active b12 tests?

[WilfriedZaha]

hi all, wondering the accuracy of active b12 tests? also, where can i pick these up that are reliable in the uk? thank you :))) x

[Mancity1234]

I had mine done at medichecks and could not fault them

[WilfriedZaha in reply to Mancity1234]

thanks, were they accurate / reliable?

[Mancity1234 in reply to WilfriedZaha]

I had nhs blood vit d taken and advice on here was to get more tests done, so rather than pick individual tests on medichecks it worked out cheaper to get a panel of tests done which again included vit d and comparing it with nhs result it was within 00.01 nmol or pmol not sure the exact one now

hope that helps I’m sure there are others that have used different company’s also that was just my choice

[WilfriedZaha in reply to Mancity1234]

perfect thank you very much!

[Mancity1234]

Follow the instructions carefully some tests can be done via pin prick at home or others require blood sample taking for one of my medichecks I paid £25 to have it drawn at a local nhs hospital blood dept close to me but you pay medichecks for that and they give you a piece of paper to take in grab a ticket wait your turn as normal oh and take the kit with you 👍🏻

[Sanders1]

I'm from the USA where we do not have an active B12 test. But I was able to have the test done through Viapath in London.

[EAPLind in reply to Sanders1]

I have wanted to have this test done, but as you say...it is not offered in the US. Would you please give me the specifics of how to get this done via Viapath in London. Thank you for any assistance.

[helvella in reply to EAPLind]

It appears that Siemens has a licence for the Active B12 tests and (potentially) have it available - though the superscript 1 means under development, not for sale. Note: this is a specific USA link:

usa.healthcare.siemens.com/...

[Sanders1 in reply to helvella]

I already tried Siemens. They do not have it available and didn't know where I could get it done. I called multiple departments within their company.

[Sanders1 in reply to EAPLind]

EAPLind it is a little complex.

[Personal email address redacted by Admin to protect personal identity / safeguarding issue etc.]

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to Sanders1]

Sanders1. For your protection, I've redacted the personal email address you included in your reply to EAPLind . For privacy and safeguarding issues / concerns, it's against forum guidelines and therefore not permisssble to post this information in the open forum. (Unless locked, these post are live streamed across the internet and can also be found via internet search functions).

If you wish to exchange information of this kind, you can do so via the private messsage/chat function.

👍

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to EAPLind]

EAPLind. Here's the link to Viapath (UK)...

viapath.co.uk

👍

[pgw1000]

I did my test at home using a Active B12 kit from Blue Horizon. It's a finger prick (more like Lance) test, that you do and then send back to them. You get a simple levels result and test range email back. I emailed them after the test result came through asking for an opinion on PA. I'm now receiving B12 injections through my GP. I should mention that I'm a bit squeamish with blood, and must admit filling the 2cm tall test tube with blood was a bit of a challenge for me. So, keep this in mind if you too struggle with drawing blood. It's odd really, I go regularly to the hospital for injections directly into my eyeball for another issue, and this doesn't bother me. But having blood taken makes me nearly pass out.

[WilfriedZaha in reply to pgw1000]

thanks, i might do that as its much easier. are they accurate? did u purchase the cheapest injection available? also what were your symptoms out of curiosity, and most importantly how are you now?!

[pgw1000]

I believe they are quite accurate. The test range was 25.1 - 165 pmol/L. I came in at 45 pmol/L. Which was I believe in the indeterminate range according to my research (35 - 75 pmol/L). At £59.00, test wasn't the cheapest I found on line, but I felt it was a more professional company. As for my symptoms, well they're are too many the list to be honest. I suppose the more troubling ones are extreme exhaustion/fatigue, (diagnosed with ME/CFS and Depression); anxiety attacks, pain in many areas of my body, pins & needles and numbness in fingers and toes; breathlessness, heart palpitations, sleep disturbances and night sweats; and a good few others. As for how I am now, well I had the last of my five loading dose B12 injections about 6 weeks ago and I'll be having my first maintenance dose early January. Within a couple of days of the fifth dose, my nights sweat dissapeared, and I've had none since. The breathlessness is still there, but not as bad. Anxiety attacks happen less often and I'm more in control of them. All of this is of course fantastic news for me, but I can't help but wonder if I'd benefit from another couple of sets of the loading dose before the the three monthly maintenance set. This is my next mission. Im going to ask my GP's opinion on this next week. Hope you get sorted out soon.

[WilfriedZaha in reply to pgw1000]

glad youre feeling a bit better. so you just showed the result to your GP and they said they will give you loading doses? do you know what their ranges are for you to be allowed the injections at all? my GP's are a bit difficult...

[pgw1000]

Not that easy I'm afraid. It was more like trying to educate my GP first. I had to do a lot of research first. Ive been going to the gps for over ten years with an increasing list of symptoms and had many, many test done over that time. I had blood test after blood test, seen diffent specialists and had CT and MRI scans done. I was assessed for MS and other ailments too before being diagnosed with ME/CFS about three years ago. A diagnosis that just didn't seem right. Last year I had an Eye Stroke (retinal vein occlusion) meaning I lost a little sight in that eye (hence the eyeball injections), and I began researching my symptoms and eventually had the active b12 done. The result of the test made me do more research. When the same thing happened in my other eye, I asked my eye doctor what his view was of Anaemia causing this and spoke to him about my other sysptoms and my research. He agreed that Anaemia can cause issues with small blood vessels. So, with that opinion, my test results, printed key areas of my research and a list compiled of the symptoms that I'd reported over the years, it was off the my GP's. I found that the list of previously reported symptoms was one of the most useful things I showed him. To be fair, it'd of taken him a month of Sundays to go through my file , remember every symptom in there and make a diagnosis. So, the list very much helped with this.

[WilfriedZaha in reply to pgw1000]

okay thank you, you have me a bit worried as my eyes have been bloodshot for 4 ish months now with eye floaters, possibly due to the fatigue, but i will definitely be getting active b12 done. thank you so much

[pgw1000]

Try not to worry about your eyes. When I had the RVO, I could see it very clearly in my vision, so you'd know if you had one. Hope you get sorted soon. Good luck