Hi guys hope everyone is well? i have just gotten over 3 months of food poisoning which totally floored me, My memory is really bad again so forgive me if i have already posted similar lol i have had my MRI & see the memory specialist next month to discuss results hopefully nothing wrong. I am however battling yet more symptoms i have severe Tinea Versicolor (yeast infection of the skin) I have had this for many years on & off but not for the last 4 + yrs & never this bad i do know this is a immune thing as i have had the discussion with a dermatologist may years ago. I also have really bad painful acne on my scalp & what can only be described as boils on my chin, back of head even my in my ears every time i get a spot it gets infected straight away causing my neck glands to swell & be really painful. i have no energy again the little bit that came back has just about fizzled out my tinnitus is through the roof & pins & needles are extreme. My speech is still hit & miss & even had my right side of my face especially the mouth area drooped last weekend for a few days after getting sharp pains in my right temple it wasn't very bad (the drooping) & went after a few days but the right temple pain is awful short & sharp thankfully over after a few seconds . My chest pains have also come back with vengeance i am seeing my GP tonight to discuss these skin conditions & about having my bloods done & hopefully a B12 jab early as i am not supposed to be going until December for these doing.
Any advise would be fab before i go see the doc in case there is something i need to say ect.
I thank you lovely lot for your continued help over the months.
Sending squeezes to you all xx
That took ages to type i keep duplicating words
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MissD1503
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Hi MissD1503. Just a thought here...some of the symptoms you describe do not sound typically B12 deficiency related (for instance, the drooping of the right side of your face and mouth). I think if this happens again it would be a good idea to see the doctor and get checked out when it’s happening.
It’s possible that that there are other things going on, in addition to the B12 deficiency, especially as your skin problems are likely caused by some sort of 'immune' condition (more on this below).
Also - the shooting pain you describe in both temples can sometimes be related to an underlying autoimmune condition called polymyalgia rheumatica which can give rise to something called temporal arteritis (though I'm certainly not saying that this is the case). However, if you get this pain again (or continue to get it) and the vessels (arteries) in your temples look enlarged, swollen, or inflamed, then you should see a doctor immediately (same day) as it will need urgent medical treatment. As I said, I'm not saying that this will be the cause, and temporal arteritis is quite rare, but it's wise to be alert to the possibility. And the only way to know for sure (if you have the symptoms described) is by seeking medical attention...if it's not, you’ve lost nothing but a bit of time...and perhaps gained a bit of reassurance.
I notice that you say that in the past your dermatologist has said that Tinea Versicolor is an 'immune thing', so I'm just wondering if your GP has done a full antibody screen to see if you have an underlying autoimmune condition that may be responsible for some of your symptoms. If any of the antibody levels are raised, it's usual to refer to a rheumatologist for further investigations (the antibody screen does not identify any specific autoimmune condition but if levels are raised, further investigations are necessary to determine potential causes).
You are more likely (but not certain) to have an autoimmune condition if anyone in your family has one. And autoimmune conditions tend to arrive in clusters, so it's possible to have more than one at the same time (thinking here of your skin 'immune' problem).
About the loading jabs - it may be that there has been a missed step in your treatment.
When neurological symptoms are present with B12 deficiency (and you have these) a more intensive regime of B12 injections is required. After the loading doses, injections should continue every other day until no further improvement - for some people, this can take many months. Many GP's do not know about this regime.
Details are in the BNF prescribing guidelines and the BSH Cobalaim treatment guidelines. Here's links to those documents:
Would certainly be worth discussing this with your GP (print and highlight the relevant places in the documents and share them with your GP) and ask to be treated according to these guidelines (i..e. with the intensive regime of B12 injections). This is important because undertreated B12 deficiency can result in potentially irreversible neurological damage if sufficient treatment is not given in the early stages.
It’s worth noting that the BNF guidelines refer to the neurological regime as being for the treatment of pernicious anaemia. Some GP's refuse this regime if PA is not a definite diagnosis. However, the treatment for pernicious anaemia is treatment for the B12 deficiency it causes, so the treatment for B12 deficiency is the same, whatever the cause (B12 deficiency can have causes other than PA).
Also worth knowing that 40%-60% of people with PA test negative for IF antibodies. So the test is not reliable - unless it's positive - a negative test does not rule out PA.
Finally, really sorry that you won't get this before you go to see your doctor tonight - well past that time when I spotted your post.
Hope all went well and if you need any further advice or information, please post again.
Thank you so much for you advice, (copied from my reply to sleepybunny)
i forgot to mention the droop in the face to the dr last night but i wasn't ill with it so i i'm guessing it was Bell's palsy it runs in our family for some reason, The dr keeps looking confused with my symptoms which are immune related he said he is baffled to why my body is attacking its self i have been given pills for my Tinea Versicolor so that should clear up in the next 2/3 weeks. he has agreed to getting my bloods done early to check my B12, folic acid & vit D this will be on the 29th Nov i hope to have the B12 jabs more often as i said they did make me feel a little better but they stopped them i do believe if they had carried them on i would be so much better but i can't make them do it feels so hard sometimes.
& I have just rang the dr's to ask them to add the full antibody screening to my blood test on the 29th fingers crossed they will do it thanks for the advice x
About the bloods -if your GP is re-testing serum B12 and is going to use the results of this to decide whether to give you more frequent B12 injections - he's wrong. All the guidelines state that once injections have started it is, it not necessary to re-test serum B12 levels - unless looking for low levels.
This is because your serum B12 levels will (should) be high following injections. Also - serum B12 levels are no indicator as to the efficacy of treatment. So, you GP should be looking at symptoms, not serum B12levels. If your symptoms return before your next injection and are then relieved by that injections, it's a sure indicator that more frequent injections are needed.
Also -according to all the guidelines, your should be on the intensive regime because of,your neurological symptoms (as per my reply above 😉).
Here's some information about serum B12 testing...and a couple of other things that might help you with your GP):
stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... (B12 Deficiency: Neurological Symptoms Can Present Even When B12 is ‘In-Range’ and Without Macrocytosis (large red blood cells) or confirmed PA Diagnosis)
"my right side of my face especially the mouth area drooped last weekend for a few days after getting sharp pains in my right temple it wasn't very bad"
I think it's important that you tell GP this happened as soon as you can if you didn't mention it at appt.
I am not medically trained but have read that a drooping face can sometimes be a sign of stroke.
Hi Sleepybunny, i forgot to mention it to the dr last night but i wasn't ill with it so i i'm guessing it was Bell's palsy it runs in our family for some reason, The dr keeps looking confused with my symptoms which are immune related he said he is baffled to why my body is attacking its self i have been given pills for my Tinea Versicolor so that should clear up in the next 2/3 weeks. he has agreed to getting my bloods done early to check my B12, folic acid & vit D this will be on the 29th Nov i hope to have the B12 jabs more often as i said they did make me feel a little better but they stopped them i do believe if they had carried them on i would be so much better but i can't make them do it feels so hard sometimes.
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Trying to get B12D sorted & want to know what to ask/say to Dr. Loading x5 Sept '18, just had blood test & I think low again.
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