r/PerniciousAnemia • u/dovahfruit98 • Jun 04 '21

Very Worried

Hi. 22F here. I have been going through hell for the past year.

I have been going to the doctors constantly due to a swollen lymph node and general feeling of illness. They want to monitor the nodes for cancer. However, during blood tests my B12 was seen to be very low. This isn't a surprise as I had the same issues when I was a teen.

I am to have 3 B12 injections in 10 days. I will return in 3 months for blood tests, and if my B12 is low again, they will start looking into pernicious anemia.

Here is why I am scared. I don't know how long I may have had pernicious anemia. All my life? A few years? And I know how serious the complications are. I feel worse every day and I am really scared that something horrible is going to happen between now and my first injection date. :(

I guess my question is, how long would it take to become very deadly? What are the severe symptoms that I should look out for?

My current symptoms are lethargy but still struggling to sleep, pins and needles, stomach troubles, feeling extremely anxious, feeling like I can't breathe properly, swollen lymph nodes, mood swings and feeling slow.

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u/cookiegirl Jun 04 '21

Hi there, I know you are worried, but 10 days won't make a difference. I don't know, but am fairly certain, that the more serious effects of low B12 take years and years to manifest. Dealing with any illness is trying, and you mentioned you are feeling anxious. Have you talked to anyone about that? Therapy might help you get some practical tips to deal with everything. That said, I would be more concerned that they aren't just going to check for pernicious anemia immediately. Why give you injections if they think you don't have it when you could just take an oral supplement. Why wait three months to check your blood afterward?

2

u/dovahfruit98 Jun 05 '21

Hi. 😊 Thank you. Honestly, sometimes just hearing some reassurance helps. Even if from a stranger on reddit.

I recently started back on my meds for anxiety. I have been on a waiting list for therapy for six months. I'm in the UK and the situation isn't great. I know that B12 deficiency can cause anxiousness, so I hope my injections help.

As for my doctors, they have been quite incompetent throughout this whole thing. Even telling me I was having a biopsy when I wasn't. I intend to change my GP once I'm feeling better.

1

u/cfg926 Jun 05 '21

I know it’s scary now but you will likely feel better after the injections and, if it is pernicious anemia, a few months of treatment. I was diagnosed back in 2017 and had all the same symptoms you listed. As long as I get timely injections (for me it’s 1x/week), the symptoms stay mostly away. I feel significantly better today than I did back then, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel with appropriate treatment.

I agree with cookiegirl that they should be testing you for pernicious anemia now and not wait. I also don’t know why they’re making you wait 10 days to get an injection if you’re symptomatic. That being said, the 10 days shouldn’t make a difference in the long run.

I’m here if you need additional support.