Will I continue to improve once I've finished loading dose injections?

[petal02]

Sorry to ask another question. I've had 3 injections so far, so 3 more to go, then the next one in 3 months time. I'm definitely feeling a bit better. But will the improvements stop once I've had my last injection, or will my body continue to recover gradually once I've been loaded with B12?

[deniseinmilden]

Hi Petal,

Everyone is different so it's hard to say. There is every chance you could but also a possibility that you may need more jabs to maintain the improvement or stop you declining again.

Extra jabs are harder to get from the Dr's than the loading doses and I suggest you read through my past posts and the replies to them from the brilliant people here who have helped me.

I need quite high levels of B12 and supporting supplements every day but then I am able to work, go out a bit and I continue to improve. It is very unlikely that you will need this much but at least you will then know it is possible to get more treatment if required.

Good luck with getting well and enjoying your new life ahead!

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to deniseinmilden]

Hi Petal02,

As deniseinmilden says above "everyone is different" so it's impossible to state categorically how you will feel after your initial dosages of b12 but hopefully you and your doctor will be able to reach a stage where the intervals between injections are adjusted to suit your individual needs.

Sadly my doctor followed the doctrine that "one size fits all" and had to be "persuaded" (I took my rottweiler wife with me @D) to let me book the occasional 3 weekly jab (instead of four weeks) when I felt the need. He didn't want to take into account my metabolism, height, weight, age etc., or the fact that I've had P.A. and b12 injections for 44 years and knew exactly how I felt in the run up to the next one.

If you go armed with all the good advice you will receive from more medically qualified members on this forum. hopefully your GP will be more amenable to adjusting your injection regime to suit you and not stick to "what it says on the tin".

You ask "But will the improvements stop once I've had my last injection, or will my body continue to recover gradually once I've been loaded with B12?"

I cannot remember why you are getting the b12 injections.

If it's due to dietary deficiency that should be easily remedied by eating more meat and fish (caviar is particularly high in b12) but if it is for P.A. the injections are for the rest of your life in order to maintain its level in your body and I'm still "clivealive" at nearly 75 so I guess they're working for me...

I wish you well for the future

[fbirder]

I would start keeping a diary of treatment and symptoms. That'll make it easier to tell how long between jabs it is before you start feeling rough again.

I made a graph of my symptoms vs treatment to persuade my GP that I needed them more frequenty - frankhollis.com/temp/Fatigu... - I'm off al supplements since the new year as I'm seeing the haematologist on Friday and I want everything to be at its worst. I'm just hoping I have the energy to get to the hospital.

[petal02]

Thanks everyone. The reason for my latest question, is that I just saw my GP notes "try loading dose of B12 injections to see if symptoms settle, if not, neurologist review." Or words to that effect. So in other words, if my symptoms haven't all gone by Monday (the day of my last (6th) loading injection) I need to see a neurologist?

I'm feeling much better, with the exception of the pins and needles, which are subsiding but haven't gone completely. I had thought the the first six injections would send me in the right direction, but 'proper' healing may take a bit longer, or have I got this wrong? Can pins and needles take longer to go away than the other symptoms?

But I've just had my 4th injection, so I may be getting ahead of myself here. 5th due on Friday, then 6th on Monday.

Last time I saw my GP, I confessed I was scared I may have MS. But she said she wasn't thinking of that. Which satisfied me, so I didn't dig further.

Sorry to ask so many questions, I'm new to all this.

[fbirder]

If you have neurological symptoms (and your pins and needles count) then you should be on loading doses until there's no further improvement in the symptoms. Ask your doctor to look at the second paragraph under 'Doses' in the British National Formulary ( they will have a copy).

[petal02]

Thanks Fbirder. I've made an appointment to see the doctor on Friday morning, just after my 5th injection, and will point this out. So far she's been pretty good, and I'm hoping she'd rather give me a few more injections (after all, they can't do me any harm) than make a referral? Given the pins and needles are improving, it would suggest to me that the B12 is helping. I'd really like to be free of neurological symptoms before the loading doses stop.

As an aside - our surgery does offer phone consultations, but I do find a face-to-face appointment is more effective for this sort of thing.

[deniseinmilden]

For some people it takes years of very frequent injections for the pins and needles and similar neurological symptoms to go, while others improve quite quickly. It depends on many factors, including how long you have had them, what other damage is being repaired and what dose you take, etc.

[petal02]

Thanks Denise - if my doctor tells me that I just need to be patient, and give the pins and needles some time to fade, then that's fine, I'm just nervous about leaving them if this could eventually cause harm. I'm feeling so much better in myself since I started injections, I've just had my 4th, and in myself I feel 75% better, and I would say the pins and needles are 50% better. I've found the whole episode quite alarming though, I don't cope well when I'm ill, I'm a bit of a wuss!

[petal02]

Sorry, I also meant to add that the pins and needles started the week before Christmas 2015 (interestingly, this was just after I started taking B12 supplements, which makes me wonder if the pins and needles were actually a 'healing' sign?) and I started injections just over a week ago, so its not like I had them for ages before I got treatment.