Thalassemia

Hello to you all. This is about a blood disorder that many suffer from, including myself. Not enough people know anything about it, so here I am to inform you all. 

What is thalassemia, you may ask? Well, as I stated before it's a blood disorder. It's unfortunately an inherited blood disorder (coming from my father); it lowers the amount of hemoglobin in ones blood. If you don't know what hemoglobin is, basically it's what carries the oxygen from your lungs into your blood that then goes around your body (more specifically to your brain), it's what contains the iron and the colour in your blood, not enough of it and you have thalassemia. 

With this disorder, not only may you not have enough oxygen in your blood, but you also have a much higher chance at having low iron and being super anemic! This makes being a girl literal HELL, because once the monthly (or in my case, bimonthly) blood sacrifice occurs it can feel like death is to roll on over to your doorstep. I won't bore you with more of the scientific details now, but I will be sharing my experience with this disorder. 

I believe I have the beta version, which uh really either alpha or beta, they're both as bad, so much so it can get as severe as leading to my lovely demise. Growing up I did a lot of sleeping, especially in the summer. In summer, I can't even move my body. It can get really hard for me to breathe or really do anything at all. Now not only does this take a toll on my physical being but it is a big component to my mental health. Physically not being able to do anything or even speak makes me (and fairly anyone) feel like absolute shite. What makes it worse is just the fact that no one understands. Sure I have moments where I'm okay but I crash real easy from it. ON TOP of that, my immune system can crash from it too. Real sweet huh? So not only do I take days off for being so incredibly tired, but I take days off for being so incredibly sick. Family members would tell me off for sleeping and being 'lazy' when it's something I've tried to treat but unfortunately, I'm just this way. IRON supplements do not work and all the other fad shit I've been prescribed obviously does not work. 

Now if I do choose to have kids, I'd have to do a lot of consulting with medical professionals in order to find a way to not pass this on. Good thing my uterus will be taken out as soon as I get the chance to do so.  

If you would like to know more about this disorder, I recommend looking it up. Please take care of anyone you may know that has this disorder and take care of yourself. 

-Sally.