Actions that have helped my fatigue other than B12 shots

[cdragin]

I recently did two things that seem, thus far, to have made a huge difference in my energy level. I'd been tracking my energy level, and discovered that it has little correlation to my cyanocobalamin injections. I was increasing my jabs to 2-3x/week with little, if any, improvement, so I looked into cofactors.

My folate level tested as fine (and my B12 level through the roof), but I thought I'd give methylfolate a try instead of folic acid. The difference was noticeable and immediate. Instead of my energy level bouncing all over the place from day to day and hour to hour, I now have fairly steady energy.

The other thing I tried to do was increase my potassium and magnesium through diet. I already have at least one banana a day, so I started drinking tomato juice. It took me a while to realize what was going on, but it also made a dramatic difference -- for the worse. I went from having normal bowels to horrid sludge, and crashing fatigue in the afternoons. As an experiment, I went without any nightshade vegetables, and felt better after a couple of days. Over Christmas, I had some tomato and potato dishes, and again, my energy level began to waver.

So now I'm avoiding nightshades and taking methylfolate daily. For the first time in years, I went an entire month without feeling the need for a B12 shot. This has allowed me to have the energy to walk every morning, which I find has improved my insomnia, which has in turn helped my energy levels. On nights when I feel like I may not be sleepy enough, I've been taking epsom salts baths. I'm not 100% convinced that magnesium can be absorbed transdermally, but it's a helpful bedtime ritual regardless.

In the 7 years I've been suffering from fatigue, there have been times I've thought it was behind me, only to crash again. So a month from now I may be on here saying, "Oh....never mind..." But somehow this does feel different.

The other thing I'm doing moving forward is to NOT get too ambitious about exercise. I've bought a fitness tracker, and I'm trying to make sure that I get plenty of moderate exercise, but avoiding vigorous exercise by keeping my heart rate in check. So when I walk the hills around here, I take them slowly. And I'm not even going to attempt running, or high-intensity interval training, because in the past my fitness ambitions have led to crashes. I'm keeping it slow and steady.

I'm crossing my fingers for a fatigue-free 2019!

[fbirder]

Good to hear you’re sorting things out.

Do you have any problems with other fruit juices? I have a similar reaction to what you describe if I consume anything with a lot of fructose in it - most fruit juices, very ripe bananas, fever tree tonic water, strawberry and lime gin - all are verboten.

[cdragin in reply to fbirder]

Yes, oddly enough. I can eat an apple or a pineapple, but apple juice and pineapple juice upset my stomach so much I'll double over in pain. So maybe it's simply tomato JUICE that is too much? I'm continuing to track my consumption...sometimes it's unavoidable, e.g. at a Thai or Mexican restaurant where there are peppers in everything...but my plan is that once I've had a few good weeks under my belt, to try a big glass of tomato juice and see how it affects me.

[fbirder in reply to cdragin]

I'm going through a similar process. I noticed I was getting nasty effects about 10 hours after drinking mango juice. Then I tried grapefruit juice - ditto. So I went on to tonic water as that couldn't do anything - I thought. I decided that I'd upgrade to Fever Tree tonic, instead of my normal Tesco Lo-Cal. The same effect! Then I looked at the contents - after water was fructose.

I've added malt loaf, mince pies, the banoffee pie at the local pub and strawberry and lime gin to the list of verboten foods.

I have a bottle of Big Tom tomato juice which doesn't list any added sugars. Perhaps I'll try a couple of Bloody Marys this weekend.

Tomatoes are interesting in that, although they contain fructose, they contain about equal amounts of glucose. And glucose helps the absorption of fructose. So it's foods with a high fructose:glucose ratio that I can't handle.

[Nackapan]

Sounds very positive. Potato on its own always messes with my blood sugar levels. I eat it with fat or cheese or both and then it is fine as well as eating the skin. Same with tomato or any juice as it's full of sugar so again blood sugars will spike then fall. Nutrition is often so individual. Really pleased you've found something ythat's working for you.