B12 with neuropathy symptoms

[Goldcreast]

Hi I have been under a new GP in my practise who did blood test & my B12 level was 224. I have had 3 sets of loading B12 injections so 18 in total and have an appointment with a haematologist in 2 weeks. Are there specific test they should be doing as been told they will not do an active B12 test on the NHS. I do have private insurance should I be using this to get the correct test done. Also no relief from pins and needles in hands & feet also get a lot of really painful cramp in my calfs and just above my ankles. Really getting to the stage where I don't think anything is doing me any good. Foggy head, forget things all the time, very bad tempered & can snap at the least thing. Any advice welcome, even thinking of self injecting but no idea what I should buy including needle size. Willing to try anything as also putting on weight dispite not being hungry half the time.

Goldcrest

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Goldcreast

It would be a good idea to get your Folate level tested as this and B12 help your iron to function properly, There is a complex interaction between folic acid, vitamin B12 and iron. A deficiency of one may be "masked" by excess of another so the three must always be in balance.

You could also ask your doctor to test your Intrinsic Factor.

You could always ask your private insurer (if your doctor won't do it) for an MMA test. Methylmalonic acid is a chemical used up in one of the cellular reactions mediated by B12. If there's not enough B12 in the cell then MMA levels will rise. If they're not high then it means your cellular levels of B12 are OK. High levels of plasma MMA (>0.75umol/L0 almost invariably indicate cobamalin deficiency.

I'm not medically trained but have had P.A. (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 45 years.

I wish you well

[Gambit62 Administrator]

To be honest further blood tests are unlikely to be useful at this point - most needed to be done before loading doses.

Have the symptoms you mentioned started since treatment or where they there before you were treated.

It can take a while for damage done whilst deficient to heal - and in a few cases if it has been left too long the damage can be permanent. Some peole don't knotes an impact for several months.

IFA - you need to make sure they are aware when you had your last loading shot as it can cause false positives if you have had a shot too near the test.

B9 would probably be helpful - especially if it was towards the bottom of the scale before you started treatment