Pernicious Anemia – quite a mouthful. When I first heard those words from my doctor, they felt like a foreign language. However, I’ve since understood that living with pernicious anemia is like running a marathon. It’s a journey, not a sprint, requiring endurance, education, and some changes to our lifestyle.
Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune condition where your body cannot absorb Vitamin B12 properly. Vitamin B12 is essential to produce red blood cells; without it, we end up with fewer and larger-than-normal red blood cells, disrupting our body’s ability to carry oxygen efficiently.
How Pernicious Anemia Sneaks into Our Lives
The pernicious anemia story begins with a protein called intrinsic factor. Our stomach cells produce this protein, which has one important job – to bind Vitamin B12 and assist its absorption in the small intestine. However, in people with pernicious anemia, the body’s immune system wrongly attacks these stomach cells, leading to an intrinsic factor deficiency. As a result, Vitamin B12 cannot be absorbed efficiently, causing pernicious anemia.
This autoimmune condition sneaks into our lives, usually unnoticed until symptoms appear. It could manifest as fatigue, shortness of breath, body aches, rapid heartbeat, loss of appetite, and neurological problems like depression, memory loss, and balance issues.
How One Can Acquire Pernicious Anemia
The pathways leading to pernicious anemia are complex and multifaceted. Let’s break down the most common ways this condition finds its way into our lives.
- Autoimmune Pernicious Anemia. This is the most common cause of pernicious anemia, where your immune system attacks cells in your stomach in case of mistaken identity. These cells produce intrinsic factors, the protein necessary for Vitamin B12 absorption. When these cells are destroyed, the body can’t absorb Vitamin B12, leading to pernicious anemia.
- Atrophic Gastritis. This is a condition where the lining of your stomach becomes thin and damaged over time. Atrophic gastritis affects your stomach’s ability to produce intrinsic factors and stomach acid, both necessary for Vitamin B12 absorption. Therefore, those with atrophic gastritis are more prone to developing pernicious anemia.
- Surgery or Conditions Affecting the Stomach or Small Intestine. If you’ve had certain surgeries, such as gastric bypass, or have conditions like Crohn’s disease or celiac disease, you may be at risk of developing pernicious anemia. These situations damage or bypass parts of your digestive tract where B12 is absorbed.
- Certain Medications. Some medications, like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and metformin, can interfere with B12 absorption. PPIs reduce the production of stomach acid needed to free B12 from protein in food, while metformin can interfere with the necessary calcium for B12 absorption.
- Vegan or Vegetarian Diet. Those who follow a strict vegan or vegetarian diet and don’t take vitamin B12 supplements or eat fortified foods may have B12 deficiency. B12 is naturally found in animal products. Though the body can store B12 for years if intake is insufficient, this can lead to deficiency and, potentially, pernicious anemia.
Surviving & Thriving with Pernicious Anemia
When I was diagnosed, I worried, “How will I live with this?” I’ve learned it’s about management and understanding that I can lead an everyday life with a few adjustments.
My Journey to Diagnosis
It took many laps around the sun and frequent blood tests before my doctors could decipher the mystery of my pernicious anemia. My journey to diagnosis started with regular blood work every three months due to my previous cancer diagnosis. Each time, my B12 levels registered alarmingly low.
This prompted my healthcare team to administer B12 shots, hoping to normalize my levels. But each subsequent blood test told the same story: my B12 levels were not stabilizing.
As I battled this relentless fatigue and persistent body aches, a year passed since I had completed my chemotherapy. Then, my medical team reached the diagnosis that connected all these dots – Pernicious Anemia. The pieces of my health puzzle fell into place, and I finally had an answer to my physical tribulations.
Monthly B12 Injections: A Game-Changer
With a diagnosis in hand, I began receiving monthly B12 injections. The change was nothing short of remarkable. I no longer felt perpetually exhausted, as if I were a car running on fumes. My body stopped aching, particularly my hands, shoulders, and knees. I could finally sleep through the night and go about my day without the cloud of discomfort hanging over me.
These monthly injections have become an integral part of my life, a life buoy of sorts, keeping me afloat in the sea of my health challenges.
Vitamin B12: Our Lifeline
Vitamin B12 becomes our lifeline when living with pernicious anemia. As our bodies can’t absorb B12 from our food, we must get it directly into our bloodstream. This is usually done via B12 injections, although high-dose oral supplements are an option for some.
A National Institute of Health study found that patients with pernicious anemia must take B12 supplementation for life. These regular B12 boosts help us combat symptoms, feel energized, and keep our bodies functioning as they should.
Adapting Our Lifestyle
Living with pernicious anemia also means adapting our lifestyle. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and good sleep hygiene become more critical than ever. Even stress management plays a significant role, as stress can exacerbate anemia symptoms.
Moreover, regular monitoring is crucial. Doctors often request blood tests to check B12 levels and monitor red blood cell size and count.
Leaving Pernicious Anemia Untreated
Understanding the potential harm if pernicious anemia is left untreated is essential. Vitamin B12 is critical for making red blood cells and DNA and maintaining healthy nerve function. When B12 levels are consistently low, it can lead to severe complications.
Physical symptoms can worsen, including fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath. Neurological problems may also develop, ranging from balance issues and depression to severe nerve damage, memory loss, and even dementia in advanced cases.
Furthermore, prolonged B12 deficiency can lead to megaloblastic anemia, where red blood cells produced in your bone marrow become too large to function properly, resulting in severe fatigue and weakness.
These potential dangers underline the importance of diagnosis and treatment. They also underscore how my monthly B12 injections aren’t simply a remedy but a lifeline. While it’s been a journey of trials, patience, and discovery, finding the proper treatment for my pernicious anemia has been the silver lining, enabling me to reclaim my quality of life.
Living the Full Life
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with pernicious anemia, I want you to please be sure to take heart. It’s a journey of understanding your body, learning how to nourish it properly, and acknowledging when you need to rest. It’s about managing symptoms, regular B12 supplementation, and medical check-ups. Living with pernicious anemia doesn’t have to limit your life. You can live a full and vibrant life with a few tweaks and a positive outlook.
As we’ve journeyed together through the complexities of pernicious anemia, we’ve discovered that it’s not an end but a change of path. This path requires a lifelong commitment to self-care but allows us to enjoy an every day, fulfilling life.
Living with pernicious anemia is an exercise in persistence, a lesson in understanding our bodies, and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. As we continue to thrive despite our diagnosis, we encourage each other to do the same.
