B12 deficiency and shortness of breath

[SA30]

I had severe shortness of breath, went to a gastrointestinal doctor he suggested for a blood test.. Got deficiency of vitamin B12 and D3. B12 is 126 and D3 is less than 8

Got one injections for D3 and 5 injections for B12.

Because of the pressure that I have to put to breathe my chest muscles pain and become stiff.

He also got my chest xray done which was absolutely normal.

I want to know in how much time will my shortness of breath be fine ???

[clivealive Forum Support]

The shortage of breath may be due to your B12 deficiency.

Symptoms of B12 deficiency tend to develop slowly and may not be recognised immediately. As the condition worsens, common symptoms include:

Weakness and fatigue

Light-headedness and dizziness

Palpitations and rapid heartbeat

Shortness of breath

A sore tongue that has a red, beefy appearance

Nausea or poor appetite

Weight loss

Diarrhoea

Yellowish tinge to the skin and eyes

If low levels of B12 remain for a long time, the condition also can lead to irreversible damage to nerve cells, which can cause the following symptoms:

Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet

Difficulty walking

Muscle weakness

Irritability

Memory loss

Dementia

Depression

Psychosis

It is not uncommon for some symptoms to appear to get worse before they get better as the B12 you are 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.

If you can get to see a doctor please also ask him/her to check your Folate level as this and B12 help your iron to make red blood cells and to function properly.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include chronic pain, weak bones, frequent infections (recent research has detected an association between vitamin D deficiency and severe pneumonia), depression and fatigue.

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

.

[spacey1]

The B12 jabs take a little while to work, as Clive says. But it's lovely when you can breathe properly again!

Have you had your iron checked too?

Hope your symptoms get better very soon!

[mightydrunken]

Hi SA30, I believe the shortness of breath is caused by megaloblastic anaemia, the large dysfunctional red blood cells which B12 deficiency causes. It takes about 7 days for a red blood cell to mature and they have a lifetime of 100-120 days. Therefore for half your red blood cells to be replaced with ones which work properly I would guess it will take about 60 days.

Assuming you are receiving adequate B12 to solve the deficiency, if you are young, fit and not too B12 deficient I would expect the shortness of breath to last about a month. If you are older, unfit and have severe B12 deficiency maybe up to 3 months.

I am not a doctor and my expectations are based on a number of assumptions, so take my estimates with a grain of salt.

[ladyabosso]

I was in your position and my ferritin was low but gp said “in range” at 28. I supplemented with ferrous sulphate 200mg twice a day and after a few days gradually felt my sob disappearing. B12 uses up a lot of iron! Make sure to get it tested as I know how u feel, panicking! Good luck

[KimberinUS]

You need to take magnesium with vitamin D.

I took 5000 iu daily for 16 months and my D only went from 20 to 39 due to not having magnesium.

Lack of D causes pain. Lack of magnesium causes anxiety. Lack of b12 causes shortness of breath. Combined, i felt like i was dying at 46.

Its no wonder you feel poorly. Best of luck and health.

[KimberinUS in reply to KimberinUS]

easy-immune-health.com/magn...