Self injecting

[wongy215]

How do people's GPS react if told you are going to do it?....just wondered.

[wedgewood]

My doctor said that she definitely didn't approve but was pleased that I had told her .

[Lisahelen]

You are going to get lots response with many differing replies. Lots of people have told their drs and sincerely regreted it, yet others get full support from their drs.

[deniseinmilden]

Mine knows because I wanted it on my medical records in case I ended up in hospital as I can't survive without every day jabs and supporting supplements.

He agreed to provide other medical care for me despite him not being sure if I should carry on (he doesn't like it but can't deny the difference it made to me when he let me try it). The other Drs in the surgery, who hadn't seen me, withdrew the jabs that I was originally getting from them.

All Drs and situations are different.

[helvella in reply to deniseinmilden]

That is a valid and very important point.

[deniseinmilden in reply to helvella]

I have also emailed my requirements to friends and family who might be contacted if I wasn't well enough to speak for myself and put have it into the ICE (In Case of Emergency) section on my phone.

[catherinejordan]

Have never told mine.

[Hidden]

Haven't told mine. For fear she withdraws injections. I take VitB12 suppliments.

[fbirder]

While I was having my loading doses I told the nurse that I was planning on injecting myself - to avoid expense to the NHS and my time. She said that she'd show me how to do it, and show me she did.

Then I found that I was feeling terrible again after a couple of weeks. So I bought the stuff for self-injection and started trying to find a suitable frequency.

At my next GP appointment I told him that I was self-injecting weekly.

First he was worried that I may not be doing it properly, so I told him that the nurse taught me.

Then he wanted to know where I got it and was worried that buying it online may be dodgy, so I told him that you don't need a prescription in Germany and most people there buy it online.

Then he wanted to know where I got syringes, needles, etc., and was surprised to hear they were available on Amazon UK.

Then he agreed to prescribe it to me fortnightly. I think he thinks I'm still doing fortnightly jabs - and I can't see much point in telling him it's twice as often. So I do an NHS ampoule one week and a German one the next.

[wedgewood in reply to fbirder]

You are lucky fbirder to have a doctor like that ! But the docs ought to know that some people do need and do have more frequent injections than they will prescribe --- like deniseinmilden who needs one daily . It is a preposterous state of affairs ! No one wants to have injections more often than they are really needed for goodness sake !

[fbirder in reply to wedgewood]

I do consider myself very lucky. He's even more informed now that he's read Martyn's book (and passed it around the clinic).

[wedgewood in reply to fbirder]

3 hearty cheers for your doc. Hip hip , etc

[wedgewood]

The trouble is if you do self-inject you are in a difficult place, when deciding whether to inform your doctor or not. My doctor maintained that she had a few patients with PA , and all were satisfied with 3 monthly injections . I knew this not to be the case , as I was actually getting one of those patients supplies of B12 ampoules from Germany . I couldn't tell her this . The person concerned said she didn't want her doctor to know . So I could not use that information . It's difficult isn't it ? It's frustrating . Also one doesn't know how a doctor will react . I just hope that one day this ridiculous situation will be over .

[sharonmac99]

At my surgery I was told I could be sued if I self injected and they could be sued if they gave me any more than 1 injection each 3 months. As it was I had a real problem in getting it 3 monthly anyway. I was diagnosed with PA about thirty years ago (using the Schilling Test).

[wedgewood in reply to sharonmac99]

Does anyone know if the above is really true ?

[fbirder in reply to wedgewood]

The first threat is laughably ridiculous. There is no way they could possibly sue you for doing anything to your body. I'm afraid I would have laughed in their faces, then asked them to give me the warning in writing.

The second is almost as bad. It does seem that some doctors like to use this as an excuse, even though they know it is a bare-faced lie. They try to persuade patients that it is illegal for them to prescribe off-label (outside the terms of the drug's license). But they know that, if it to the patients benefit, they can prescribe whatever they want to whoever they want. Only if what they do actually causes harm could they be sued. And that includes under treating as well as over treating.

[wedgewood in reply to fbirder]

Thanks got that fbirder .

[sharonmac99 in reply to fbirder]

I was too angry to laugh! I did say that I would sue if lack of treatment caused me permanent problems. She said she would refer me to the Haematology dept at the hospital. Having no further information, I called the surgery only to be told she had left ! Wonder if it was something I said?

[jillc39]

Big mistake telling my gp - she withdrew the b12 injection she was about to give me and said she washed her hands of me and I should go and find another doctor -and what a trial I have had to get back into the once every four weeks (which is not enough) but I would rather have my teeth pulled out than tell them I have to self-inject.

[Jennie16]

I told my doctor that I was going to follow their own guidelines for neurological symptoms as they refused to do it.

They sent me a letter from my doctor and one of the senior partners explaining that they will no longer monitor me as I'm self injecting.

Every time I go to the doctors for anything I get a lecture on self injecting not being safe (I believe I do it better than many of their nurses now!), how too much B12 can be very bad for you (despite me explaining every time that it's non toxic, water soluble and is used in high doses to treat cyanide poisoning) and that i could be injecting 'absolutely anything' considering I buy from the internet (despite taking a box of ampoules in and showing my doctor the German pharmacy site I get them from).

I dread to think what they've written on my notes but, frankly, I don't care - I know I'm making myself feel well again.

[wongy215]

Mine has given me 3 injections then doesn't want to see me for 2 weeks to see how it's going.seriously thinking of doing it myself not even had full loading dose

[TomAinger]

I was very strongly advised that it was dangerous by my GP yesterday. she was not even remotely interested in hearing my symptoms. she said it was dangerous because of the effects it might have on folate levels. She did agree to a blood test when I said I was worried about neurological damage caused by doing nothing. she started to suggest I might have anxiety. I stopped her in her tracks saying that I had enough of Doctors diagnosing anxiety for conditions they don't understand. She responded very reasonably.