Some are Born Mad

Well, it seems that I’ve not been going mad for the past year or so!  Following more blood tests (and they took five phials last week), one set of results necessitated the Medical Centre to phone on Friday and inform me that the Doctor had already issued a prescription to be collected as soon as possible!  It seems that I have vitamin B12 or B9 (folate) deficiency, and this can develop into anaemia.  I have looked on the internet (I know, I know… but I only look at NHS or ‘proper’ sites!) and this is the basic facts:
 
Vitamin B12 or B9 (commonly called folate) deficiency anaemia occurs when a lack of vitamin B12 or folate causes the body to produce abnormally large red blood cells that cannot function properly. Anaemia is the general term for having either fewer red blood cells than normal or having an abnormally low amount of haemoglobin in each red blood cell.  Too little folate (vitamin B9) in your blood causes folic acid deficiency anaemia.
 
Symptoms of folic acid deficiency include (amongst others):

• Fatigue / extreme tiredness
• A lack of energy
• Muscle weakness
• Disturbed vision / dizziness
• Feeling cold
• Irritability / difficulty concentrating / headache
• Diarrhoea / weight loss / loss of appetite

The first three points are the main ones for me – and certainly the extreme tiredness and weak muscles in the past six months, although I haven’t felt quite right or “me” for easily over a year. 
 
So after my visit to Lloyds Pharmacy and the collection of a whole bagful of drugs (and I’m not even joking), I am probably vying for the ‘who takes the most pills in the morning’ title!! Good grief, it’s enough to make you weep. However, having said that, at least it can be treated and now I understand why I have been feeling so terrible at times.  It has really been bringing me down that I haven’t had the energy or wherewithal to do much, go anywhere or even see people…

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