Vit D & B12 low/borderline. Ferritin Very low, Iron deficient

[powderpuffgosh]

Hi, I have been struggling to get myself out of the low/borderline/deficient levels. I am taking a cocktail of Preg Omega Plus supplements, as well as VitB12, biotin and Iron. although not everyday.

I have have 2 IV drips at the beginning of the year ( Vit cocktail) to improve my levels, but Iam still on the low side of everything. My hair is falling out, I am low on energy, but have managed a few short runs 3-5km 1 -2 times per week.

I have been vegetarian for 25 years, I eat fish/eggs/dairy. In my 40's, with twin girls aged 5.

I don't fully understand the connection between the low levels and the inability to adsorb certain vitamins without other elements being present.

What do I need to eat to get my body to absorb what I need. I really hate taking a handful of pills, and would rather have a handful of veg/etc to get what I need.

[Meblue]

I’m a long term vegetarian too and don’t like taking pills either. Right now for B12 I’m eating multi grain Cheerios (100 percent b12) with milk, 2 glasses of silk soy milk a day (120 percent b12, one cup of yogurt, a couple eggs. I figure I’m getting 12 mcg per day with that. Vitamin D I’m in the sun a lot every day. Folate from the cereal, orange juice and salads. All other b vitamins are in the cereal too.

[powderpuffgosh in reply to Meblue]

thank you Meblue, I must say I am not a cereal person, but I do have 2 eggs almost daily, and I drink almond milk. I live in South Africa so the D Vit D shouldnt be an issue, I dont use sunblock on a daily basis, so have no idea why that, of all things, should be so low

[Meblue in reply to powderpuffgosh]

Is the almond milk b12 fortified? How much are you drinking? Two eggs will only get you about 1.2 mcg if that and you will need lots more than that if you are deficient. I would suggest you try to get things like yogurt and other dairy to add into your diet. Yogurt and milk have pretty high levels of b12 also.

[powderpuffgosh in reply to Meblue]

Thank you for that info, I don't drink enough milk, I have one almond milk tea once in a blue moon. I will increase the yoghurt and milk! Thank you!!

[Meblue in reply to powderpuffgosh]

I’ve found that I tolerate the yogurt better than milk (the taste of milk always grossed me out, so I can only do the milk in cereal). I’ve been trying pretty hard to do these combinations every day and I’m going to test my levels again to see if there is any change. Maybe if you add some more things, test your levels in a couple months and that maybe will do it for you. As far as the vitamin D, if you get enough sun, I don’t know what to try except the supplements. I’m surprised my vitamin D was normal because I don’t take supplements and I live in the north and only get suntan for about 3 months of the year. Everybody is different, that’s for sure.

[Meblue in reply to powderpuffgosh]

Oh, also, you can go online and look up how much b12 is in foods and you will find that yogurt has about 1.4 mcg and milk has about 1.1. You need 2.4 every day just to keep even, so to get levels up you will need probably more than that.

[powderpuffgosh in reply to Meblue]

yes, I will definitely do that now. Thank you for all your help

[ThePATexan]

How is your blood pressure?

[powderpuffgosh in reply to ThePATexan]

usually quite low. I haven't had a reading for a while

[ThePATexan in reply to powderpuffgosh]

I feel so much for you. What you are describing sounds like the road in the earlier parts of my journey. One of the most helpful things in my diagnosis was seeing doctors who recognized that understood if your levels aren’t improving, something has to be using them up rapidly in your system. It’s not as likely that your body isn’t absorbing THAT many different vitamins and minerals. Getting over that hump in my journey took over 15 years of searching. I’m not sure what the healthcare system is like in South Africa. Do you have the option of seeing a different doctor?

[powderpuffgosh in reply to ThePATexan]

I can go to any dr, I just feel the GP's (I have been to 3 different ones) don't find these results to worrying. My best Medical professional was my acupuncturist, he was the one that made me go for the bloods. He was the one that flagged the deficiencies and gave me a list of supplements I should be taking, the GP got the same results and said I was within range. Can you share your journey? What is the outcome? What did you do to get better? What would be using up my reserves like that?

