B12 of *208 pmol/L 25.1 - 165 ... - Pernicious Anaemi...

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B12 of *208 pmol/L 25.1 - 165 . 0 Please Help

xeena profile image
39 Replies

Hi there - i went to see a private doctor who charged me £200-00 for a ten minute appointment to have my blood tested - my B12 came back as per the above and my vitamin D is *15 - pmol/L 50 - 200 - with a parathyroid * 12.8 - pmol/L 1.6 - 6.9 can anyone shed a light on these results - there are more that are highlighted and the GP has said i must go and see him immediately - but i cannot afford to and i do not have a nhs gp - the private GP asked if i was taking anything like vitamins or B12 which i am not - i had my last B12 injection on the 3rd October 2019 and was told to leave the surgery by letter the following day 4/10/2019 - any help with these would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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xeena
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39 Replies
fbirder profile image
fbirder

Your B12 test is way above the top of the range. The doctor is worried about this because you told him you are not taking B12 supplements, despite the fact that you had an injection a few months ago. It is, almost certainly, this that has caused your raised B12.

But your doctor, who thinks you aren't taking B12, is going to think something else has caused that raised level. And many of the other possibilities are unpleasant and begin with 'C'. That is why the doc wants you to be seen ASAP.

Your vitamin D is a little low. That's to be expected at this time of year and it's why the NHS recommends everybody take a low dose supplement during autumn and winter.

No idea about the parathyroid except that levels can be raised by low vitamin D.

In the meantime - get yourself an NHS GP - nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-se...

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to fbirder

Hi there fbirder - i was on B12 injections at the GP surgery who made me leave - as i have pernicious anemia and have had it for years - i have tried the surgeries that are near me but they do not have parking - and i walk with crutches (only minimal distances) as i am disabled and i have COPD/osteoarthritis and many other ailments - so i cannot walk any distance. The surgery i was at was only five minutes away from my home 0.9 of a mile. There is a surgery in a road and it is the same distance as the other one but there is no parking and it is all red route - so i am scuppered which ever way i try. My vitamin D has always been low as i cannot sit in the sun and do not have a garden. Thank you for your reply and the help - keep well.

fbirder profile image
fbirder in reply to xeena

If your vitamin D is low then you should take supplements,.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to fbirder

Thank you - i will find out which are the best ones to take.

Queeniz profile image
Queeniz

Why were you asked to leave the surgery?

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to Queeniz

I was told by letter that i was not in the catchment area and that they were removing me from the surgery - i had an appointment on the 3rd October 2019 with my GP he was very pleasant and he gave my my B12 injection and told me to make another appointment for the next one - the following morning the letter came in the post telling me i was not with them anymore - the GP must have known this as he is the senior partner - they said i was out of their catchment area - it used to take me five minutes by car to get to the surgery and was 0.9 of a mile from where i live - i was with them for eighteen months and i never asked for home visits. The GP must have known about the letter as it must have been in the post already for it to come that quick on the 4th October 2019. I have been to see a private GP and it cost me £200 pound and he asked me to ring him to make another appointment regarding my blood tests - as i am to ill to go to him he is ringing me this morning and i have to pay over the phone for the appointment which will be £58 pound for ten minutes so i just hope that is all it will take and i will then have to buy my medication that he will probably tell me to get or he might send me a private script that will be £30 pound and then i will have to pay to get it filled. Thank you for your reply to me - keep well.

Queeniz profile image
Queeniz in reply to xeena

Why are you going to a private Gp ? There must be another surgery near you ?

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to Queeniz

Hi there - i am disabled and have to use two crutches to be able to walk - i also have COPD and cannot walk very far and the nearest surgery to me is the same distance as the one i was with and they do not have disabled parking and it is red route all the way along the road and dropped kerbs - i was going to get a mobility scooter but was told no i cannot have one as i live in a flat - albeit a ground floor flat - and other surgeries say i am not in their catchment areas - i have tried everything and get nowhere. Thank you for your comments - very much appreciated.

Queeniz profile image
Queeniz in reply to xeena

That doesn’t make sense my friend is disabled & lives on ground floor and he has a mobility scooter so I don’t know who that you that you can’t have one ?

