Pernicious Anaemia

Some of the symptoms I have suffered mimic IBS, a condition which I've been diagnosed with, other symptoms seem to have no connection with IBS and the rest could be attributed to pernicious anaemia.

I believe that I do not have IBS and that my symptoms are due to Pernicious Anaemia and multiple food intolerances.

Perhaps my story can help you too...

Anemia Fighting Quote by Anemia_Shirts
Make customized flyers on Zazzle

Pernicious anaemia (also known as 'Biermers anaemia, Addison's anaemia, or Addison-Biermer anaemia') is a form of megaloblastic anaemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency, caused by impaired absorption of Vitamin B-12 due to the absence of intrinsic factor in the setting of atrophic gastritis, and more specifically of loss of gastric parietal cells.

Read more about Pernicious Anaemia

I've suffered from Gastric problems since I was the age of 19. No one has yet given me a confirmed diagnosis but due to the never ending tests I've had to endure, one thing did become apparent.

Due to a lack of a very important chemical in my stomach (intrinsic factor) I am unable to absorb Vitamin B12. I have come to realise that this could be the reason for so many of my unusual symptoms that couldn't be attributed to anything else. It also proves that there is usually an answer for everything and if you're not entirely happy with a diagnosis please do not be afraid to seek a second opinion.

The symptoms I've been suffering from now make sense though there are still questions I would like answered. Most of the information I have received about this condition has come from the Internet as I've been researching for this lens! It's not a way I would have liked to have obtained the information preferring to have received it from the gastroenterologist who made the diagnosis or the GP who prescribes the injections.

For now, I have to make endless trips to the GP for regular injections of B12 in my upper arm. I would like to find out if it's something I can do myself as it would help a lot. I know that learning to do this is going to be hard but I'm sure I can work it out.

When I decided enough was enough and I was going to do something about this problem because the symptoms were becoming problematic, in the first stages of treatment (I'm currently receiving those that are highlighted in Bold):

1 - I've had to receive an injection once every 3 days,
2 - moving on to 3 times a month
3 - and then to every 3 months
4 - Changed to every two months
5 - Back to every 3 months

Due to my late diagnosis I may have nerve damage already but the list below explains a lot to me.

Symptoms of pernicious anaemia
Nausea and vomiting
A sense of fullness
Gas or Wind
Heartburn
Constipation
Diarrhoea
Weight loss/weight gain.
Mouth Ulcers
Fatigue - Every day I would need to sleep for several hours. This has lessened since I started treatment.
Fungal infection on my scalp
Eczema in my ears (legacy of measles when I was 7) and in my genitals
Tinnitus
Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet - Signs of nerve damage.
Dizziness

Unusual symptoms of unknown cause:
Stinging sensations in my joints particularly my fingers.
I can sometimes suffer from bad bruising in odd places e.g. In the top part of my foot where there is a layer of hard skin, or in my finger joints.
A strange rash on the tops of my feet.
Memory loss
Confusion
Depression - I have both Clinical Depression and Dysthymia.

The Schilling test is used to discover just how well your body absorbs Vitamin B12.

There are 4 stages of this test and you must prepare for the test in advance.

It is performed to check Vitamin B12 absorption and to evaluate patients for Pernicious Anaemia. It may also be used to check for Blind loop syndrome and Megaloblastic anaemia.

For more details about the Schilling Test:

Schilling Test
Medical Test: Schilling Test

Here is a list of some Pernicious Anaemia Support Groups that you can find on the Internet:

Anaemia Support Group - A community of patients, family members and friends dedicated to dealing with Anaemia, together.

Pernicious Anaemia - Not so much a support group but a wealth of information for sufferers of PA.

The The Pernicious Anaemia Society provides information, support, advice and help for sufferers of PA and their families and friends.

It has a forum for sufferers to join to use in order to gain support from other sufferers, too. My experiences of this forum was less than pleasurable but I am probably in the minority. You shouldn't let my experience put you off joining.

You can also become a member of the society for £15 (lifetime membership). This enables you to post on the forums and receive a newsletter with more information.

Other links include a web shop, details of fundraising, the media and research.

* Common symptoms include: tiredness,
lethargy,
feeling faint,
becoming easily breathless.

* Less common symptoms include:
headaches,
palpitations,
altered taste,
and ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

* You may look pale.

Pernicious Anemia Sample Red Blood Cells Photographic Print

Buy at AllPosters.com

Angular stomatitis is a condition where a cut or sore develops at the corner of the mouth. Sufferers of PA often suffer from this condition as well as:

the elderly
those lacking in iron
those lacking in Vitamin B
those suffering from allergies or dermatitis.

Treatment consists of application of vioform-hydrocortisone cream which will treat the sore and the underlying possibility of Candida infection.

My experience with my GP has been less than beneficial.

At the moment, he insists on not informing me about my condition and labelling the deficiency as a problem with IBS.

So far, in my experience, my 'IBS' symptoms can be easily explained by the problems I have absorbing Vitamin B12.

So, if you have PA, ask yourself:

If you didn't have PA, would you still experience symptoms of IBS?

For many years, I have disputed the fact that I have IBS. My symptoms just didn't fit. They also didn't occur at times when they should have occurred if I had IBS. There was always a niggling doubt in the back of my mind.

I'm even more convinced now that I do not have IBS.

All my IBS symptoms can be contributed to PA (see Symptoms of PA below.)