Two steps forward..

[Dadvatar]

One step back.

After a great week for my daughter, she had a meltdown last night over her studies and cannot get out of bed this morning.

She went to an athletics tournament a couple of days ago, won champion athlete and has been exhausted ever since. Too much too soon probably.

I know there will be good days and bad days but that does not make it any easier as a parent. Just when you think everything’s going to be ok, something comes along and shatters your hope and puts doubt back in your mind.

We were even seeing slight improvements in her concentration which was a big symptom for ADHD.

What’s everyone’s view on exercise during the initial stages? Does it help or hinder repair of the body?

[wedgewood]

Definitely she should not be doing strenuous things at this very early stage in treatment . Her B12 will be decimated . I would say that going for a walk is as much as she should be doing at the moment . Her recovery will be hindered by vigorous excercise . I’m amazed that she had the strength to compete in an athletics tournament , never mind being champion athlete . It’s not long since she couldn’t get out of bed ., More patience is required . The very best to you both .

[Polaris]

It is fairly usual for those with ME and B12def. to find their symptoms return after overdoing exercise and I believe Dr Chandy warns of this on his B12org. Website too. B12def. symptoms often build up over years and it does seem to take equal time and patience to see improvements, depending on severity.

There are many research links between athleticism/overexercising and other neurodegenerative diseases, particularly MND (ALS). In the book, " Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Chronic Illness', several references and links are made to athleticism/extreme exercise and neurological illness.

Interestingly, ALS is named after Lou Gehrig, a famous US athlete. Roger Bannister comes to mind as having suffered from Parkinson's in later life. In the US, MND (ALS) is treated with high dose Methylcobalamin B12 injections and is, apparently, extending lives.

.

[Gibby69]

Wow amazing she was up to competing. My daughter was competing at national level in her sport but got to the point of barely being able to walk a few steps before being diagnosed. After 4 months of injections she is slowly starting training again but just increasing by a small amount each week. We have been told at least 6 months to recover. A little bit of exercise is probably good for morale but let her body repair.

One of the side effects of the injections can be anxiety and my daughter had this during the loading doses. She is still exhausted and has dizziness after each injection but this wears off after a couple of days.

Her body will be going through a huge change rapidly making new blood cells so its important to be patient and not overdo it. Injections are not an overnight cure and there are definitely good and bad days but we are enjoying seeing our daughter return to her old self.

[Dadvatar in reply to Gibby69]

We had a dramatic change in her quite quickly. But the exercise really put her back to where she started. Much better today after a day in bed. The biggest improvement we have noticed is that if something goes wrong, she can now just brush it off without the usual.

I’ve told her she has to stop the sport for a while, but she’s not happy because that’s where all are friends are. It doesn’t help when the coaches are pushing for her to compete. It’s only been a week of treatment for her and she is very impatient.

[Meggydo]

Sorry that your daughter is struggling. My daughter was diagnosed with b12 deficiency last year. She had the six loading jabs plus one three monthly. The symptoms troubling her have been neurological, balance and walking difficulities, tinnitus, jolts and tremor, pain in joints and vertigo. The worst of the symptoms are extreme exhaustion, low blood pressure and palpatations. We have been for neurology, gastric and heart investigations. We are waiting for the results. The neurologist has the thought that my daughter may have neurological disorder and chronic fatigue. The point is that although she has b12 deficiency, it may not be the whole story. Just thought that maybe a neurologist appointment might be of help to your daughter. Sadly my daughter is stuck in bed every day and has difficulty attending appointments and after them she can bearly speak. It's heartbreaking. Her gp thinks that any b12 deficiency could not cause any of the symptoms and she got annoyed when I suggested that this could still be an issue at cell level. We hopefully will get some results soon, I hope your family also get answers.