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to Queeniz

Hi there - it is the housing association that will not allow me to have a mobility scooter as there is nowhere to keep it as i do not have a door to the garden that is outside my lounge window so i have no outside access only through my front door and then another two doors to get through before i can get out of the block of flats and in to the street and scooters are not allowed inside the building for health and safety reasons - i have asked if my lounge window could be made into a door and the H/A refuse so i asked a charity if they could do it and i was told that they could - i waited nearly three months to be told that the H/A still would not let it be done. Thank you for your reply - have a nice day.

palmier profile image
palmier in reply to xeena

Perhaps you could try to contact the GP you saw last time, the one who gave you the injection and told you to make a new appointment, and ask if there has been a mistake sending you the letter to leave the surgery. Sometimes they make mistakes. It could have been meant for someone else.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to palmier

Hi there - when i went to the CAB about this problem - the lady i saw tried to speak to the practice manager but was told that she was not available (usual story) so she spoke to the assistant practice manager who informed her that i was not in their catchment area - she argued the point and said that i was in the area but they were very insistent that i was not. Thank you for the reply. Have a good day.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to palmier

I have rung the surgery and asked to speak to the GP who i used to see - only to be told that as i am not with that surgery any more and no i cannot speak with him and no it is not a mistake that i have been excluded - so i asked to speak to the practice manager and once again was told no - all i keep being told is that i am out of the catchment area - i really do appreciate all the help i am being offered on here - but

i have tried speaking to all the places that should be able to help me and it gets me no where - i still have some places to try on Monday that have been recommended on here - and i have left four new messages for the MP and still no reply. Thank you all for your advice and help. I wish you all well.

xeena profile image
xeena

Hi there - thank you for the reply. I have tried my MP three times i have left messages but he does not get back to me and i have been to the CAB they even rang the surgery and tried to speak to the practice manager but was told that she was not available (just the same as i was always told when i tried to talk to her) i have tried Age Concern - Healthwatch and NHS England - NHS England told me of a surgery that i could go to it was just past the one i used to be at - but when i went along to register with them i was told no - that i am not in the catchment area - the CAB said that i was in the catchment area for the surgery that told me to leave. Have a nice day and thank you.

Showgem profile image
Showgem

It surely would be cheaper to take a taxi to the NHS surgery that is in your catchment area than to pay for private treatment!

I don’t understand why you told the Doctor that you weren’t on medication when you have been having b12 injections at a surgery, no wonder he is worried about your high b12!

Take some vit D as your levels are low and that can cause you to feel awful.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to Showgem

Good morning - i told the doctor that i had not had any medication since the 3rd of October 2019 - that was my last appointment with the surgery i was at - i am looking in to applying for a taxi card but it all takes time. Taxi's are not cheap if you are using them quite often. I have been just received an order of vitamin D and it makes no difference as i am not absorbing due to the fact that i have stage three kidney disease - only one kidney and i have also had my gall bladder removed and that stops absorption of a lot of medication including B12. I have to use taxi's quiet often as i have hospital appointment. Thank you for your comments and have a nice day.

Showgem profile image
Showgem

Hi, I really do sympathise with your situation.

The letter may have been a stock letter sent out by someone not knowing your circumstances. Try to speak to your old GP, perhaps he could make an exception, he may not even have known about the letter.

Failing that a taxi doesn't cost £200 and would still be the cheaper option if you don't know anyone who could drop you off. We have community mini buses/cars in this area that can be booked quite cheaply or free of charge depending on your circumstances, is there anything like that it your area?

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to Showgem

Hi there - thank you for that information - i will get on to it now and find out if there is anything like that in my area - that is really interesting to know - bless you and thank you.

MissKota profile image
MissKota

Hi Xeena, a similar thing happened to me. Check their website, it will show you the catchment area so you will know for sure if their reason is genuine. I would also consider applying for an HC1 certificate if you don’t already have one. They come through fairly quickly and can help with costs towards medical appointments.

In the meantime, keep nagging your MP, make a nuisance of yourself if you have to. Good luck.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to MissKota

Hi there - what is an HC1 certificate please. I have left yet another message for the MP to ring me - so fingers crossed that he will. Thank you for your help.

MissKota profile image
MissKota in reply to xeena

All the info you need is here.

nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-low-incom...

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to MissKota

Hi there again - when i first moved to Surrey in April 2018- i went to this particular surgery and asked if i could join their practice and i was told no as i was out of their area - then after a few days my grandaughter went along and asked them if they would let me join their practice and she had all the required documentation of my name address and photo - just as i had shown when i first went along there - and they said yes i could register with them as i was right on the boundry line and that they could accept that - so she registered me and made me an appointment to see a GP - i went along for my appointment and all has been fine since - i had to have B12 injections and i had my own ampoules of B12 which i took along and they used them for my injections - then suddenly out of the blue in October 2019 i was told i was no longer registered with them as i was out of the area -by letter. I had seen the GP the day before i got the letter but he was jolly and did not say anything to me about it and he told me to make another appointment for my B12 injection - i said okay and we parted in a pleasant manner - so i was totally shocked when i got the letter the next morning after having been with them for at least eighteen months. I am so very sorry that you have had the same experience. Bless you and thank you.

