I gave in and went to the docs.
Last time I went, they found evidence of macrocytosis. Otherwise known as larger than usual large blood cells. The main causes of these are alcoholism , liver dysfunction, and bone marrow disorders.
But the bottom line is vitamin B12, otherwise known as Thiamine deficiency. Our doctors - most doctors - see that mostly in alcoholism. Booze depletes B12.
The problem with oversized red blood cells is that their immature. They don't work properly, so they don't hold oxygen very long, leaving someone tired all the time, they decay very quickly, and being large, they block tiny blood vessels (capillaries) and can block blood supply and cause stuff like strokes and temporary strokes.
Which, I've had.
This caused a bit of a furore on my doctors internal network. More, you should be aware, it involved the local chemists (pharmacists) too. Their all network connected.
General opinion I was a BIG drinker. No I'm not. So I've had a series of blood tests. Liver function, kidney, cholesterol, blood sugars, urrhhg. All sorts. One result being no large blood cells. Impossible for an alcoholic.
Weight, blood pressure, no macrocytosis. All absolutely fine. So much so, they've offered their apologies, and their doing an in investigation into those macrocytosis results, and whether they have me mixed up someone else.....
Weight? I'm down from 85.5K to 80K. Lost 5.5k (12 lb 20z). Wooo, hooo :)
2 comments:
Well done on the blood tests. Weird isn't it - I had some done and they have all come back fine except one - the full blood count is 'abnormal.' now of course they don't tell you what that is and they put a note in the letter that I should apply for a routine (underlined) appointment with the doctor in a fortnights time. A good friend of mine who works in a doctors surgery said that if the appointment is routine, then I've probably got anaemia or something like that. Why don't they just say that instead of leaving you worried that you have something serious?
X
No, that's not anaemia. I see the logic tho'.
A check for anaemia is a check for the ability of blood to carry oxygen. I can see where that might be thought as reduction in blood cells, but it's more a case of whether the blood cells are carrying enough oxygen.
In anaemia, it's usually that the cells you have don't have enough iron. A quick look at what you eat usually fixes that :)
A full blood count is a measure of how many cells you have. 'Abnormal' could mean too high, or too low, or even the 'wrong type'.
Too high can lead to dangerous clotting, leading to a risk of stroke and heart problems, amongst others. Too low, can leave you tired and washed out.
Either way, I'd ask to see a nutritionist to go through that you eat and drink, and get advice on that before accepting a pharmaceutical solution.
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