So, what is Thalassemia?

Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder. It affect the way my body produces red blood cells and haemoglobin. Compared to a normal healthy human being, I have less haemoglobin and my red blood cells are weirdly shaped and small.

This is what normal red blood cells looks like.
(just so you know, the purple thing is the white blood cell)

This is Thalassemia minor's
red blood cells

There are two types of Thalassemia. You can either be a carrier where you are asymptomatic, meaning that you don't generally get any symptoms of the condition. Because the lack of protein is so, so minor that it does really do anything to effect the body's haemoglobin.

So this is what my red blood cells look like.
They are weirdly shaped and pale.
the dark RBC's are from the blood transfusion

Or you are unlucky like me and have Thalassemia major. Where your symptoms really do make an appearance, and puts your life on the edge of danger. The symptoms follows,

-Pale, listless appearance
-Poor appetite
-Dark urine - from the red blood cells breaking down
-Slowed growth & delayed puberty
-Jaundice - where the person have yellowish skin/ in the whites of their eyes
-Enlarged spleen, liver, heart - from the collection of iron
-Bone problem - usually the face if the person doesn't get treatments
-Shortness of breath - blame my Haemoglobin!

Just like personal interests and appearance, everyone is different and the symptoms are different depending on the person. I do not have all these symptoms its just a list of what to expect if you have Thalassemia.