[ThePATexan in reply to powderpuffgosh]

It is dehumanizing to have doctors dismiss legitimate concerns and not search for the origin. I’m not sure if my journey will be much consolation, except that I do have a true diagnosis where not only the tests show it, but it all fits. I have had many misdiagnoses through the years. Don’t let the count of 3 docs discourage you. Within the last year I have seen more than 20 specialists. You REALLY have to be your own biggest advocate though. I think the most helpful advice I have found is to call a prospective physicians office before you make an appointment or share your information to inquire of their knowledge of dysautonomic conditions plus their experience and comfort level treating those patients. That helped me avoid many pointless new patient visits that take so much out of us, including needed hope. As far as my journey in diagnoses, both proper and incorrect, I first starting having issues that effected daily life in 2000. I was lucky to see an Electrophysiologist who had trained with Dr. Raj in his early research at Vanderbilt on Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). He recognized the symptoms I was having and did a Tilt Table Test in which I didn’t just pass out, my heart stopped. The treatment made a significant difference and lasted until late 2005. I started having symptoms again, but they were much worse (similar to yours, severe migraines with almost constant nausea, lightheaded, tired, etc.) and had to go to the ED several times. I got a gastroenterologist on one visit who sent me for a HITA scan that showed my gallbladder was toxic and had emergency surgery to remove it. I never seemed to be able to completely recover. I would get sick easily, which hadn’t been the case before. Chronic idiopathic cough & fevers that gradually worsened with time. Over the next few years I had to have an appendectomy, tonsillectomy, hysterectomy and cardiac implant with recurring DVTs and PEs and still no answer to the cause of it all. I had a new and disturbing pattern of coding after all of my surgeries which led to the implant. Doctors would run a few tests then seem to give up on me, make me feel like a hypochondriac when I was really suffering. Finally a sharp doctor & anesthesiologist recognized the pattern of Dysautonomia that led me back to Vanderbilt. They suspected a condition called Mast Cell Activation Disorder (MCAD) but after months of testing, it was determined that wasn’t it. At this time I started having seizures that turned into a severe movement disorder with dystonia and chorea. I lost my voice, the ability to walk and my sight. Terrified did not begin to describe my state. ED visits were a pointless waste of money. During all of this, I had begun passing out multiple times a day. It all seemed to have no rhyme or reason. I would have insomnia and not sleep for days or I might pass out and sleep for 15 hours. When I would wake up from a long sleep, I would regain my sight and ability to walk, though very shaky. I don’t promote this, but I had all but given up on the medical system so I started using all of the time I could see and think clear enough to research it myself. I pored through hundreds of medical journal research studies. I started SI on my own to see if I could reverse as much nerve damage as possible if I could. It took almost 2 months, but I have restored my vision (but it still starts to get worse when I get low) and can walk even though it is still quite shaky. There was a multitude of vitamins and minerals I had to start supplementing along the way, but I was dedicated and determined to do something before it was the end of me. From my research, I was prepared for it to take a very long time if it could be repaired. Along the way, a movement disorder specialist referred me to an amazing cardiologist that was the first doctor I met who treated me in a way that I immediately knew was different than any doctor I had ever seen. He referred me to several specialists through the last 18 months, but always stayed with me and directed me through a series of diagnoses that he used to find what condition was causing them in the end. He eventually found Non-Convulsive Epilepsy, potentially fatal sinus arrhythmias, pernicious anemia, vitamin D deficiency, Folic Acid Deficiency, Peripheral Neuropathy, atherosclerosis of carotid arteries and about a dozen other secondary conditions. During this process my blood pressure started to get high until it became a hypertensive crisis. He suspected Pheochromocytoma, tested immediately and got a staggeringly high positive test. It is a mixed feeling. At least I know what is causing my distress, but it is so rare there are very few doctors that are experienced at removal. So I have a condition that needs urgent action and still have 2 more weeks before the specialist can see me. This leaves me in the middle of my journey, trying not to stress so I don’t raise my catecholamine levels even more and so anxious to get past this. I hope there is something in this that may help you get to your healthier self much faster. A great thing that the doctor from Vanderbilt that stuck with me and helped me stay with it was “This group of conditions is so rare and not well known. You do not need a doctor that treats your condition, you need a doctor that is willing to learn.” Those words gave me a much better perspective to approach my care and directly led me to doctors willing to help me get the help I needed. I wish you the same!

[powderpuffgosh in reply to ThePATexan]

Wow! I had to google search most of that. Sounds like you had an extremely tough time.

Well done on taking on the research for yourself. All the info is out there, its just a matter of having an impartial viewpoint until you get all the facts.

Wishing you all the best for the next 2 weeks until you get to see your specialist. hopefully he/she will be the one to get you back to living your best, pain-free, happy, lovely life.