Healing after surgery with Pernicious Anaemia/B12 deficiency
Posted , 2 users are following.
I had surgery three weeks ago, with quite extensive scarring. The healing is very slow, and I have also had an infection in the wound, which I am currently taking antibiotics for.
Before my surgery I was having 3 x weekly B12 injections(over a 3 week period) to top up my deficiency. I have not had any injections/treatment since my operation, and am feeling increasingly unwell, fatigued and depressed.
I am due to go back tomorrow but really don't feel ready.
I would be very grateful if anyone can advise me and look forward to hearing from you. Many thanks
1 like, 3 replies
clivealive alena.sally
Posted
Hi there, I am not a medically qualified person but if your surgery involved the use of nitrous oxide than that will affect your B12 level.
nitrous oxide (gas and air) is the only anaesthetic I am aware of that interacts badly with B12
nitrous oxide is a super-oxidiser when it comes to 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.
You say you had B12 injections before the surgery so if nitrous oxide was used this may well have rendered it useless.
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.
You mention too that you are on antibiotics - these too can affect the aborption of B12. Your symptoms of fatigue and depression may well be "just" post op but are also a sign of B12 Deficiency.
Do you know why you were B12 Deficient in the first place?
I'm sincerely hoping I'm wrong in surmising that you may have had nitrous oxide, but even if that was not the case my points about the antibiotics and your symptoms are valid. If the symptoms continue you should ask the doctor to give you more injections.
Please come back if you have any more questions.
alena.sally clivealive
Posted
Thank you so much for your reply, you're very knowledgeable! I'm going back to the hospital tomorow for a post-operative check up, so I'm going armed with alot of questions now.
I had a general anaesthetic, the surgery was over 5 hours, so I think it's fair to say my body has been through the mill! I'm not entirely sure how I became B12 deficient, but I had been feeling increasingly fatigued, confused, brain fog and much much more so my doc took a blood test, and the result was extremely low, hence the intense round of B12 jabs. I also use Pure Science patches and sublingual 5000mg, apparently what you don't need you expel, so hopefully I'm not overdosing...
Hopefully I'll start feeling better soon, as you say it could be post op.
Many thanks again for your advice
clivealive alena.sally
Posted
No, you cannot overdose on B12 for as you say any excess is excreted in your urine.
Unfortunately if you are currently supplementing B12 with patches and sublinguals asking your doctor to run further serum B12 tests may be pointless as your supplments will skew the result unless the result comes out low.
However it would be a good idea to have your serum Folate level checked as this is essential to process the B12.
Anyone at any age, can become B12 deficient. However, certain people are at an elevated risk. They include the following:
Vegetarians, vegans and people eating macrobiotic diets.
People aged sixty and over
People who’ve undergone any gastric and/or intestinal surgery, including bariatric surgery for weight loss purposes (Gastric bypass).
People who regularly use proton-pump- inhibitors. H2 blockers, antacids, Metformin, and related diabetes drugs, or other medications that can interfere with B12 absorption.
People who undergo surgeries or dental procedures involving nitrous oxide, or who use the drug recreationally.
People with a history of eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia).
People with a history of alcoholism.
People with a family history of pernicious anaemia.
People diagnosed with anaemia (including iron deficiency anaemia, sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia).
People with Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gluten enteropathy (celiac disease), or any other disease that cause malabsorption of nutrients.
People with autoimmune disorders (especially thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease) Type 1 diabetes, vitiligo, lupus, Addison’s disease, ulcerative colitis, infertility, acquired agammaglobulinemia, or a family history of these disorders.
Women with a history of infertility or multiple miscarriages.
Infants born to and/or breast fed by women who are symptomatic or are at risk for B12 deficiency.
If you can "see yourself" in any of the above mention it (or them) to your doctor.and it may be that you will be put on B12 injections permanently.As I say, I'm not medically qualified but have had Pernicious Anaemia for 45 years and I'm still "clivealive" at 75.
I wish you well and a speedy recovery.