B12 Deficiency and Arthritis

[Baz44]

My mother has suffered with arthritis in her knees for a number of years. In December 2021 she started getting pain in her feet (says it's like walking on gravel) and hands which are stiff and painful. Blood tests where done and they found she had a Pernicious Anaemia and she required a B12 jab, she previous had these jabs every three months until 2019 when told no longer needed them so went on an over counter B12 supplement. After a lot of complaining to Dr's they finally decided to give her the 6 loading dose and finally agreed with me that her iron was low also so gave her an Iron supplement. The last does was given last week and as of yet she isn't feeling any improvement. Does any one have an idea how long before the pain starts to diminish. She is sick of being in pain, her mood is so low I am struggling to find ways to help. Has anyone else had these types of symptoms? Any suggestions greatly received.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Unfortunately if the pain is the result of nerve damage then it will be slow to heal (at best) - nerves take a long time to regrow.I am sorry to hear that she is in so much pain and is very down as a result. Dealing with chronic pain can be really difficult but a lot of people seem to find that mindfulness practices can help them. With chronic pain you can feel that the pain and you are inseparable and the mindfulness helps with realising this isn't the case and helps to ease things.

Its such a shame that she was allowed to go so long without an injection when she so obviously needed them.

[Nackapan]

I'm sorry to hear your mother is suffering. It takes time snd regular b12 injections.

Wax her folate level okay.

Was her vitamin D checked.

What maintenence of b12 injections is she on after the loading doses

How was she what symptoms did she have on regular b12 injections before they were stopped

The bnf guidelines state every other day until no more improvements.

The tablets obviously were not enough .

So catch up time needed.

Duid she get a positive IFA test . If so keep this on paper.

She may get worse before better. But needs regular b12 injections to continue .

The doctor who stopped them is negligent.

Especially with no follow up and a diagnosis of pA

[deniseinmilden in reply to Nackapan]

Couldn't say it better! Thank you!

[deniseinmilden]

I'm so sorry that your Mum (and you as a consequence) is struggling so much. It's dreadful how much suffering the Drs willfully cause by their nonsense. It's a hateful situation.

My arthritis pain (and mood) was terrible when I was B12 deficient. I SI every day and take methyl folate and over the years everything has improved out of all recognition.

I know it's a long shot but is there any way she would let you buy the ampoules and injection kit and let you "top her up" with B12 injections?

Once her B12 levels are consistently high, you could try some methyl folate (instead of folic acid) to see if that could provide additional benefits. But do be careful with that - it can give bad headaches if you don't need it, but makes an amazing difference in your joints if you do!

Thank you for caring and asking.

Good luck.

[Jojogaunt]

With a diagnosis of PA you require injections for life, your gp is extremely negligent & I would put in a complaint to your practice manager as PA is deadly without treatment.She’ll be suffering from nerve damage, she needs loading doses until she notices a difference & NOT BEFORE.

I would ask if there is a gp in the practice that understands pa & see them, if not change your gp practice.

I also have pa and was given 8 weekly injections but I needed them more frequently by gp agreed luckily and I had this up until he retired. Then my new gp changed it to 3 monthly instead of 1 monthly… my health deteriorated fast and my gp wouldn’t listen (it was all in my head apparently, regardless of my diagnosis).

That day i went online a purchased vials from Goldpharma in Canada & purchased some 1ml insulin syringes from medisave & learnt how to self inject. Best thing I ever did was take responsibility for my own health (it’s not illegal ya know, you are allowed). And it will change your mums life for the better I promise.

[Mazza2006]

HelloI had the feeling of walking on gravel for about 4 yrs before I was diagnosed with. P A. It has certainly improved since I started B12 injections. I still sometimes get a faint numbness in my feet and a feeling of a rubber band being wrapped around my big toes, but nothing as bad as it was. I hope your mother's symptoms improve