MissKota profile image
MissKota in reply to xeena

I had been with my practice for 16 years when I moved. I informed them and they said it was fine as long as I didn’t need home visits. Everything was okay for another six years and then suddenly, like you, I got a letter saying I was no longer registered with them and to find a new practice.

The ridiculous part is, half my village is in their catchment area and they would have to pass my house to get to it. (Not that I’ve ever had a house call in all the time I was with them)

Thankfully I have found another practice which is actually more proactive in dealing with my various health conditions than they ever were.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to MissKota

Hi there - i am so glad that you found a new GP who sounds better than the one you were with before - i hope that you are getting well again and thank you for all your help. Bless you.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to MissKota

Hi there again - i also did not ask for home visits as they were only five minutes by car from my house and they had disabled parking and they are at the moment still taking on new patients - i wish you good health.

MissKota profile image
MissKota

You are very welcome. We’re all here for the same reason, I think, to help and be helped.

Keeping everything crossed for you.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to MissKota

Yes you are right - it is lovely to help people in their hour of need - i just wish i could help more - but i am not so knowledgable as most people on here - i do what i can when i can - but the people on here are absolutely amazing and i thank each and everyone for the advice and help that they have and still are giving me - have a lovely weekend and keep well.

Canta profile image
Canta

It seems to me that some GPs are clearing their lists of patients who need a bit more attention than the average person. I do hope you can find a practice that can accommodate you. Good luck.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to Canta

Hi - yes i know what you mean. When you get to a certain age and are ill and needing medical intervention then they really are not interested - i never made a nuisance of myself and only went when it was really necessary - thank you so much for the reply - have a lovely weekend.

xeena profile image
xeena

Thank you for this information i will definately give them a try. I search the internet for ways and means of getting help - but always come up with nothing - so hopefully i will get somewhere with this information. So very much appreciated - have a lovely weekend.

LynneG profile image
LynneG

Absolutely shocking support. Please telephone the Patient Service - it is an advocacy service anyone can ring if you are worried about your care/GP /treatment/want to make a complaint etc

Tel no. is 0300 311 22 33 this tel no is just for people having an issue with GP or practice,

I have just phoned the number to make sure that it is correct still since I last phone

It was a very quiet line, so make sure you are somewhere quiet when you ring

They answered NHS Customer Service - so it will be correct. They just keep changing the name of the department!

When you get through to someone to speak to explain your whole story as you have done with us. Make sure before ringing that you have the details written down of the name and address of the practice that you preferred to go to and had gone to for 18 months and then recieved the letter from.

If you have the letter still, it will have the address on and a reference of who sent you the letter. Possibly the practice manager's name etc - all helpful for the person dealing with you

Please ask for the person's name of whom you are speaking to and taking your details down, so you have a contact name, incase someone doesn't phone you back. They will help, don't worry. I have phoned more than once in the past and very nice and very helpful

If there is an automated service where you have to press 1 or 2 3 etc for the dept you want, and you are confused - just press any and that person that you got through to will transfer you to someone who can help

Hope you get the support you need

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to LynneG

Hi there LynneG - thank you for the information - i have written it all down and will ring them on Monday. When i was at the surgery i had just had some blood tests done and the GP said he was sending me to see an endocronologist for parathyroid - but of course it did not get done and in my private test of last Sunday it states my Parathyroid is *12.8 - pmol/L 1.6 - 6.9 - Raised cholesterol * 5.7 mmol/L optimum 5.0 - severe vitamin D deficiency / uric acid * 416 umol/L 175 - 363 / low phosphate *0.81 mmol/ L 0.87 - 1.45 - i know that this is not so good - but i do feel angry with the GP i was with for not dealing with my Parathyroid. Sorry for the long message - i hope you have a lovely weekend - thank you so much for the help.

LynneG profile image
LynneG in reply to xeena

You need to explain this and results too, to the person who you speak to.

