Hi everyone,

I want to share something deeply personal and incredibly frustrating. For over two years, I was told I had “anemia of chronic disease.” Not once did my provider, Dr. Justin Curole, with UC Davis Health order basic tests that could have revealed common, treatable causes like B12 or iron deficiency.

When I finally had a full workup—years too late (Just recently)—it showed:

• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Low folate
• Iron deficiency
• Red blood cell abnormalities on blood smear

If these things had been caught earlier, I might have avoided years of unnecessary symptoms and stress—not to mention a colonoscopy I didn’t need, ordered because doctors feared I might have cancer.

This wasn’t just a small oversight. It was a failure of basic care—and it happened while I was already dealing with medical gaslighting and dangerous treatment decisions in my pain management.

Background and Findings

I was diagnosed with ‘anemia of chronic disease’ without undergoing standard diagnostic workup, including testing for vitamin B12, folate, ferritin, and magnesium. These tests are fundamental in identifying nutritional causes of anemia and should be performed before assigning a diagnosis of exclusion such as chronic disease anemia.

Recent labs now confirm:
– Vitamin B12 deficiency (176 pg/mL; normal 213–816)
– Low folate (6.9 ng/mL; normal ≥7.0)
– Iron deficiency (Ferritin 16 ng/mL; normal 30–400)
– Low-normal magnesium (1.6 mg/dL; normal 1.6–2.4)
– Anemia markers: Low hemoglobin, hematocrit, RBC count, and elevated RDW
– Abnormal blood smear: poikilocytosis, anisocytosis, ovalocytes, metamyelocytes

Negligence and Harm

Failure to test for these deficiencies prior to assigning a diagnosis of chronic disease anemia constitutes a deviation from the standard of care. Because of this oversight, the patient remained untreated for over two years, increasing the risk of permanent neurological impairment due to prolonged B12 deficiency, as well as ongoing symptoms including fatigue, weakness, and cognitive dysfunction.

Conclusion

This represents a case of prolonged misdiagnosis and medical negligence. The failure to perform basic and essential diagnostic tests, combined with the premature label of chronic disease, has caused preventable harm. This incident should be formally reviewed and may serve as supporting evidence in any legal or regulatory proceedings.

Additional Note: Unnecessary Cancer Workup

Due to the unexplained anemia, the patient’s cardiologist advised ruling out gastrointestinal malignancy—a standard recommendation in men presenting with chronic low hemoglobin and iron. I underwent a colonoscopy, which returned normal. However, this invasive and emotionally distressing procedure might have been avoided had Dr. Curole conducted a complete nutritional workup earlier in the course of care.

By failing to investigate common and reversible causes such as B12, folate, and iron deficiency, the patient was left to fear the possibility of an internal tumor or cancer. This represents not only a delay in effective treatment but also unnecessary emotional harm, diagnostic procedures, and healthcare costs.