So I did it 👌 I self injected in my thigh, it took me 4 attempts 🙈 but I did it 😁 I'm so proud myself x

[Jacqueline_J]

So after 4 attempts I finally did it, Yes I gave myself a injection of B12 in my right thigh 😁 I'm so proud of myself that I'm finally taking my health into my own hands my diary will start now, hopefully I will see a improvement 🙏 more importantly my diary will provide information to my GP about having to treat myself, feeling a bit shaky but that's due to tonight being the most exciting Saturday night I've had in years lol xx

[Jose651]

Well done jacqui0x,

The 1st is now over so keep doing what you're doing and it will become like second nature to you.

J 🍀 💉💉💉

[Jacqueline_J in reply to Jose651]

Thank you so much @Jose651 😁 I was going to let my husband do it but I decided to go for it myself xx

[Jose651 in reply to Jacqueline_J]

👍🍀

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Jacqueline_J whilst I am delighted at your success with self injecting I'm saddened that you need to have to do it.

Do you know what your Folate level is as this is essential to process the B12? You may need to supplement with folic acid as this gets "used up".

[Footygirl in reply to clivealive]

So pleased for you Jacqui, but I have to smile! " The most exciting Saturday night Ive had in years!"

What a narrative to our lives.

😂😂😂😂😂

Best wishes.

Seeing my new GP this week, hoping to persuade into getting PA blood tests. Fingers crossed please, or I shall be following you!

Love

⚽️

[Jacqueline_J in reply to Footygirl]

Thank you @Footygirl I've been sick for way too long now and my children have suffered enough seeing me ill, my sister has been a herion addict for more than 20 year's and I really never thought I'd ever be put in a position that I'd have to inject myself it has to be done ❤ I'm hoping over the next few months I can Hopefully repair some of the damage that's been done 🙏 I wish you all the best with your GP and hope you have a better GP than mine xx

[Jacqueline_J in reply to clivealive]

Hi @clivealive unfortunately I don't, at my last GP appointment I asked him to increase my injections only to be told NO, as the damage was done 😈 I also asked him what about folic acid don't I need that for the B12 to work properly? He said NO? I've been blending spinach and kale, but tomorrow I will buy folic acid, also I meant to phone my GP surgery last week for copies of my previous blood tests but Forgot 🙈 I will phone tomorrow after my dental appointment xx

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to Jacqueline_J]

Of course Jacqueline_J I'm not a medically qualified person whereas your GP presumably is but a most simple search of "What is the relationship between Folate and B12" immediately brought up the following:

"You need to take in a well-balanced mix of nutrients to maintain optimal health, and sometimes understanding the interactions between the essential vitamins can be a bit tricky. When it comes to folate and vitamin B-12, maintaining the proper ratio of these two nutrients can prevent you from masking a potentially dangerous deficiency that can lead to nerve damage.

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B-12 is water-soluble, meaning that your body excretes any excess amounts of it in your urine. It is also an essential nutrient, meaning that your body can’t create it on its own; you must consume it through dietary sources. B-12 is crucial to the formation of red blood cells, and a B-12 deficiency can lead to megaloblastic anemia, a condition wherein your red blood count becomes lower in number, while the cells themselves become larger in size. B-12 is also necessary to maintain your nervous system, and a deficiency can result in permanent nerve damage, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Folate

Folate is another B vitamin -- B-9 -- that is naturally found in food. You’re probably more familiar with its synthetic form, folic acid, which is used to make supplements and it commonly recommended to women in early pregnancy to decrease the risk of neural tube defects in their unborn children. According to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library, folate helps red blood cells mature and aids in the development of the fetal nervous system. The folate content of foods is destroyed during any prolonged cooking process, but the NIH states that a folic acid fortification program initiated in 1998 has overcome previously high deficiency rates and boosted the dietary intake of most Americans to recommended daily levels.

Folate/B-12 Interactions

Deficiencies in folate or B-12 can have similar results. Both deficiencies can increase your levels of serum homocysteine, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Increasing your folate levels can decrease homocysteine in your blood. Unfortunately, high folate consumption can also mask a deficiency in B-12, and the NIH warns that it can also make the symptoms of B-12 deficiency worse, increasing the risk of permanent nerve damage and cognitive decline.

Dosages

In order to ensure that an excess of folate is not masking a B-12 deficiency it is important to consume the correct dosages of these two nutrients. The NIH states that healthy people over the age of 19 should not take more than 1000 mcg of folate per day, while the recommended dietary allowance for B-12 in those over the age of 14 is 2.4 mcg."

Personally I take 1 – Folic Acid 400μg every day and have done for more years than I can remember but then I'm being pumped with 1000mcg of cyanocobalamin every three weeks since 1972 and I'm still "clivealive" at 75.

I think that as long as you start injecting your B12 before supplementing with folic acid you should be fine.

[Jacqueline_J in reply to clivealive]

Hi there @clivealive I read your reply, sorry I didn't respond straight away as I went and bought the folic acid and I've just took 1, 400ug the same one you mentioned thank you so much xx

[ellj]

Well done ! 😀 You will find it gets easier as you go on .

[Jacqueline_J in reply to ellj]

Thank you so much @ellj xx

[wedgewood]

I am so pleased for you . It will get easier and easier as you go on . You will feel better and better Our health is so precious . It's so shocking that we have to do this . Well , it wouldn't be so shocking if the NHS would give us training in SI . And enabled us to get our B12 on prescription , instead of having to go through the rigmarole of ordering B12 from Germany etc. But I always think on sufferers who don't have a computer etc Don't have access to PAS . I worry for them .

But it's lovely to get your good news.

[Jacqueline_J in reply to wedgewood]

Hi @wedgewood thank you so much ❤ I totally agree with everything you said, it's so unfair that we have a illness and don't get the proper treatment not only unfair it's cruel 👎 I didn't ask to get a hereditary disease and neither did anyone, the NHS should be Ashamed

xx

[deniseinmilden]

Brilliantly well done!

Don't forget the supporting supplements you are likely to need - a broad spectrum multivitamin and mineral supplement plus extra folate, potassium and magnesium, maybe iron.

Good luck with living again!

[Jacqueline_J in reply to deniseinmilden]

Thank you so much @deniseinmilden I'm already taking iron and I have a vitamin D deficiency also, I'm going to buy folic tomorrow and I've been eating spinach, kale and bananas xx

[Female]

Was that your very first injection or had you had one at your doctors

[Jacqueline_J in reply to Female]

Hi @Female I've already been diagnosed with PA and have been receiving injections every 3 months at my GPs but that wasn't enough, this was my first self injection xx

[fbirder in reply to Female]

Female Please see my reply to your other post.

It's not goo netiquette to post the same question in different threads

[jillc39]

Be careful..... do I understand that you are going to tell your gp? all I know is my gp went crazy and got rid of me when I said I had had to boost my b12!!!

[Jacqueline_J in reply to jillc39]

Thank you for the advice @jillc39 I'm going to be keeping a diary, not quite sure when I will show it to my GP? having to treat myself was not something I had planned but I can't keep going to my GP to be told the damage is done I'm hoping I can get better, only then I can show it to him and say thank you for failing to provide proper treatment, maybe I'm being quite arrogant towards my GP but I think it's warranted and if he won't treat me I will get another GP, I'm so sorry to hear that your GP did that to you too many doctors are causing us more damage than good xx