chicken/red meat/fish with brown rice/pasta potatoes, green vegetables and fresh fruits every single day I upped the quantity in these more back in November when I first found my b12 was low, I don’t really have much dairy as I have a slight dairy allergy so will try atleast once a week to have full dairy yogurt and milk

I do have tingling and numbness in my hands it’s not often maybe once every 2 weeks but it’s never both hands at the same time, I’ve also been having more heart palpitations lately,my heart rate is often high with very little exercise and my resting heart beat which used to be around 64bpm a few months ago is now up to 82bpm

I will get on to my gi on Monday and as more questions as to why this is taking so long I would prefer to be on some type of treatment as soon as possible to fix these numbers

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to Louise_18]

with a B12 absorption problem - and from your description of your diet it isn't a dietary deficiency - then there isn't any point in trying to up the B12 in your diet as the mechanism you use to absorb B12 from your diet isn't working which is why you have become deficient. This can also affect absorption of other vitamins and minierals - and folate and iron are the two most commonly affected.

Hope you can get your GI to recognise that prompt treatment for the B12 and folate deficiencies is important - and mention that you do have some symptoms that suggest that there could be neurological involvement - even if it is intermittent at the moment.

[Narwhal10]

Hi Louise,

Welcome here. I’m new too.

Gambit is very knowledgeable and there are lots of others who can answer the technical questions.

Hope you get treatment quickly. X

[Nackapan]

B12 should be treated first then folate

No idea why they are doing more bloods. Perhaps the intrinsic factor as best done before b12 injections start??