feeling ill!

[MM01]

I have been diagnosed this year with Pernicious Anaemia after a slow decline of my body and mental state. It got so bad that I was losing my hair, my vision was getting distorted, really bad moods,extreme fatigue then extreme insomnia as well as my stomach always bloated and sore. All these symptoms and more started to affect all my life and my marriage. I am on week 10 now after my first 5 bump up injections and I'm starting to feel quite ill again. I have my injection next friday but my stomach is getting really sore and painful to the point i don't want to eat.

Can you tell me what I can do to top myself up with the B12? Is the mouth spray good? I also have Late onset Asthma so I'm not sure about sprays in the mouth. I take Seretide 250 every morning and night for asthma. Please help?

[clivealive Forum Support]

Hi MM01 With your P.A and your ongoing neurological symptoms you should be having injections every eight weeks not the twelve you appear to be on.

Go back to your doctor and request your schedule to be as stated in the N.I.C.E Guidelines on the Treatment of Vitamin B12 Deficiency.

Click on the link, then on "Scenario: Management" and scroll down to "Treatment for B12 deficiency"

google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j...

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.

If possible take someone with you who can validate your neurological symptoms as the doctor is less likely to pooh pooh you in front of a witness.

I am not saying that this is an easy thing to do but try to stay calm, write out what you want to say and keep to the script and be confident that you are "in the right" and your facts are correct.

I am not a medically trained person but I've had Pernicious Anaemia (one of many causes of B12 deficiency) for more than 46 years.

I wish you well.

[MM01 in reply to clivealive]

Hi clivealive

Thank you very much for your help. I will look into your suggestion. I had blood tests done the other week to check if my levels had dropped down but they had been stable. This week I'm just feeling the signs getting worse suddenly. It's a shock to my system again after feeling quite good. Where i live on an island we don't have a proper GP it's just Locums every time you go, which is never good, so trying to get across how you feel can be frustrating!!

Thanks again

Hope you are also well.

[clivealive Forum Support in reply to MM01]

I suggest you ask the locum to look at the link to validate your request for more frequent injections - I'm presuming you are in the U.K.

Thank you for your kind wishes - yes I'm still "clivealive" aged 77

[Marz]

Am wondering if some of your symptoms are linked to low thyroid - which can happen. PA is auto-immune as is Hashimotos - so am hoping you have had the correct thyroid testing. Low Iron can cause hairloss so testing Ferritin woukd be helpful - also VitD. Ferritin is good mid-range and VitD around 100 ...