I was just diagnosed with b12 deficiency. My count was 120. The doctor said that was very low but I really don’t know much about it. About a month ago I started having very bad pains/cramps in my feet, ankles, and calves when I walked. Sometimes I just take a few steps and it happens or sometimes I’m walking for 5-10 minutes. I tried numerous shoes, sandals, boots and nothing helps. I am overweight and also recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes but that’s under control and I don’t have any neuropathy as of yet. I was given my first b12 shot 3 days ago and honestly I feel worse if that makes sense? I’m more exhausted than I had been. My question is the foot pain from the low b12? And is it going to get better?
I appreciate anybody taking the time to answer and offer their opinions. Thank you.
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brittany0612
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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.
Replacing B12 will lead to a huge increase in the production of blood cells and platelets (which occurs in the bone marrow) and can lead to rapid depletion of folate and iron stores; this can then limit the expected recovery of Hb. Both iron and folate may be needed.
Anyone at any age, can become B12 deficient. However, certain people are at an elevated risk. They include the following:
Vegetarians, vegans and people eating macrobiotic diets.
People aged sixty and over
People who’ve undergone any gastric and/or intestinal surgery, including bariatric surgery for weight loss purposes (Gastric bypass).
People who regularly use proton-pump- inhibitors. H2 blockers, antacids, Metformin, and related diabetes drugs, or other medications, or infections such as h-pylori that can interfere with B12 absorption.
People who undergo surgeries or dental procedures involving nitrous oxide, or who use the drug recreationally.
People with a history of eating disorders (anorexia or bulimia).
People with a history of alcoholism.
People with a family history of pernicious anaemia.
People diagnosed with anaemia (including iron deficiency anaemia, sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia).
People with Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gluten enteropathy (celiac disease), or any other disease that cause malabsorption of nutrients.
People with autoimmune disorders (especially thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Grave’s disease) Type 1 diabetes, vitiligo, lupus, Addison’s disease, ulcerative colitis, infertility, acquired agammaglobulinemia, or a family history of these disorders.
Women with a history of infertility or multiple miscarriages.
If you have been prescribed Metformin for your diabetes that may be one reason why you are Vitamin B12 deficient. Can you see yourself in any other of the above people?
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
I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anemia (a form of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.
Thank you for the reply and all the great information!
I’ve been taking Metformin and Ranitidine for about 8 months now, so they both could be the issue. I started having low b12 when I was a teenager but it was because I didn’t eat the right foods, and it always came and went but the last I knew I didn’t need to be taking vitamins anymore, but I don’t have a family doctor so somewhere along the lines my blood work got lost and nobody told me I was low b12 and prediabetic until it turned into full type 2 and I found out 18 months later, so I’m thinking I have had a deficiency for about 2 years now untreated.
The symptoms I’m having were so vague and could be attributed to a lot of things so I never thought it could be something like this. I’m always exhausted, I get dizzy and almost like vertigo but it’s when I’m still either standing or sitting and I feel like I’m constantly moving. I have depression and anxiety and burning tongue constantly which I always thought was low blood sugar, but I’m realizing now it was the low b12, or maybe a bit of both.
I’m really hoping that I feel some relief with these shots! A Walkin clinic doctor diagnosed me so he didn’t have much information but he said that I had anemia from the low b12 so that’s what’s lead me to this forum. Will I always have pernicious anemia now? Or does it resolve when the b12 deficiency is cleared up.
Although the treatment is virtually the same there is a difference between Vitamin B12 deficiency and Pernicious Anaemia. Unless it is an absorption problem, B12 deficiency can be "cured" whereas if you have P.A. it can only be "treated" by lifelong B12 injections.
Below is an extract from Martyn Hooper's "What you need to know about Pernicious Anaemia & Vitamin B12 Deficiency"
"In a normal healthy person the stomach lining has what are called "Gastric parietal cells" which produce "Intrinsic Factor" which travels with food through the small intestine which is made up of three parts - the Duodenum, the Jejunum and the Ileum..
Iron is absorbed in the Duodenum, most other nutrients in the Jejunum and our friend B12 in the Ileum.
Here the Intrinsic Factor binds to the B12 and the "B12/IF Complex" enters the cells on the wall of the Ileum after binding to receptors on the surface of the Ileal cells, allowing it to enter the blood stream.
Sadly some people with "traditional P,A." either do not produce Intrinsic Factor or if they do, they also produce an antibody which destroys it and it is then called "Autoimmune Pernicious Anaemia".
In addition it can happen that we produce "Parietal cell Antibodies" and "Intrinsic Factor Antibodies" which totally wipes out any chance of absorbing the B12."
Sadly the Intrinsic Factor Antibody (IFA) test is unreliable in that it gives false negatives in people with PA half the time. So a negative result doesn't mean that you don't have PA. However, a positive result is a sure-fire, 95% certain indicator of PA.
unfortunately there is no way of knowing if the problem is B12 or not - it could also be related to diabetes or something else entirely.
Have you seen an podiatrist at all? Sounds like it could be something like fallen arches/tarsal tunnel ... which could be B12 related but can also be the result of a number of other conditions.
I had horrendous problems with pains in feet and leg after I started on B12 and before I realised where I needed to keep my levels. Personally I found that 'trotting' was less painful than walking ... and orthotics seemed to help with the foot but were merry hell on the back so couldn't use them, though ones I'd had from may years earlier were okay. Now though I tend not to need orthotics at all.
My next step will be trying to get referred to a podiatrist! I am hoping it’s something easy because I feel like a lot of my issues will also be helped once I lose weight but it’s so hard to exercise when I can’t walk for 5 minutes lol
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