1st B12 Injection

[syl123]

I had my first B12 injection today, to be told by the nurse that my bloods are normal and 3 injections wont show any improvement to my symptoms. Low Folate , borderline iron deficiency and serum b12 at 279, because I have neurological symptoms I visited my GP armed with quotes from BNF about loading doses for patients with "normal" B12 levels with neurological symptoms.GP reluctantly agreed to 3 injections but with a review after the last and if no improvement she will not be giving me anymore. Can anybody tell me if its likely that I will feel better after 3 injections and what the side effects are as the nurse just said sore spot at the site of injection and thats all?

[pvanderaa]

You may actually feel worse off after the injections - this typically means that they are working and you needed them.

Further blood testing will confuse the issue and you should be at the top end of the scale (>1500 ng/L) if tested after your injections.

Your GP is wrong and you should continue getting B12 until there is no further improvement in your neurological symptoms.

Start a logbook of all your symptoms and try to assess each on a daily basis. You may discover new symptoms appear as well.

Don't let your GP diagnose "anxiety" and put you on antidepressants . You've got to get him/her past the "I've got a hypochondriac on my hands" stage we all go through in trying to get more frequent injections.

Share the logbook with your GP, provide a hard copy of all your symptoms and scores to be included in your file. They need evidence, so gather it for them.

[syl123 in reply to pvanderaa]

Hi Pvanderra, thanks thats a great idea about the log book, im off sick from work and struggling to get a diagnosis to explain my absence. I believe the Hypochondriac diagnosis must be on my notes now, so im feeling quite let down. Nurse didnt even clean the injection site or put a plaster on, very strange behaviour.If anybody should be cross about the lack of diagnosis it should be me and others like me who have had to not only battle with awful symptoms and self doubt but deal with disbelief and indifference by the NHS. I am amazed that they still consider B12 serum levels as the only indicator for deficiency.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to syl123]

generally it isn't necessary to clean the injection site before a B12 injection - alcohol wipes not recommended. Whilst you might need a plaster if you have had blood taken because the needle has been injected into a vein you don't need a plaster for an IM injection as there shouldn't be any bleeding and the whole idea of using a hypodermic needle is that it doesn't create a wound.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

generally people don't have problems with B12 injections themselves - acne is a possible effect (reaction of bacteria on the skin to higher levels of B12)

recovering from a B12 deficiency can take time - some people do notice a difference quickly but for others it can take months and it is common for people to feel worse - more aches and pains and reacting to colds with runny nose etc - as nerves and the immune system wake up.

The recommendation (in the UK) for loading injections with neurological involvement is 3x until symptoms improve with a review at 3 weeks - which does rather imply that judging the situation based on just 3 loading shots isn't the right way to go.

[syl123]

Thanks Gambit62, I didnt realise about the procedures for the injections at least i know she wasnt just being mean. As far as the injection frequency is concerned i can go back and ask for 3 more before a review. I felt sick after the injection and have noticed an increase in the pins and needles in my arms and legs so from what you say thats a good thing and a sign that im going in the right direction.