How ironic is this? My husband has a B12 deficiency, yet he eats meat and dairy. He has been very ill and due to severe ankle and hand joint swelling I brought him to the emergency room yesterday. We waited eight hours to be seen. We thought he had lymes disease but it's much worse. Not only does he have a B12 deficiency, he has rheumatoid arthritis, diffuse lung disease (still not clear on what this means and we are waiting on more test results) and a low white blood cell count. They tried to admit him to the hospital but he refused. My husband HATES hospitals. I begged him to stay because my friend and coworker just lost her 40 year old husband this last week very suddenly and unexpectedly. I am scared to death.
I did feel a pang of worry because he does eat a lot of my vegan meals. I eat very healthy and make sure I get the nutrients I need and use nutritional yeast and B12 supplements, but his diet (standard american diet) is terrible and he doesnt ensure he is getting his own needs met. So a small part of me thought I caused this, but I pulled the doctor aside and asked about it and he said there is no way my feeding him vegan meals, especially while he still eats meat and dairy, caused his B12 deficiency. He said it is more complicated than simply not eating enough B12 in the diet. My husband can not absorb B12 for a number of reasons.
I do know that rheumatoid can be made easier to control with a diet high in fruits and vegetables and avoidance of red meat. All the medical books say this. I am so frustrated with him right now because he won't eat the vegetables I prepare for him or the fresh fruits I buy for him. He chugs down soda pop and chips daily. I have nagged and nagged him about his sodium intake, especially with soda pop. It wont help his diffuse swelling. I just want to throw up I am so stressed out right now. I can't keep food in me. I am scared to lose him and he is very very ill. I cant get him to stay in the hospital. I don't know what to do. I cant get on here much as I am using our backup laptop as my own computer crashed. I just spent $700 on it a year and a half ago. And I bombed a test in my anatomy/physiology class. I couldnt concentrate with everything going on.
He has so many symptoms going on I can't separate out what damage the B12 deficiency has done and what is from the rheumatoid. This is all a shock. Thanks for letting me post about this. I still keep thinking a small part of this is my fault but logically I know this is ridiculous.
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