My folate levels are low but my b12 l... - Gluten Free Guerr...
My folate levels are low but my b12 levels are fine :S anyone else have the same?
Hi did your Dr say what your B12 levels were? The range is very very broad and so a level for one person may not be fine for you? What were you having the tests for to put things in context ref replies?
Well i was supposed to see me doctor today about my blood test results they did way before christmas, I had someone from the sugery to phone me up though and she said my b12 levels were fine but folate was a bit low. I am now seeing my doctor tomorrow though so hopefully will talk me through it in more detail but dont we need folate to absorb b12? and my consultant wanted me to have a load of blood tests and those were the ones that came back with a problem so had to do a repeat blood test and it came back the same. Also I get very bad chest pains, palputations and breathlessness
Ok - have you also been diagnosed with coeliac or do you have any family history of other auto-immune diseases or asthma etc?
Yes I was diagnosed with coeliac about 3 or so years ago and am due another endoscopy soon. All my family have symptoms of coeliac but their results always come back negative and my family dont have any other auto-immune diseases or asthma
Low folate is pretty normal in coeliacs as the main sources for it are cereals and we don't eat those.
"Folate is found in leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, dry beans and peas, liver, and yeast. B12 is found in animal products such as red meat, fish, poultry, milk, and eggs. In recent years fortified cereals, breads, and other grain products have also become important dietary sources of both B12 and folate (identified as "folic acid" on nutritional labels)."
Are you eating enough fruit & veg?
So it may only be a minor issue - yr Dr will explain all.
The chest pains, palpitations and breathlessness can be caused by many things. Most common in coeliacs would be:
- low ferritin & low iron
- a thyroid problem
The 2nd Endos are to check that your stomach is healing. Not pleasant but worth having for peace of mind.
See:
Not even gluten free cereals? And yeah I manage to eat quite a lot of fruit and vegetables especially brocolli and peas and bananas. I'll mention all that to the dr tomorrow see what she says about the chest pains and that. Do you think the doctor will want to do further tests to make sure theres no other underlying cause?
Yes most GF cereals aren't fortified in the same way normal ones are - who knows why not - we need it more! Worth also asking her to check your vitamin D level - if these are low they can make you tired.
Your Dr will probably run thru blood tests and maybe suggest a few more, check your blood pressure and listen to your chest. So nothing to worry about. See how it goes.
This is aimed at Drs and is worth mentioning to your Dr if they need more info esp ref tests. Drs refer patients to this site all the time & look up info so they should be familiar with it:
No, you don't need folate to absorb B12 and it's perfectly possible to have one deficiency and not the other.
Advice about eating more leafy green veg etc. is all good and if it's a mild deficiency then hopefully this should sort the problem. Body stores of folic acid are pretty small so you need a regular intake to sustain them (in contrast to iron, for example).
Since you are not anaemic (I assume) the breathlessness, palpitations and chest pain are not caused by your folate deficiency. As mentioned above, a thyroid problem is possible but I suspect you've probably had this tested as well. Do you have any heart problems, asthma or any a history of anxiety or panic attacks?
Definitely mention the symptoms to your doctor- they will ask you to tell them more about what kind of situations you get them in (on exercise, for example), they will listen to your chest, take your pulse and BP and possibly order an ECG if they think it's heart-related (which at your age is pretty unlikely). Don't worry too much about it!
Just been to the doctors my folate level is 3.6 and she said it should be 4.6 and that its nothing to worry about and well for my chest pain my doctor said its to do with my nerves because I have a hip problem called purthes disease and apparently it links all the way from my legs up to my sinal chord and anything around it so im going to have physio for that
I've never heard of Perthes' causing referred chest pain. Knee pain, yes, but chest pain...? The nerves supplying your chest wall exit the spinal cord at a completely different level to those supplying your hip so that doesn't make any sense at all. If your Perthes' gives you a severe limp that might result in muscular chest pain, on the other hand. But neither of these would give you breathlessness and palpitations- did you mention these to him/her?
See how the physio goes but if these chest pains continue despite it, don't be hesitant to go back and see your doctor again.
Perhaps dr was just trying to passify you. Hope you find a solution soon.
no I dont limp with it but I also get chest spasms and thats what made her say that it could be that and would a doctor normally say a folate level of 3.6 is nothing to worry about?
If you're not anaemic and have had no other symptoms then no, nothing to worry about if your GP is happy. Just try to eat a few more veggies!
This is probably not relevant to you in the slightest but I just thought I'd mention it anyway- folate is extremely important for the developing foetus in pregnancy and getting pregnant whilst not taking in enough folate can cause serious problems. So, you know, take the necessary precautions!
Thanks and I do try brocolli and peas are the main ones I eat but I've been getting faint spells and I feel really shakey but my doctor said its to do with the pancreas producing more insulin then normal and usually happens in diabetics but again said not to worry until after the endoscopy and yeah thanks I'll take that in mind when I plan on having kids :]
Abbie do go back to yr Dr about the shakes and chest pains/ breathlessness. Often due to low iron in coeliacs or a thyroid problem. Nevertheless don't mess with breathing problems. You can ask what else could be causing it. What are the spasms you mention? When do they happen? Is your vitamin D level ok?
Im going for a test at my chemist this after noon for my shakes they'll test my blood sugar levels and talk to me about it. And my whole body like goes into spasm from my chest and I cant breathe and I find it worsens with alcohol so dont know whats going on there and normally it happens when I lie on my front or side but mostly my front
How about your potassium level.Hope some improve ment soon Abbie.
i dont think my vitiman d has been checked and im not sure about my potassium levels either but im going back to the doctors on the 9th and thanks
Hi let us know how you get on.
Have you had a bad chest infection / pneumonia ?
Do you snore / wake up in the night gasping for breath?
Does your night breathing improve if you sleep on 3 pillows?
Not being able to breathe needs to be checked asap.
Thanks I will I havent got my endoscopy booked yet and I'll let you know what they find when they do it. I think i may have had a really bad sinus infection which then went on to being a really bad painful cough from the chest but I had been having the chest spasms ages before that. The higher I lift my neck I cough and find it harder to brethe so I only lie on two pillows. And I was in a car accident the other day and collapsed maybe with shock but my chest and stomach hurt really bad and I was having the spasms at the hospital but they thought it was just shock and stress maybe but it happens at home when I lie down and arent stressed or anything
Abbie did anything come of this as this is what the doctors have said to me, I am also having blurred vision, hearing is impaired, heart palpitation, muscle spasms, fatigue, lack of concentration. I have had blood tests and my test was low on folic acid (folate) at 3.4. Iron was fine and b12. I am breast feeding and I just don't feel like myself and am worried I am going to be like this forever.
Hi for any coeliacs who are catholics, has anyone ever had a problem with communion hosts. I have just been sent this by my parish priest.