New ache in wrists

[SigNi]

Hi all - wishing everyone the best of health (or at least some relief) for the holidays. I have a new or worsening symptom & wondering if it‘s familiar to anyone. I have developed an unrelenting ache in my wrists & hands. I have had issues with neuropathy - shooting pains, numbness, & iciness, but the ache is new. I was just starting to space out the SI‘s to about two weeks when I noticed the issue. Could it be a new unrelated age thing? - I‘m 58 with no clinical indications of genuine arthritis. Thank you for any response. Hope you are all taking good care of yourselves.

[nellie237]

Hi SigNi,

Have you considered carpal tunnel?

[SigNi in reply to nellie237]

Thank you, I have. I actually had surgery for it about 10 years ago. Pain wasn‘t such a symptom then though - more the loss of feeling. Since reemergence of my B12 deficiency, I‘ve wondered if my CTS was really PA? But now you have me thinking - is it both? 🤔 It‘s just very debilitating- not sure how to treat it & don‘t want more drugs. Osteo tells me I don‘t have arthritis.

[Ghound]

Hi, Everyone reacts differently to having B12 deficiency. All I know is that before I was diagnosed and treated adequately, I had terrible aches in my wrists. Initially the doctor said I had fibromyalgia or Carpal tunnel syndrome, but after several months of B12 injections my wrist pain totally disappeared.

I'm 58 , and as you say, if I were to get musculoskeletal problems in the future it would be difficult to know if they were age related or PA .

Good luck and hope you feel better soon. x

[SigNi in reply to Ghound]

Thank you for the response. Seems we‘re in the same boat - I don‘t feel like such a complainer! 😊 I also read today an interesting bio-chemical explanation about how celiac disease can trigger widespread pain. I am waiting on an appt with an internist & gastro to see where all my longstanding deficiencies (incl B12) are coming from. I have a genetic vulnerability to celiac, but never took it seriously. But I do get significant relief when I cut out carbs, incl sugar. Worth thinking about?

[deniseinmilden in reply to SigNi]

Definitely!

[Ghound in reply to SigNi]

Don't worry, you're not a complainer ! However everyone on here has a legitimate excuse to complain ! Interesting about the sugary carbs, I have been guilty of comfort eating rubbish through the pandemic ...

[SigNi in reply to Ghound]

Thank you. Me too! Sugar really drives up the pain. My greatest pain relief came after about 3 wks of strict keto dieting. And then I started having what seemed like histamine issues & food choices became downright devilish. Trying to get back to that low carb state. Not the easiest season for it. 😡

[Ghound in reply to SigNi]

Yes, ahem ... I'll wait until after Xmas to begin the healthy regime ...😉

[Turqturbo]

Hi SigNi - I had the exact same pains in both wrists prior to starting B12 injections. In my case pain was really tied to taking Pepcid for GERD . My pain went away after stopping Pepcid and starting B12 injections. Review all of your meds for this potential side effect.

[SigNi in reply to Turqturbo]

Will do - thank you!

[deniseinmilden]

Why space out your injections? Seems nonsensical to me if you still have neuropathy and I strongly suspect that this new problem is due to your B12 deficiency which is getting worse as you are now becoming under treated.

Try at least weekly jabs for several months and see if you can get all your symptoms to go. Only once they are completely gone and you feel fine in all respects is it safe to reduce your jabs.

If weekly improves things but your symptoms don't completely go then try doing your injections every 6 days, or 5, or 4 or whatever it takes.

B12 is completely safe and you can't overdose. B12 deficiency is not and poses long term risks to your health which is why your body complains so much when you are deficient - it is its only way of telling you that something needs to be done to help it!

[SigNi in reply to deniseinmilden]

Thank you! I was going from every other day to two weeks to see if I felt a difference. I seem to be one of those rare few who get chest pain when I top off too quickly. I’ve always imagined it’s a blood volume issue? It also happened years ago when I had macrocytic amenia and I was on weekly B12 IVs. The chest pain started at week 4. Same this time with injections. EKG, etc are all normal.

I have so many deficiencies, it‘s confusing as to what‘s causing the most problems- D, Omega 3s, B1, B6, manganese, B12? So many supplements. 😳 And I‘m pending a gastro/internist appt to try to find the source. I do get significant pain relief when I cut out carbs and have a genetic propensity for celiac - though not a lot of gut issues.

The B12 issue has been going on for at least 15 years. And my foggy brain has been reminded that I did have sporadic wrist problems, but the pain was never this debilitating. I thought the past pain was from overuse (I‘m a veteran - lots of lifting & pushups back in the day), but now I‘m not so sure.

Sorry for the ramble. So MUCH brain fog. I think I‘ll try weekly jabs for a bit and see how it goes. It‘s an intuitive thing really, isn‘t it? Thanks again for your encouraging response.