Self injecting with B12

Night night to you too. Let us know how it goes 😉.

I'm of as well 🛌 💤💤

Hi deniseinmilden. Really interesting what you say about previously being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition when you were young.

Does make me wonder if all your troubles with controlling your B12 deficiency might possibly have another cause...flares from a 'misplaced and forgotten' underlying autoimmune condition. So an ah ha...or more of a hmm...moment 🤔.

Antibody activity from such a condition can rise and fall, depending on disease activity, so your idea of asking your GP for for an auto-antibody screening test if you become unwell again, is a good one 😉.

Bummer about school...like to think that things are more enlightened nowadays...but not so sure that things are yet as enlightened as they should be.

But hey...you've done okay, despite the cruel setbacks and loss of something you loved... more than okay, in fact.

Much the same for me...bullied (for different reasons), left school just 15, trained to be a nurse, then did O and A levels at night-school, then went to Uni at the age of 32 (best thing I ever did 😉). But goodness me...school was a nightmare.

Anyway...be really interested to hear the about one if you do get antibodies tested.

I was undiagnosed for many years (useless GP ignored test results and insisted on ME, CFS, fibromyalgia for years) and I've since realised that many apparently unconnected health 'bumps' were in fact all connected via underlying autoimmune condition 🤬.

So...will watch your space 😉😀 xx

Hi Vonni. There seems to be the usual battle here over one Active 12 test (skewed by B12 supplementation) v. symptoms, with the added complication of Hashimoto's and being over the age of 60 yrs. Here are further thoughts as someone with Hashimoto's/PA/B12def. together with three other family members. I've also done my own extensive research and been a member of both PAS/TUK forums for six years:

Re. Hashimoto's TD, whilst some of your symptoms are similar to Hashi's, many are not - indeed some are opposite, e.g. night sweating, losing weight and, although your active B12 which is supposed to show whether B12 is absorbed, was high, it will definitely have been skewed by supplementing B12. (BMJ document and other research confirm )

Those of us with inadequately treated thyroid disease end up very cold, put on weight easily, constipated and suffer from puffy face. dry skin and fatigue, but are usually still able to keep our balance, hair, hold down a job and, most important of all, symptoms are usually reversible with adequate treatment, though like B12, hard to get 😳. Having both conditions as we age makes it even more urgent to be adequately treated to avoid the neuro/physchiatric problems usually associated with age let alone two autoimmune diseases!

As someone who several years ago was severely hypothyroid before diagnosis and treatment, I would say the fatigue and physical symptoms, though serious and debilitating (I could still work), are nowhere near the same or as serious as the crippling fatigue of the neuro/psychiatric disease that is PA/B12 deficiency, inadequately treated.

PA/B12 left too long is so serious as to eventually permanently affect the myelin surrounding nerves, leaving those affected unable to walk, think or speak straight and even committed to psychiatric units for psychosis, auditory hallucinations, or left with vascular disease, dementia and the risk of various misdiagnoses such as MS, Parkinson's, MND.....

As all the research shows, PA/B12D. becomes more likely over the age of 60, (especially with Hashimoto's), owing to the increased likelihood of gastric atrophy (common and often silent in thyroid disease), which makes it harder to absorb B12. 'Diogenes' aka Dr John Midgley, scientist and advisor to TUK posted this research a while ago. It highlights the progression of autoimmune thyroid disease through the deterioration of gastric mucosa, leading to B12def./PA :

journal.frontiersin.org/art...

I, personally, found B12 symptoms to be far more subtle than Hashi's. They creep up slowly over time and symptoms may not be recognised (may be put down to the aging process) or tested until the lack of sufficient B12 begins to affect the myelin surrounding the nerves of the spinal cord thus beginning the more severe neurological symptoms that affect the brain, balance andproprioception, mood, mouth, eyes, ears, muscles, fingers, toes, legs, i.e. the peripheral nerves, eventually raising homocysteine to a dangerous level that risks cardiac and vascular disease, strokes, dementia etc.

........................

PS.

I also found good advice from Izabella Wentz, pharmacist and thyroid specialist 🤗 :

Methylfolate best as if you have MTHFR gene, folic acid is not well absorbed.

Ferritin - def. causes shortness of breath, insomnia - optimal range 90-110 no/ml

Vitamin D - for energy - optimal range 60-80

Zinc - optimal range 70-90 up - deficiency impairs wound healing.

Selenium - 200-400 mcg per day - reduces antibodies and anxiety.

Thiamine (vitamin B1) - fatigue support - 600 milligrams per day.

Important to improve gut health. Remove gluten and, if appropriate, dairy. Eat more protein, limit carbs and increase good fat.

TESTS : TSH, FreeT3, Free T4, Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies (TPO), Thyroglobin antibodies (TG), Reverse T3

Good luck for better health and finding answers Vonni 🙂

Hi Vonni7. Afraid I'm a bit of a thyroid dunce so can't really help you on that score. However, see Polaris has left some really good replies for you, so hope that helps.

Also - there's a thyroid forum here on HU and the members there are also extremely knowledgable and always happy to help. Might be worth posting your blood results and questions there. Here's a link to that forum:

healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk

Good luck 👍

Have you "spoken" to Marz and Helvella on the HU Thyroid forum? They are mega knowledgeable and very helpful - although can be spread a bit thin by all the need for help. Polaris and Gambit62 on here too are very knowledgeable about thyroid problems - and may have "spoken" to you further down about it - I haven't read all the replies.