Am I anemic or not?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi! I'm new here and I'm searching for people who have gone through this long diagnosis process like I have. For years (like 15) people have told me I'm anemic. I've always been underweight. I have severe depression and anxiety and I'm exhausted all the time. Last May, I got to a point where I was tired of doctors dismissing me by blaming my depression. I convinced a doc to test for a million things that could possibly relate to my symptoms. She did and my parietal cells test as well as my mitochondrial tests came back positive. She told me to retest them. Fast forward to last month when new insurance kicked in and I've now been tested 4x with them both still being positive. In addition, I'm seeing a gastro doc for continued bowel inconsistencies. My Hematologist did 15 vials of tests and said everything looked ok but we needed to see if we could boost my b12 and folate for the next month before confirmed PA. I've been taking them for 3 days now and I'm more exhausted now then I was when I wasn't taking them. Is this the normal process? I'm so tired of being tired, dizzy, in a fog, irritable, having migraines, tingling in my hands, insomnia. I don't eat a lot of the foods that give you b12. He wants my level of 300 to go up to 1000 for b12 within a month. Can someone please help me understand this long drawn out process, please?
1 like, 9 replies
susan05157 Pinkstang23
Posted
My B12 is 200 I feel so tired ,irritable,can't sleep . Still waiting for my Dr to get back to me. I don't understand the long wait to get treatment and relief. Good luck to you
clivealive Pinkstang23
Posted
Hi there - Are you in the U.K?
I'm not a medically trained person but I have had P.A. (a form of B12 deficiency) for 45 years.
A B12 deficiency causes damage to the myelin sheath which is an insulating envelope that surrounds the core of a nerve fibre which helps the transmission of nerve impulses, It is similar to the insulation on an electic cable which if it becomes damaged can disrupt the flow of current.
You say you've been supplementing for three days - are you taking tablets or having injections?
When you start supplementing with B12 it starts to repair the damage and all of a sudden the brain becomes flooded with neurological symptoms from parts of the body it had previously "lost contact" with.
It is not uncommon for some symptoms to appear to get worse before they get better and a lot will depend on how long you have been B12 deficient although with your level at 300 in the UK that would be flagged as "normal"..
It is good that you are supplementing Folate as this and B12 helps your iron to make red blood cells.
You mention diet - in order not to become deficient again you need to increase your consumption of animal products, red meat, fish, seafoods, eggs, poultry and dairy produce as they are the only natural food sources of B12 - otherwise you will need to supplement for the rest of your life.
I wish you well.
Pinkstang23 clivealive
Posted
I'm in the US. Thank you for your help. I'm still taking both the b12 and folate. The Hematologist is having me do it orally. Originally, he was going to have me do the shot but changed his mind. I still feel no changes. He said 300 was normal but because other tests suggest PA he is testing it to see if the level goes up if I supplement.
susan05157 Pinkstang23
Posted
My B12 is200 Dr put me on B12 pills said I have to try before the shots. Have been on them for 5 days and feel worse then ever. So tired and everything aches. I can't function anyone else have this problem. This is not me I am always active.
clivealive susan05157
Posted
In a "perverse" way it may well be that the fact you are now feeling worse is a sign that the B12 is actually working repairing the damage done to your nervous system caused by the low level. It is not an overnight cure and a lot will depend on how long you were deficient.
Are you supplementing with folic acid as well?
Do you have any ideas why you became deficient in the first place?
susan05157 clivealive
Posted
clivealive susan05157
Posted
Just another thought Susan - when you had your hip replacement were you given nitrous oxide as an anaesthetic?
Nitrous oxide (gas and air) interacts badly with B12 and converts it to a form that the body cannot use, so if you had an absorption problem and couldn't replace your the oxidised B12 with new B12 then it would be a permanent problem.
Nitrous oxide isn't a local anaesthetic so I suspect it isn't used for most day surgery but if you have any doubt then I would suggest that you contact the hospital/surgery where the operation was done and ask them to clarify.
If you do find out that is was used on you then mention this to your doctor as this would go a long way to explaining why your B12 level was low.I wish you well
Pinkstang23 clivealive
Posted
I've had that before in the dentist and other procedures. For me, they have not said why or when I became deficient. I go back in a little over a week to be retested so until then I'll just keep taking the pills but, I am still way exhausted.
susan05157 clivealive
Posted