Half way through loading

[Suncliff]

I had problems with my GP so I decided to self inject. I am now half way through ‘loading’.

I was feeling very poorly and didn’t have enough energy to inject myself so my husband had to help me.

I decided to inject every other day for three weeks then review my progress. My symptoms were so vast and varied I wrote a list to help me assess any changes. This has been so helpful.

So far there have been a few changes but nothing dramatic. The dizziness, which was extreme at times, has definitely improved. The severe stomach pains have gone. I am less itchy and the condition of my scalp is improving. In turn my sleep pattern and quality is better.

Considering I’ve only been doing this for a couple of weeks I suppose this amounts to a success however it feels slow and subtle. I am concerned that the progress might be temporary or maybe imagined. I think my GP’s response has undermined my trust in my own assessment of my condition.

I suppose I expected an instant response and that didn’t happen but what is happening., although less dramatic, is gentle and manageable.

I think I am looking at a long recovery time but I can see improvement and a way out of the situation.

I am looking at other deficiencies and i’ve Started taking a multivitamin but I probably need to tweak it a bit. I also try to drink more water since I think I was dehydrated but when you’re low on energy even drinking water can be just too much.

Thank you to all the contributors on this site. Your stories and advice were invaluable and I would never have got started with out you. I will post again towards the end of the three weeks.

[clivealive Forum Support]

Well done Suncliff for taking the bull by the horns and yes, it is a good idea to list and mark off any improvements in your symptoms.

Personally I have taken 1 – Folic Acid 400μg tablet every day for more years than I can remember.

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.

[pvanderaa]

Congratulations. Keep up with your list, whick I call a logbook, and try to assess your own severity score the same time each day, or at the worst point each day.

Treat the jab as day zero each cycle and you will see a pattern and sequence of symptoms repeat over 3 days following the injection. I call it the roller coaster ride.

You can use this pattern to assess how you are improving over months and years. The peaks get lower and the troughs fill in. The repair of nerve damage is very slow.

Also look at taking up to 5 mg of folic acid to supplement the B12 and support nerve repair.

The logbook helps remembering over this long period as long as you make the severity assessment yourself. Short term memory loss was one of my symptoms so the logbook was essential for me.

You will not notice symptoms sometimes and then realize they are gone. This awareness that the symptom has disappeared can also occur only when they show up again.

Also give your list to your GP every visit and ask for it to be included in their records. Helps convince them that you are improving from the B12.