Hi everyone, hope you are all well. I am also hoping I'm in the wrong place but I'm a weary traveller amongst the forums trying to work out what's wrong with me....
I was told to come look on here after posting on the Thyroid group. Hope you're all as helpful and friendly.
I started getting anxiety, insomnia, depression symptoms in March last year. The virus unfolding terrified me and I stopped eating and rapidly lost 2st. By July I'd submitted to antidepressants. I'm just not sure that's enough. It's been over 6mths. My anxiety isn't as bad, insomnia on and off, depression same and the antidepressants make me eat so I've put the 2st back on. I have always had tinnitus but that's much worse now - I can hardly hear over it sometimes. I'm aching all the time...my feet hurt so much. My hair is thinning and is now white. My face is puffy, my skin is dry. I feel 'spaced out' and like I'm dragging my body round.... Diarrhoa almost constantly. Some nausea. Out of all of this, the 'spaced out' weirdness is the worst for me.
So I ordered a private full thyroid test because the full blood count by my GP was all 'in range' except for high cholesterol.....and she wouldn't do a vitamin or thyroid check. My TSH in June 20 was 1.76 and Feb4th 3.67. both in range so they wont retest. I have put the part of the private test that deals with vitamins in the photo below. I'm wondering now if B12 is deficient and not helping my symptoms. Could someone who has more of a clue than me (anyone that is!) please have a lok at the results and give me some advice please. Even if I could get to see my GP she would just tell me to keep taking the antidepressants and stay of forums.....
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ukred
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Your Active B12 is at the low end of normal, where it's possible to have symptoms of a deficiency.
Given your symptoms and the fact your b12 is at the low end of ‘normal’ I would be asking my GP to have a trial of B12 injections. If they refuse I would buy the injections and trial them myself.
Yes I know. The alternative though isn’t attractive. It’s a balance of risk. Do you know how many first time people have had an anaphylactic shock? That’s the balance of risk.
Hi ukred,Your symptoms are typical of a B12 deficiency. If you don't have Pernicious Anaemia then you might respond well to vitamin B12 tablets that are readily available and very cheap online. Have you tried them? I use Solgar sublingual methylcobalamin 1000mcg tablets. I have PA so I need to dissolve one under my tongue every day because I have intrinsic factor antibodies that prevent me from absorbing B12 through my stomach. I notice the difference within an hour of taking one. If that doesn't work for you, you may need to be tested for IF antibodies and try the injection. Hope you get help soon. We all know how difficult getting a diagnosis can be.
Your test results resemble decades of mine before my B12 levels sank so low that a diagnosis ofPernicious Anemia was rendered. Before then, I was recommended B12 and Vitamin D tablets.
My PA was abated and relieved by injections loading doses and and maintenance injections. The Brain Fog and fatigue of decades duration cleared instantly upon receiving loading dose injections.
Then, here in the USA, it was determined that the injections were too expensive and I should go back to tablets, as my B12 levels were very high.
The tablets did not work. My medical doctors did not grasp that PA is a result of the body's inability to obtain B12 from the food in the diet.
Consequently I now self inject.
There is other information on this site which explains that the medical understanding of the different physiological groupings of a population is not yet well understood when it comes to B12. The current "one size fits all" method of deficiency determination is not accurate for a substantial subset of the population when it comes to measuring for B12 levels of such deficiency as to interfere with normal function. That is, the current levels are set too high for many of the population. There is quite a debate ongoing within medical circles about this, but that is another rabbit hole tying into politics, costs, and profits endangerment.
You may find that you obtain relief by self injection of B12.
Good Luck to you. Please know that you are not the only person caught in this set of circumstances
It is important that the the cause of anemia is determined, which requires tests to ensure the blood cells are of the normal population, structure and composition. This is a step which is normally not undertaken if B12 injections provide relief.
Also know that the current policy of adding Folic Acid to most baked goods also serves to mask deficiencies of B12. The addition of Folic Acid in the main is of benefit but it does act to skew readings of a substantial subset of the population when conducting lab work to determine B12 deficiency and so resulting in missed or masked results.
Thank you for your input. I'm looking into booking a private B12 injection in the next week or two. Just waiting for the Covid cases to reduce a bit as I am living in fear at the moment. I've started to supplement oral B12 (tablets and spray) and folate. I am bulking up on other vitamins too. I am vegan and therefore there is a possibility I have just not been taking care of B12 in my body rather than it being an absorption issue. This is such a helpful site. Thanks again
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