My friend had her vitamins and minerals checked,
Vit D very low
Vit C in need of adjusting.
Folate needs a lot of attention.
B12 is the one I could do with your help on.
395pg/ml - reference range: >= 200
comment reference range border line: 200-300 border line.
Medichecks results.
History of PA in family.
exhibiting some symptoms for some time - what should she do.
Thank you for your help.
She should fix the other problems, especially the low folate. If that's low then it can mimic many of the symptoms of a B12 deficiency.
I have given her info on where to purchase good quality vits etc. She has worried me for sometime as her memory is dreadful and I mean dreadful, also said she has (told me today) had tingling in limbs and other bits and bobs but is now on board re getting all vits up to scratch. Will have to see how she gets on.
Thank you for replying.
Very few GPs understand the symptoms of PA/B12 deficiency and what they consider normal is not.
Your friend's level of B12 is low relative to Professor David Smith's recommendations, as well as those in the book 'Could it be B12?', many other European countries and Japan (> 500). Her neurological symptoms, other deficiencies and family history of PA, mean she may have absorption issues and should be treated adequately with injections as defined by the BNF 'alternate days until no further improvement' to avoid irreversible damage. You say your friend's memory is very bad - there is, in fact, a short window before these symptoms become irreversible with devastating consequences.
It is also important to note that, once b12 treatment is started, the test results don't mean anything (bottom of page 4 of the BMJ document below).
Here are some links, including the latest BMJ research document, in case she needs to write to her surgery, as it seems she may need some support in pressing for treatment:
b12deficiency.info/b12-writ...
cmim.org/pdf2014/funcion.ph...
stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten...
"Conclusion: A vitamin B12 deficiency can cause many different symptoms, among which are serious neurological problems. The treatment with high dose B12 injections is not only completely safe but fortunately also very effective. With the right treatment patients can recover completely. Starting straight away with treatment is essential, as is the continuing treatment in order to give the body enough B12 to fully recover
stichtingb12tekort.nl/surve...
"After a year: The need for quick and correct treatment is emphasised further by the fact that after a year of treatment only 4 % of patients are fully recovered. Fortunately half of the patients have experienced a lot of improvement in their symptoms after a year of treatment but there are still a lot of patients with remaining symptoms, who could possibly have recovered if their treatment was started promptly and adequately."
Thank you for taking the time and all the information, I shall forward this to her and then she can decide as it won't just be me raising concerns. Much appreciated indeed.
Anxiety and panic attacks
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Bit of a success with frequency of B12 injections 
Antibiotic for UTI
latest results 
