My Mum has some auto-immune issues that are getting worse: can anyone help ?

[Cherylclaire]

My mum's leg is worrying me lately: here's why:

She had an emergency heart bypass a few years ago after having to be resuscitated twice. This meant taking a vein from her leg to use for bypass. This meant that one of her legs does not drain lymph fluid well, which is a normal side-effect of the operation. Her heart was not a problem (not at first anyway)- her blood vessels to her heart were at fault, which is why her stent failed miserably. She has now got very thin skin, and bruises very easily- which is due to necessary blood-thinning to help her heart function. Recent lesions in her leg are becoming ulcerated.

Not all of these marks are bruises or knocks. They are coming up firstly as red patches and she says that she recognises their positions as previous psoriasis sites. The GP has told her that they look like a sun allergy, so she has to keep fully covered.

Aside from psoriasis, she has had vitiligo that she recalls starting when quite young from an immunisation injection, and gradually spreading.

These all seem to me like fairly strong auto-immune reactions. Anyone recognise anything here ?

[Polaris]

As you've probably already gathered, B12 deficiency affects all systems, including the vascular system.

Vitiligo and psoriasis are autoimmune conditions with what researchers now believe have a common root cause - leaky gut/intestinal disease/gastric atrophy, which is likely to eventually lead to low hydrochloric acid needed to begin the process of absorbing B12 as well as other essential vitamins and minerals.

There's further risk for those over the age of 60, as hydrochloric acid is more likely to reduce significantly, leading to severe deficiency, especially as this age group is even more likely to be on various medications which may deplete vitamin B12 further.

I'm an oldie with Hashimoto's (along with other family members), psoriasis and PA/B12def. and have been self injecting for fifteen months. Among many improvements over this time, my hair has thickened again and, a few weeks ago, I noticed tufts of new baby hair growing along the hairline where I'd had a patch of psoriasis 🤗

The other comforting thing to know is that B12 will lower homocysteine, helping to prevent strokes, etc.

Re. leg ulcers, I remember reading long ago that vitamin E (probably C too) healed them miraculously.

It would be a good idea for your mum to get tested if this hasn't already been done?

Very wishes to both of you Cherylclaire.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to Polaris]

Thanks very much for your reply, Polaris.

I have for a long time harboured then buried the thought that my mum might have PA alongside her other autoimmune problems. I think I got her to ask for a B12 serum test when I first got diagnosed with B12 deficiency myself. I think hers was around 550ng/L at the time. Of course this does not tell the whole story, but at the time I was relieved.

I'm really glad that you have done something positive and brave about your condition, and seeing the improvements that occur.

Will ask my mum to get retested, and will look up about vitamin E and C. Maybe try getting my mum some sublinguals ? Lot of people here seem to use them with some success.

No Hashimoto's in my family, but one sister has Grave's and psoriasis, and another with a varying thyroid problem that she has now managed to control. So might get her to do the full panel postal test that I had done, on Marz 's recommendation, too .

Needed a bit of support to formulate a plan of action -and got it ! x

[Polaris in reply to Cherylclaire]

I took B12 Methylcobalamin 5000 mcg sublingual for a good while plus daily spoonfuls of sauerkraut (more good bacteria than any other probiotic I'd tried) and avoided gluten in the hope that this would help heal the microvilli lining my digestive system, enabling better absorption and strengthening the immune system.

This did work for quite a while but supplementation obviously made it more difficult to get a diagnosis and, being well over 60 years old (when I now realise hydrochloric acid had obviously begun to reduce and affect absorption) as well as having had Hashimoto's, H. Pylori and gastric/digestive problems for years, I found myself having to begin self injecting every other day after two viruses led to the onset of neurological problems (crippling fatigue, dizziness, memory problems, pins and needles etc.)

Marz ' suggestion is a good one 🙂

I began reading up B12 after my sister (also with Hashi's) had been misdiagnosed with ME for years and later, dementia - examples of research below convince me that better all round health at any age can be achieved by listening to the experts and doing our own research :

"According to Dr. John Dommisse, an expert in B12 deficiency, the acceptance of high levels is normal in Japan, and the willingness to readily treat psychiatric symptoms with B12 explains the low rates of Alzheimer’s dementia in that country–as well as the reason for the very high rates of Alzheimer’s in the US.20"

Prof. David Smith agrees levels should be raised. He has lectured at the PAS Conference and carried out studies into dementia:

"In the elderly, it (B12def.) can cause dementia, says David Smith, Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology at Oxford University.

‘B12 deficiency is more common after the age of 60 and, once levels fall below 500 pg/ml (picograms per millilitre — the normal range being 500 to 1,000), the brain starts to deteriorate at twice the usual rate, making memory loss six times more likely,’ he says".

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to Polaris]

You are a gem, Polaris. I will print this off so my mum can read it all and we can talk about what she wants to do next. Supplement/test first/do neither.

Any reason for using Methylcobalamin and not just hydroxocobalamin -or do they just come that way ? Jarrow's (?) seems to be popular on here with some people- is that what you used ?

I have tried the B12 Boost spray that is sold in H&B but it doesn't seem to do anything for me. I think that is methyl (?). I have 2 of them sitting in the cupboard and perhaps my mum would have better luck than me.

I am sure she would also appreciate a memory boost !

[Polaris in reply to Cherylclaire]

Jarrows seemed to work best for me - there were a lot of good reports re. neuro symptoms on Amazon at the time but it seems to be a v. individual thing.

So very impressed by the way you're caring about your mum x 💐

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to Polaris]

She has never stopped caring about me for 60 years, Polaris - which makes me very lucky. Let's see what Jarrow's can do for her -thanks again.