If you have severe vit D deficiency or even low this can make you feel poorly

I personally take Natures Answer Vitamin D3 drops. each drop has 2000iu (international units) People who believe in the health benefits of vit D usually take 2 drops per day just to keep their levels up. People who are deficient usually take many more drops every day to raise their levels. You keep the drops under your tongue for as long as possible so you absorb through mouth tissue especially if you have digestive absorption problems. You have to buy these , NHS don't prescribe drops. About £17 for a bottle but lasts months.

HOWEVER your doctor measured your parathyroid function for a reason and was going to refer you to an endocrinologist. He did this for a reason. It is very rare but it could be that your body is keeping your vit D low because of issues with your parathyroid gland. If so I believe from this article that your blood calcium levels will be high. Possibly 10 or over but I think high 4's /5 and you need to be careful and have checked out. A blood calcium level is a standard test so your GP probably tested it already.

It is quite rare so you probably just have very low vit D as most people are shocked to find they have. But you must not take vit D until a doctor is fine with your calcium levels. I have no idea what the parathyroid level is you have had taken. Please remember GP's are often ignorant of this relationship with vit D, Calcium and parathyroid so you need to read the article

The tel number for Patient Representation I gave you - I think is open Tuesdays.

If you can't wait that long, you could always go to A&E and say you feel really ill , have no GP because your disability prevents you from accessing one. And here was your last blood tests that noone is acting on. You think that you feel so bad because you used to have vit B12 injections and because have no GP, you are not getting them anymore so could they get a hospital doctor to see you.

parathyroid.com/low-vitamin...

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to LynneG

Hi LynnG - yes i do have the letter telling me that i am no longer registered with that surgery - but there is no ref name or number and nor is there a signature on the letter - so i only hope that i will get help from the number you gave me. Thank you.

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to LynneG

Hi there - i have rung the number you gave me and it is NHS England - i did speak to a man and he said there was nothing they could do as i had already spoken to them when i was first excluded from the surgery and they do not want to know. They sent me a letter with a couple of surgeries that they said was in my area and when i tried to register with the surgeries i was told that i was out of their areas and could not register me. I found the letter from the surgery that excluded me and it was not signed and did not have a reference on it - so i do not know who in the surgery sent it - i have tried ringing them again today but they will not let me talk to any of the GP's or the practice manager. Thank you for all your help - this is a wonderful site full of kind and caring people who always do their best to help anyone - thank you - keep well.

LynneG profile image
LynneG in reply to xeena

Oh dear, well you obviously drive, as need a car park so it seems to me that you are left with going to an A&E. Asking to see a doctor for the worst of your concerns - such as your B12 symptoms as not well and ask while there being treated or talked to, if you can see the hospital social worker /or make an appointment to see her/him because you are disabled and need help to get a GP practice that is accessible to you.

Or go to a GP 'Walk in Centre' and ask to be seen by a doctor for your health problem and while there ask for further help (Hospital Walk in Centres obviously have parking but Walk in Centres in some areas don't, therefore you will need to use this time to pay for a taxi if necessary)

GP practices are allowed to take patients from out of catchment and it is your right of choice to be able to register with a GP where you are able to get to, and get into the building

You need a GP. Drive to a GP practice that is close enough for your needs that has patient access to a car park and fill in their form to register as a patient. Explain to the receptionist that due to your walking disability that you are wishing to register with them because you need to drive to and park close to the building to be able to access

It is your right to not have to say why you are wishing to change GP practices, if you don't want to.

SCOPE = Equality for Disabled People

SCOPE is a disabled persons charity offering support to disabled people with the concerns that matter to them. tel number 0808 800 3333. Phone and ask for support

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to LynneG

Hi there LynneG - well i have rung all the numbers that i have been given on here and no one can do anything to help me and to add insult to injury my housing association has now sent letters to all who live where i do stating that we have to pay for our car parking as of the 3/2/20 - i rang and said i am disabled and could i still park outside my flat and have a disabled bay as i cannot walk far and was told no use the car park or get rid of the car - people who were living here before me have got their own spaces and do not like anyone else to park in them as i did it once and my car was plastered with notes telling me not to park there again - the last people i rang was scope and they have just rang me back and said they are getting on to social services to see if they can help me - i am sorry if i have been a pain to everyone on here - but i really do appreciate everybody's input - i hope you all get well soon - God bless you all and thank you.

LynneG profile image
LynneG in reply to xeena

I hope SCOPE can help you. Take Care x

xeena profile image
xeena in reply to LynneG

Thank you LynnG your help has been much appreciated. Keep well.

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