Vitamin B12 deficiency is commonly misdiagnosed.

[mogy73]

Firstly apologies for not reading all posts on this thread, I'm just about managing 10 minutes on the laptop without being harrangued by my toddler

I was diagnosed with 'Probable MS' when I was 22. However upon further investigation (requested by myself) I was then diagnosed with B12 deficiency after a blood test showed a level of 63. I was given a course of injections and then nothing.....

Needless to say I started getting unwell again and had to go back to the doctors 6 months ago as I was exhibiting symptoms again, My tests showed a result of 98 (I'm 32 now) My doctor was most confused as to why I wasnt told I would need injections for life!! (me too now as I understand this can be fatal if left untreated) She was also upset as to why no-one got to the bottom of why an otherwise healthy woman was deficient.

I've now had god knows how many blood tests, and my intrinsic factor is fine so its not PA causing my problem. I've been referred to a gastroenterologist and I'm now awaiting the appointment. I've been told the second most common cause is Coeliac disease, however my bloods came back clear for that too! Currently hanging on a thread and hoping to get to the bottom of this.

I still have neuro symptems present despite a course of 6 injections followed by regular injections every 3 months, I'm still tired and lethargic and I'm still clumsy and ditzy (If you have had severe B12 deficiency you will know what I mean lol)

I haven't had a repeat B12 test done recently, I'm guessing this is down to my overloading injections and maybe they dont want a false read.

Hopeing the gastro appointment comes soon as I'm tired of feeling unwell.

Louise xxxx

Hi Louise,
Vitamin B12 leaves your body fairly quickly after the injection, Your kidneys filter it out. To keep your level up you need MethylB12 daily using sublingual tablets. Many have been using Jarrows with great success.
mogy.

[mogy73]

I'm looking for information and advice.

I have been diagnosed with b12 deficiency - about 3 to 4 weeks ago now prior to this I was diagnosed with general anxiety.

My symptoms prior to the 6 shots and now are numbness in my feet just behind the toes - though I could and can feel my feet and toes it is as though I have a layer of something under my 2 feet. Severe stiffness or cramping in my toes which can go on for days. Pain sometimes in both my legs deep into the muscle, this goes up to the bottom of my back and sometimes goes into my crotch. I have a certain amount of unsteadyness on my feet at times. The only thing that has really changed since the shots is I do not mind blowing anxiety and feel more alive.

I am assuming at this point that my symptoms are related to my b12 deficiency my recorded level 133.

Am I expecting a change in my physical symptoms too soon - I and the doctor feel it is nerve damage due to the low b12 levels? Anybody had similar symptoms? How long did they take to improve?

I have been looking at a couple of things to speed things along. One is Freddd's B12 protocol. In respect to this I am a little alarmed at the level of potassium suggested 2000mg! Another thing I have been looking to do is to buy an LED infrared therapy lamp - I understand these can help with the nerves getting back to normal. Please advise any input would be welcome.

Clive C

Hi Clive,
Some of my symptoms were similar when I first started reading this thread. Once you start on Freddd's protocol some of the symptoms will disappear fairly quickly, some take longer, up to a year. It took a long time to become deficient, and some things take persistence.
The stiffness and cramping may be related to potassium and/or magnesium deficiency. The RDA for potassium is over 4000mg, but it is best to try and get if from food sources.
I don't know anything about the lamp. My nerves are just about back to normal, but it has been about 15 months for me.
mogy.

[mogy73]

Hi,

Firstly I would like to say thank you for all the information, research & time you have provided in helping and educating people in relation to the symptoms & effects of b12 deficiencies.

I have just had a blood test for serum b12 and my results were 190pg/ml my Dr says it's still in the "normal range" (160-900pg/ml in Australia) but she agreed to give me a b12 shot due to my neuro symptoms. I had minor chest pain about 10mins following the injection which lasted for about 6-8 hours and the following day an increase in the tingling in my feet, hands and lower legs. Is this normal?

My main symptoms for the past 6-12 months include:
Vibration/tingling sensations in my left foot and leg, left hand & elbow (constant but worse at night)
Burning sensation on left side of tongue
Burning pain in top of right 4th finger
Brain Fog & what I would call a decrease in my intelligence level & ability to learn and retain new information. (I have a degree in Biomedical Science, but right now feel like a dumb *** :/)
Vertigo - and severe motion sickness (even hours after riding an elevator!)
Insomnia
Fatigue
Severe Anxiety (probably due to all the weird symptoms!)

My Dr does not think my above symptoms can be caused by a b12 deficiency as it is not low enough and would like to test me for MS. What are your thoughts on this? Also I should mention that I have been consuming 3 glasses of wine/day for the last year to help me deal with my severe anxiety and strange symptoms. Which I know is probably only making matters worse.

Do you know if any of your regimen supplements are available in Australia?

