B12 of 96 - trying to make sense of it!

[Lelli50]

Hello, hope this is in the right area. Went to GP with bowel problems last month - full blood screen showed deficiency as above. Everything else (folate, iron) in normal limits. Had my first loading injection today - anyone know when I will feel any benefit? I have a demanding job and feel really wretched.

The nurse asked if there was a family history of Crohns - being adopted I have no clue. Can you develop Crohns in your 50's?

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi Lelli50 It is not uncommon for some symptoms to appear to get worse before they get better as the B12 you are now having injected starts repairing the damage done to your nervous system and your brain starts getting multiple messages from part of the body it had "forgotten about" or lost contact with.

I sometimes liken it to a badly tuned radio on which you have turned the volume up high trying to catch the programme you want when all of a sudden the signal comes in loud and clear and the blast nearly deafens you.

A lot will depend on the severity and longevity of your B12 deficiency as to how long before there is no further improvement or recovery.

Some symptoms will "disappear" quite quickly whereas others may take months or even years. There is no set timescale as we are all different.

People with Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gluten enteropathy (celiac disease), or any other disease that cause malabsorption of nutrients is at risk of developing a B12 deficiency.

It will pay to keep your Folate level monitored as this is essential to process the B12.

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.

Symptoms of a folate deficiency can include:

symptoms related to anaemia

reduced sense of taste

diarrhoea

numbness and tingling in the feet and hands

muscle weakness

depression

Folic acid works closely with vitamin B12 in making red blood cells and helps iron function properly in the body.

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

I wish you well

[Oliver27]

Hi Lelli50. You can develop/ be diagnosed with Crohn's disease at any age. I was 48 when they diagnosed me. Hope you feel better soon. Jane x

[Lelli50 in reply to Oliver27]

Thank you both, all so new to me!