Mouth sore and shredded.

[CH52]

Hi! I've been on my B-12 shots and iron infusion for a full month and after the last loading session I developed a shredding of the skin on inside of my mouth. Been using a peroxide mouth rinse to help with the pain. Anyone else experience this? I'm also experiencing fatigue again after feeling energized! It's like I get one day of supercharged energy levels and take 3 steps backwards! My hemoglobin levels are good now following blood transfusions and b-12 and iron infusions are helping those levels coming up. So why the fatigue? I have been diagnosed with pernicious anemia and thought my treatments would bring me back to "normal" high energy. Did for a while but I pay for those high energy days with major fatigue.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

B12 doesn't just affect the blood. It also impacts on a number of processes in cells which could affect energy levels and muscle strength so it may be that the fatigue you are feeling is nothing to do with your blood cells but other cells elsewhere. it is also possible that there may be something else going on.

Have you spoken to your GP about your mouth? Its not something that I've heard of before but that doesn't mean that it couldn't be something to do with either the iron or B12.

[CH52 in reply to Gambit62]

Thanks I go back to my oncologist next week so will let him know about the shredding in my mouth and also the fatigue and other symptoms that seem to be creeping back in like numbness in hands and feet and my weakness in legs & arms. It's not near as bad as before I started my iron infusions and B12 treatments but was shocked that they seem to be creeping back in. Blood work was improving and hemoglobin good last visit with both my internist and oncologist about week and half ago. They are keeping my b12 and iron infusions every 2 weeks. The blood work Is calling for Iron binding, total iron, and iron saturation panel along with b12 levels, ferritin, and methylmalonic acid and homocysteine and I haven't a clue what the last 3 are so will see if on your web pages.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to CH52]

ferritin is a protein that binds to iron allowing ithe body to use it - its a good indicator for low iron levels.

MMA and homocysteine are two nasties that build up if the body doesn't have enough B12 to recycle them into useful building blocks. Homocysteine can also be raised if folate and B6 levels are low. Basically these two are good markers for B12 deficiency at the cell level and should ideally be used with serum B12/active B12 in clarifying the possibility of B12 deficiency.

Did you have chemotheorapy at all? some cehmo drugs can interact badly with both B12 and B9 (folate) so may be worth asking about folate as well.

[CH52]

I guess the initial tests for PA being positive need further confirmation with these other tests? No I did not have Chemo but the oncologist I have is working diligently to get a good baseline on my health and is not letting any stones go unturned in figuring out my deficiency issues. I had a melanoma skin cancer removed about 15 years ago and melanoma runs in my family so they are keeping me under scrutiny. He is both a hemotologist and oncologist specialist. I will ask about the folate for sure as I'm not certain what all specific blood tests were run while in hospital. I live in the U.S. It seems folks in the U.K. are very knowledsble on all these tests and go the extra mile needed to help those like myself who don't understand how all these tests work or what they are for! ( I am still trying to wrap my mind over the fact that others are self injecting!) My mind is reeling from how I declined so fast starting 6 months ago until I finally got a new physician to see me after moving to rural upstate New York, my landing in hospital with blood transfusions, and now this whole stepped up treatment regime that I'm told will be rest of my life! Retirement wasn't supposed to be like this!!! Btw: ulceration, shredding in mouth is much better today. Using my ladder to get down from sleeping loft wasn't a problem either. It gets unnerving when your legs shake & don't want to hold you up while on a ladder that you used to race up and down on!