pale skin transparent even

Hi Aveline.  yes 'paleness' is a symptom of b12d.  some ppl develope a ''yellowish'' tinge from prolonged  deficiency.  whilst, your Folate is within the ''normal''m parameters, for b12 to become optimally active, it needs to be well up the top end of normal. your's in the lower end of normal.  if your GP does not prescribe your some Folic Acid,  i'd supplement and ensure you have a diet rich in folic acid. 

C

No my b12 is low its 133

No its not my only symptom. I have shakes even my head shakes weak muscles i walk funny bump into things vertigo forgetfullness and drunk lightheaded feeling constantly. have bad vision headaches.my b12 levels are 133 thats why im on the injections.

Hi Sarah.  good to know the GP has started you on injections.  133 is v. low.  you must be feeling awful.  so it's no wonder you're pale.

Sarah, has your GP done a full blood count for you? if yes do find out what your Folate levels are.  this is important as the b12 injections won't work unless your Folate levels are in the upper (near the top) level of normal. unfrrtunately GP's (generally speaking) are not aware of the finer details that affect b12 activity.

 also if your HB (haemoglobin) is low you should be on some iron treatment.  low HB, b12 and low Folate often coinside.  good levels of all are necessary for the b12 to work optimally.  hope you're getting enough Folic Acid from your diet as well.

all good wishes with the treatment. 

My folate level is 7.5 and my ferratin level is 36? Is this ok? Or are those low. Thanks for getting back to me. X

Hi Sarah:

if we take Ferritin normal levels to be between 11 - 307 micrograms per litre expressed on the report as pmol/L, then your Ferritin levels @ 36 are within the ''lower'' levels of normal.  however, with your b12 being so low, you truly should be on iron therapy for optimal use of b12. the iron will boost the Ferritin levels. 

in respect of Folate, again if we take 2-20 nanograms per millitre as the normal range, expressed as 2-20 ng/mL in the paper report,  then your Folate levels are in the lower normal parametres.  like Ferritin  they need to be up nearer the top level for optimal b12 absorbtion and utility.

 your GP may well tell you they are within 'normal' range(which of course theoritically speaking they are). s/he may not prescribe Iron and Folate. however, do ask explaining your reason.  if s/he refuses you're best self supplementing with a good quality source of each.  

needles to say a good balanced diet rich in both these vitamins is important. btw, do you know why you became b12 deficient in the first instance?  did the GP do any tests to establish  the causes of your deficiency.

C.

 

No the gp doesnt think i meed investigating, he said its just one of them things.. ive been feeling off since the start of the year..gp said i was suffering from stress and to just ride it out . But i knew this shaking wasnt normal. So in april i developed headaches and vertigo.. he still thought this was down to stress and ear infection.. so i left it as i thought he was right. Gets to september and i couldnt cope. My vision that was perfect before was now not, i was wearing glasses and explaining to eye op my vision symptoms and they wer just saying ocular migranes because of my peripheral colours i was seeing. Took myself a an e and it was the doc there that wrote to my gp demanding he run some tests.. after week 3 of loading jabs i still feel bad. Just the same. Its terrible.

Hi sarah. this  is not good enough.  can you change your GP immediately?

 there's always a reason for  low b12 levels.   it needs to be investigated properly.  it could be due to any number of things from malabsorbtion problems  to Coeliac disease to  a host of other potential causes or/and conrtibutory factors. it's necessary to have some basic  diagnostic tests completed by your GP i.e.

1)an 'Intrinsic Factor' (IF)  test that checks for anti-body reaction to IF.

2) Parietal Cell Anti-Body test.

3)Coeliac disease test. 

presently you should be on a neurological b12 treatment protocol  as you have neurological symptoms due to low b12 levels.  this care plan should be 1mg of b12 intramuscularly (IM)  on alternate days until no further improvement, then 1mg every 1-2 months.  

Sarah can u go to the website ''HealthUnlocked'' in the Pernicous Anaemia Society (PAS) section & re post your symptoms there. the website users on there are experts on b12 deficiency & will signpost you to the NHS NICE & BCSH (The British Committe for Standards in Haematology)  treatment  protocols/guidelines for b12 d. you can take a copy of these with you to your (new) GP. your GP should also refer you onto a Haematologist or/and a Neurologist to ensure you're on the right treatment. 

btw, are you still having eye 'flashes' & did you tell your GP this? the eye symptoms are most likely b12d related. however if you have 'flashes' of light with sudden diminshment in your eye sight this also needs to be properly investigated , to rule out other reasons for the flashes etc. 

apologies, i seem to be making strong statements, but your current GP is not up to standard, do please change him.

C.