As you might remember from my other posts I had a B12 result from the 15th of November that was 155. By the time I got to the doctor and because of problems to get my shots etc I started on B12 oral spray on the 9th of december. On the 14th I went to have more bloods because I wanted them to check my folate levels and also asked for several other things to be checked including my B12 again. Well my B12 has come back at 422, is this possible after only 4 days of using the spray? I I didn't actually use it on the day of the test.
Other that that
Ferritin 26.6 (4.63-204)
Folic Acid 6.1 (3.1-20.5)
B12 422 (187-883)
Monocites 9.6 (1-9)
RDW 19 (9-18.5)
Copper 57.45 (64-165)
Zinc (65-150)
Ceruloplasmine 19.1 (20-50)
Vitamin D 20 (9.4-52.4)
Potassium 3.8 (3.5-5.1)
At the moment I'm taking B12, Iron, Vit D and a probiotics.
Any thoughts?? Any suggestions??
Thank you!!!
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Sasical
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Supplementing B12 can certainly skew results. Ferritin and Folate are low.
If the measurement for VitD is ng/L then a good result is 60. If the measurement is pmol/L then 100+ is good. How much VitD are you taking and for how long. VitD is fat soluble and best taken with a meal containing good fats. Also important co-factors - magnesium and VitK2-MK7.
Are you taking VitC with iron - to aid absorption ? How long have you been taking iron ?
grassrootshealth.net would suggest 4000 iu's daily of VitD. There is a chart on their website with suggested doses according to results. Don't forget the co-factors mentioned above ! Testing VitD at the end of winter would be good and if levels have improved you could reduce to a lower dose.
I was thinking with my Thyroid UK hat on when I mentioned your Folate , where it is mentioned to have Folate around mid-range. Taking a good B Complex would keep all your B's in balance including Folate.
Copper is not something I know a great deal about so perhaps research on-line.
If she has a B12 problem other than absorption or pernicious anemia, then just getting B12 into the bloodstream might not be sufficient.
My B12 levels rose after taking sublinguals, but I still had clear neurological symptoms until I tried B12 injections. I'm assuming I don't have PA although I'm not sure (negative intrinsic factor Ab, positive parietal cell Ab; but tested after taking B12 sublinguals for years).
The body cannot possibly tell the difference between B12 in the blood from an injections or from pills. If the blood levels are the same then there can be no difference.
I too used to think that if serum levels are high and MMA is low, the problem can't be B12. And almost all references online say that B12 sublinguals are as good as injections. This information delayed my treatment for a long time.
Over fifteen years I experimented and searched. The amount of time I spent researching, and money I spent on tests and supplements, was significant. I was tired, tingly, and exhausted. Large and frequent doses of B12 sublinguals helped but they didn't cure me. I had thought that my problem must not be from B12, because I'd fixed my 12 levels with sublinguals. If someone had told me fifteen years ago to try a single B12 shot, it would have changed my life.
Thank goodness for stichtingb12tekort.nl/weten... "As there is no ‘golden’ test, patients with clear neurological symptoms, and no other obvious cause for those problems, should be treated with B12 injections." When I read that, I decided to hunt down a clinic, spend $35, and get a B12 shot even though it would be a waste of time and money.
With my first B12 injection I had visual field brightening, changes in prioreception, a metallic taste, and a headache. And the exhaustion lifted for a few hours.
So, at least for some people, injections are needed to heal damaged nerves.
While I am unbelievably grateful and relieved to have found a treatment, I still don't know the root cause.
Right now I have to inject 1ml hydroxocobalamin weekly or my symptoms start coming back.
I don't think I'm the only one with mystery B12 problems. My neurologist, after ruling out a brain tumor and MS, mentioned that they are able to find a cause for paresthesia/neuropathy symptoms in only half their patients.
it takes time to figure out what our body needs, keep searching
shots are easy,,,, If I can do them ANYONE can!!
There's a specific type of anemia that's triggered by a B12 deficiency. Called pernicious (which means "dangerous," because it was potentially life-threatening in the past) anemia, it is a red blood cell deficiency that happens when the stomach doesn't make enough of a protein called " intrinsic factor", which helps the intestine absorb B12,
Lack of intrinsic factor may be due to an autoimmune reaction in which your immune system mistakenly attacks the stomach cells that produce it. Vitamin B-12 deficiency anemia caused by a lack of intrinsic factor is called pernicious anemia
Pernicious anemia can be the result of an autoimmune issue, a problem with the stomach lining, or even a congenital condition passed down through families. Treatment usually involves B12 shots, possibly combined with supplements
Cooper deficiency can apparently give symptoms similar to b12 deficiency, so you should probably do something about that. Copper competes with zinc, but I think you forgot to include the zinc value above, I can only see the reference range.
Good news: Dark chocolate is said to rich in copper, which gives you a great excuse for eating as much chocolate as you wish during the holidays.
You're clearly absorbing B12 without injections, or your level would not have risen.
Your ferritin is normal.
It's worth bearing in mind that the 'normal ranges', or 'reference ranges' tend to be 95% confidence limits, so one in twenty folks, whilst being outside the range, are probably normal. [It's rather more complicated than that, but that's near enough!] Often, ranges quoted by laboratories are not updated when methods change, so it's usually better to follow the advice of your doctor as to whether you need treatment.
You haven't mentioned what your symptoms are. If you have neurological symptoms of B12 deficiency then some people do not respond to the levels of serum B12 offered by oral supplements. Instead, they need the loading injections to raise the level above the normal range in order to address the clinical symptoms.
Well the problem is that I had neuro symptoms from before related to something else. I had an axonal sensitive polyneuropathy although my last emg came back clear after 4 years. I have occasionaly had pins and needles but my main symptoms are muscle stiffnes, difficulty walking and loo related problems. Again these are things I have had for some years now. Ever since I took a medication and had what they call here a "toxic reaction", I woke up one day and couldn't walk, apart from that my hair was falling out, I had difficulty breathing, speaking, I couldn't stand noise, light. I spent 7 months in bed and after that I started to VERY slowly improve. I was given a strong vit B oral supplement by the neuro. But after about a year or year and a half my B6 was too high so they stopped it. Since then I have been slowly getting worse again. That is when I was retested and my B12 was 155. I've looked at past bloods and it was generally in the 200's or 300's. At the beginning of taken the oral B vits it got up to the 600's.
"As there is no ‘golden’ test, patients with clear neurological symptoms, and no other obvious cause for those problems, should be treated with B12 injections. When clinical improvement occurs the treatment should be continued. There are numerous stories of patients who have benefited from B12 treatment, despite normal blood results."
My B12 was in the 300ish pg/ml range (while taking B-complex), and I still developed neurological symptoms (tingling, exhaustion, balance, IBS). I had symptoms for over 15 years, tried everything, finally tried B12 shots which have resolved 98% of my symptoms. Prior to injections, I used high doses of daily sublingual B12 for years, which resolved about 30% of my symptoms. My symptoms would improve and get worse, improve and get worse. My normal B12 blood tests kept me from trying injections for many years... wish now I had just tried them at the beginning. You can get B12 shots at doctor's clinics and even weight-loss clinics.
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Finally got Blood Test Results.... not B12, then ?
Some Blood Results are in...? Hmmm,,...?