Thanks in Advance
Kate, 26 from Australia

Hi Kate,
Before finding this thread I was becoming very anxious. I also thought at the time it was because of my strange symptoms. Now, I am not so sure. Anxiety may be caused by B12 deficiency. It took about 1 month on Freddd's protocol before the anxiety disappeared. My opinion is that the test for MS can wait, especially if it is one of the invasive tests. All of your symptoms can be caused by your low B12, it is low enough. Sally's book " Could it be B12" goes into how doctors commonly don't treat b12 deficiency properly.
I am in Canada and get most of my vitamins from iHerb.com out of the USA. I don't know if they ship to Australia.
mogy.

[luisito]

Hello, New here. I recently had some blood work done to check my hormone levels and again noticed my MCV levels where high. I was told by my Endo not to worry about it, but I decided to google it wich brought me here. Here are my results for this year.



Looking back at my old blood work from 2011-2010 my MCV was 100.5 and MCH 34.8

I bought some B12 (2000mcg) pills from Walgreens and thinking of taking them for 2 months and test again. or should I just get a test for Vitamin B12?

Thanks

[luisito]

MY blood work showed MCV of 100 so I'm testing for Anemia tomorrow morning.

Complete Blood Count with Differential Test; iron with TIBC; reticulocyte count; ferritin, serum; folic acid, serum; Vitamin B12, serum.

[Frost]

Hello,
First I want to thank you all for sharing your wisdom, this sight has been an incredible resource for me.

3 years ago, 12 days after the birth of my son, I hemorrhaged for about 8 hours before it was stopped. 4 weeks after that my left
kidney prolasped. My kidney has been back in place for about 14 months now (no surgery). For 3 years now I have had chronic pain in
the area of my back around my left kidney as well as constant muscle problems, spasms, pulls, strains; and I have also had many structural problems, my verbetre and ribs and pelvis are constantly popping out and moving around. I have also had had extreme exhaustion,
difficulty sleeping, loose bowels, am more underweight than I have ever been and am unable to gain weight. I have been in physical
therapy for 2 years, have also spent a lot of time at the chiroprator and acupuncture. I am still unable to take long car rides or do common
physical activity because it takes months for my muscles/back to recover from this.

I recently had a Spectracell test that showed I am deficient in B12, D3 and Zinc. I have had 3 injections of B12 so far and am now
following Fredd's protocol. I recently had a friend mention that my back pain could be nerve related.
I am curious if anyone on this forum is familiar with these symptoms, if they could all possibly be related to B12 deficiency? Or any advice
in general?

Thank you so much for your time.

[Aiken]

Vitamins are very important for keeping eyes healthy,
and is also necessary for keeping bones, teeth, skin & hair
strong and well maintained All help the body break down fats, proteins and carbs, thus providing you with energy....

[mogy73]

Hello,
First I want to thank you all for sharing your wisdom, this sight has been an incredible resource for me.

3 years ago, 12 days after the birth of my son, I hemorrhaged for about 8 hours before it was stopped. 4 weeks after that my left
kidney prolasped. My kidney has been back in place for about 14 months now (no surgery). For 3 years now I have had chronic pain in
the area of my back around my left kidney as well as constant muscle problems, spasms, pulls, strains; and I have also had many structural problems, my verbetre and ribs and pelvis are constantly popping out and moving around. I have also had had extreme exhaustion,
difficulty sleeping, loose bowels, am more underweight than I have ever been and am unable to gain weight. I have been in physical
therapy for 2 years, have also spent a lot of time at the chiroprator and acupuncture. I am still unable to take long car rides or do common
physical activity because it takes months for my muscles/back to recover from this.

I recently had a Spectracell test that showed I am deficient in B12, D3 and Zinc. I have had 3 injections of B12 so far and am now
following Fredd's protocol. I recently had a friend mention that my back pain could be nerve related.
I am curious if anyone on this forum is familiar with these symptoms, if they could all possibly be related to B12 deficiency? Or any advice
in general?

Thank you so much for your time.

Hi Frost,
I believe that the majority of your symptoms may be related to b12 deficiency. Have you read Freddd,s list of symptoms in post 2 of the "Acive B12 Basics" thread? Over the last year and a bit I have been helped a lot with my back pain and muscle loss by following Freddd's protocol. I believe the Dibencozide type of B12 to be a major contributor. When it first came out they we marketing it as "Hurculean". Bodybuilders use it to help develope muscle. It also increases appetite.
Hope this helps,
mogy

[mogy73]

Hi Frost,
Dibencozide is prescribed as Heraclene ( I got it wrong in the previous post). It is used primarily for babies that are underweight, but is also prescribed for adults with the same issues, underweight and don't have an appetite. Even though it is a prescription, it is one of the active forms of B12. If you google it, there is lots of info about it.
mogy

[mogy73]

MY blood work showed MCV of 100 so I'm testing for Anemia tomorrow morning.

Complete Blood Count with Differential Test; iron with TIBC; reticulocyte count; ferritin, serum; folic acid, serum; Vitamin B12, serum.

Hi luisito,
I can't say I know much about a high HCV, but have heard that it is related to high alcohol consumption and B12 deficiency. Lots of B12 should help bring it down. If you have been taking any of the Wallgreens B12 before the test it will skew the B12 serum test.
mogy