DO YOU HAVE A THIAMINE DEFICIT?

Questionnaires are a dime-a-dozen and mean very little. The same is true of the constant claims that this vitamin or that clever pill will change your life and make you whole. But thiamine deficiency is widespread and while not at the level that would cause beri-beri, can throw sand in your gears. It’s worth thinking about with the clever and funny list. Many thanks to the writer of “Scrubbing In.”

https://scrubbing.in/12-signs-you-might-have-a-thiamine-deficiency/

Although deficiency symptoms should never be taken lightly, here is a bit of a humorous explanation of what a thiamine deficiency can look like in everyday life.

• You stagger like you just partied hard but haven’t had a drink in 24 hours. (Ataxia)
• You get in trouble because you called your wife “Mary” and her name is “Nancy.” (Confusion)
• Out of the blue, you develop a bad case of snake eye (ophthalmoplegia) or someone asks you repeatedly if you are dizzy because your eyes are jiggling around in your head (nystagmus).
• You scream at the barista because they didn’t get your triple shot mocha cappuccino right. (Irritability)
• You take a ride in an ambulance because you just convulsed on the floor of your bathroom. This one is not funny. (Seizure)
• Your eye doctor says that your optic nerve is swollen and that’s why you are seeing two dogs when you only have one. (Papilledema)
• Your daughter just told you the last four digits of her new phone number for the fourth time, and you still can’t remember it long enough to put it in your phone. Actually, you can’t even find your phone. (Short term memory loss)
• You heart is racing like you just watched a zombie apocalypse movie but you’re actually taking a nice warm bubble bath. (Tachycardia)
• “Just Another Manic Monday” becomes your mantra as you swing from laughing with friends to crying in your closet. (Mood changes)
• You notice that you’ve gained five pounds in one day, and inspection of your lower legs reveals a puffed marshmallow like shape. (Edema)
• People ask you if you just finished running around the block because you can’t catch your breath when, in reality, you were just trying to chew a few bites of your lunch. (Dyspnea)
• Your grandchildren doodle with markers on your feet while you nap, and you don’t feel a thing. (Sensory-Motor Polyneuropathy)