Can Beta-Thalassemia Minor have symptoms?

[Bee Cham]

I am 22 years old and have been diagnosed with Beta Thallassemia minor by a doctor. All my life I have felt tired, had palpitations (When I was younger), flatulence and difficulty concentrating and fuzziness. I cannot really look people directly in the eye sometimes because its too hard on my eyes (it strains them) even though I have perfect vision. Doctors have told me that I need no treatment and that Thallassemia has no symtpoms. I go to sleep tired and I wake up tired. I can be tired after 12 hours sleep! Can I be suffering symptoms from my thallassemia. Does any one else feel the same way that I do? This is a little bit hard for me, but I don't want to complain.

[mommabull]

beta thalassemia can most deff have symptoms. Doctors and others will tell you that it doesnt but they have finally done a study proving that more than half the people with beta thalassemia minor have symptoms. I suggest you go to thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com and look under thal minor, it helped me to learn a lot of information that I did not know and it has a link to the study.

[nanoo18]

hi Chipodzo,
sorry to hear about your daughter,I have also BTM,and i have severe pain in my hands,but dr says its not due to BTM.They gave me ibuprofen 3 times a day,for pain.

[bindu999]

Hi, my name is bindiya
I also have a son with the same .
If you need any advise let me know

[VidhiM]

I got the results to my beta thalassaemia test half an hour back. And I am tested positive. I am 22 years old and I am always tired... Also, I have always been a sick child. I have read through all the posts and realized that folic acid is good. I will take it and post my results.

[7sparrows]

please,Never take iron with thalassemia.it will store in your liver and ruin your liver.i was told this by a hematologist at UAB years ago.also a genetitist said that if both parents have the disorder you run the chance of having a child with thalassemia major.also most dr's are not aware of the different types of anemia,but should be!and Love prescribing iron,it will cause heartproblems later and hemochromatosis.

[eleni27]

as others have said, at least I find other people who have the same symptoms and do not think of me being crazy!

I'm 27 female and look like at most 20. I was diagnosed when I was 16 when I passed out at school, doc gave me iron and folic acid and put me on a diet with lots of red meat, which helped a lot. Being at school sucked, i couldn't finish gymnastics class and I used to get really bad marks because the teacher had no idea about my condition and just thought I was lazy. I finally became overweight, something I am trying to change right now.

When I get the flu it can take up to a month to recover where other people would be OK in 3-4 days. And I have another strange symptop, I have slightly higher than normal fever which will not go away for long time and only when I take vitamin supplements.

To put things in persective this is is not such a bad thing, you can live with it a normal life just have to take care of yourself. The thing THAT REALLY BOTHERS me is doctors ignorance and as a result society's ignorance. I've been pocked by friends when I had to go to sleep early and had difficult time at school. I wish that could stop.