Anyone From Canada I can talk to since measurements are different

[Imissmydad]

Hey is there anyone here I can speak to that belong from Canada. Just different measurements on blood tests and the fact in Canada I’ve never had a vitamin D Defiency Test because it costs money? And I know my ferritin level in Canadian measurement has always been around 30. Is that different then folate Test. By the way I found my Neuroogist that diagnosed me 26 years ago. I am praying I could get some answers. Cause with no injections really after 5 years which first year I was actually receiving 3 injections. And then things turned over to my doctor and no maintenance I just forgot I had it but sure would explain the horrible irreversible symptoms I’ve had over the years but I’ve posted on here last 4 months my brain and body are crashing. Where can I get my own b12 and needles cause my gp who is now new just looks at me with my list and basically looks at me like I’m crazy. Can I have. List of tests because I was told I had no IF that’s why I never took B12 pills I would just ask doctor when levels were low if I could please have shots. She would do that for me since my levels were around 75. I have to be my own advocate before I had no vision left and can’t walk or fall when I try too walk and confusion gets to a point of who am I

[boru]

You can walk into any shoppers and buy b12 over the counter with needles. It’s cyancobalamin, not the best type of b12 but will do the trick. See a naturalpath if your family doctor is not helping. Plenty of good supplements at shoppers as well- folate, vitamin d with omega 3...

[Imissmydad in reply to boru]

I had to get a prescription before for needles and then they said they don’t do that anymore?

[boru in reply to Imissmydad]

Don’t need a prescription for needles or b12 in Canada. I have purchased many times. Go to different shoppers or other pharmacy if someone is causing you problems at your local one or just put foot down and insist

[boru in reply to boru]

You have to pay but it’s not much. 20 dollars for b12 and needles, another 5 bucks for alcohol swabs...

[fbirder in reply to boru]

Nothing wrong with cyanocobalamin. Not quite as good as hydroxocobalamin, better than methylcobalamin.

[Polaris in reply to fbirder]

We're all different and what works for some does not always work for others:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

"Methylcobalamin (MeCbl), the activated form of vitamin B12, has been used to treat some nutritional diseases and other diseases in clinic, such as Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. As an auxiliary agent, it exerts neuronal protection by promoting regeneration of injured nerves and antagonizing glutamate-induced neurotoxicity."

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

" All but one (93%) of the Good responders were treated with methylcobalamin, while a significantly high proportion (43%) of Mild responders were using hydroxocobalamin (p<0.03). Moreover, Good responders had on average been treated with injections more frequently (interval 3.8±1.9 days) than Mild responders (interval 5.8±1.7 days). This difference was significant (p<0.03)."

[fbirder]

See this post in reference to methyl v other forms of cobalamin

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Note: edited by admin

[Plucky1976]

Hi! I’m from Ontario but I can’t get over the fact that they would allow you to get that low. 75? That’s crazy! First off yes ferritin and folate are 2 different things and you need both checked. Once you start b12 injections it is pointless to have it checked so I would have it done before your initial injection. 30 is on the lower end for ferritin. I was at 100 but my iron and iron saturation were low. You want to make sure they are ok too. It is best once you have everything tested to post results here. There are a lot of smart cookies on this site that are more than willing to help you. I know they’ve helped me immensely. Because you are more than likely going to have a lot of repairing to do you will need to have your co factors checked once in a while.

Vitamin D and folate they charge for unless you have a lifelabs where you live in which case that lab does not charge for folate test. Everyone does for D. They will no longer test ferritin and iron on the same day. Ridiculous! So I have my doc give me a separate requisition for ferritin and I go the next day to have that drawn.

Sometimes these docs forget that they work for us and I’m at the point where I walk into my family docs office and tell her I need some things checked.

I myself have tried methylcobalamin and swore I’d never touch it again. Cyanocobalamin works just fine for me. I’ve been doing 3 injection per week for over a year now.

You most certainly can walk into any pharmacy and purchase vials and syringes. THANKFULLY!

Good luck and hope you are feeling better soon!

[Imissmydad]

Thank you I am waiting for rapid assessment team appt where I will have a team I’m praying of every specialist I need. When I was 17 I had the best neurologist Dr. Mazurek he is still in practice but dealing with children and research so not taking patients. I can’t remember any advice or I didn’t realize I needed to stay on injections after I was sent to gp . It was actually forgottten about I never knew the seriousness of this disease but my life has been horrible since and I don’t know if any caused by B12 deficiency. I’ve had 3 miscarriages, severe endometriosis and ovaries removed at 38. I am extremely depressed have been since a jaw surgery I needed at 23 for some bone genetic mutation. I can’t remember but I’ve spent the rest of my life with tons of things go wrong. I had decrease in appetite from severe depression became anorexic on and off for for years. I’ve had migraines so severe and my right eyeball I can’t move from left to right without pain, My bones have significantly loss of bone mineral, constant pain in my stomach I live on gravol and I the dr said I had acid reflux so I was on nexuim for quite awhile and stopped, this was after I had to get my gall bladder and appendix taken out at the age of 26, dental issues, bowels that I would’ve lucky if I had bowel movement in 3 weeks, kidney function mild and lots of infections, never feeling well unless I do energy drinks in the past. As of the last 4 years due to trauma issues my body has taken its toll with severe stress. I live with my parents cause I just don’t have the energy and sleeping all over the road. I have been on so many anti-depressants and some causes physical pain. I’m on Zoloft and my symptoms I just kept saying I was depressed and I didn’t want to live. I felt o hope and I’m at the stages where in last year vision deteriorating but saw a eye dr that says my prescription is still the same. On migraine medication, vertigo, I am scared to have bowel movement because of pain, every muscle weak, swelling in hands and feet, pain from head to toe but my stomach is painful and very swollen. My hip joints feel they are out of socket and my lower back is on fire. I can’t get up a flight of stairs without shortness of breath. The only place I can feel less pain is laying down with Tylenol. I never researched this I do remember when I would get sick my b12 was low enough that my gp did try to boost it up with injections. Not too much to remember my memory is mush. I’m talking I can remember something for like 10 seconds. Forget passwords for me cause I have to reset everyday. I feel like I’m dying I know there’s depresssion and then there’s something else going on in my head. Because of plates from jaw surgery I can’t get MRI???? I need one desperately . Going to emergency all these years for so much they start to invalidate you and I say forget it. They just look at my B12 level which is around 500 but researching more that could be false normal because of other medications. So many antibiotics from back to back to back bladder and kidney infections and I take Zantac or I will vomit. I’m falling apart and sick of our medical system because you can go in with only the symptom you are having pain with but it’s hard to say which symptom and naming all of this off they simply say we only deal with what your issue is now. What if they are all connected which they are. I lost my dad who I cared for as much as I could as my symptoms were getting in the way and lost him to ALS on Oct 27th. So much stress and anxiety I just want silence and no pain. 😢