Hi. I have B12 deficiency and si every other day - never tested for PA.
I have often had a grumbling stomach and some discomfort but it’s been manageable. This last couple of weeks I’ve had severe stomach ache (middle, below ribs), bloating and feel nauseous most of the time. It’s worse after eating.
The pharmacist suggested Pyrocalm Control - Omeprazole - but the leaflet says not to take if you have problems absorbing B12 so I’ve not taken it. Wonder if it’s worth a try as I si to overcome absorption issues.
Also wonder if I should see my GP? I’m only eating small quantities and avoiding wheat and caffeine but it’s not eased. I’m reluctant to go to the GP without being clear about what I want from the appointment. Like many of us on this forum, I lack confidence having been dismissed in the past or being misadvised about B12.
Advice would be appreciated. X
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LizWilsonpa
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Hello Liz I have b12 deficiany Pernicious Anemia I take Omeprazole and find it helps but being a ret ired nurse I n ever suggest a medication what agrees with one person might not with another,I would suggest you talk to your GP. Good L uck Janet.
Sounds like you need to ask the GP for a referral to a good gastroenterology team.
It might be worth looking up your local gastroenterologists on line to see if you have a choice.
Low B12 can be caused by pancreas and liver problems, along with lots of other things, so these need to be checked and ruled out. It might be that you aren't producing enough enzymes to digest your food properly so your stomach is grumbling about it. If this is the case you can be prescribed these to take with your food and it will help lots.
Omeprazole is only like a sticking plaster with nasty glue - it doesn't fix the initial problem and can cause more issues so you are right not to take it - at least until they've found out what might be causing your symptoms.
The initial investigation is usually an ultrasound (easy, not painful), and maybe a stool sample, so it's easy to get checked out and worth asking for the referral.
Your symptoms might be caused by SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) which can be rectified by a long course of antibiotics - but the diagnosis isn't easy and not one a GP is likely to want to make.
If you state your case just as you have here - long term manageable issues which have recently escalated beyond what you can cope with so you would like a referral to a gastroenterologist, please - you should be fine.
Don't give them another option and if they do stall you, politely and kindly ask them why they don't want to help you.
Asking questions makes them have to stop and think of an answer so you automatically get the upper hand. You can ask the same question again in a slightly different way if you don't feel you have the answer you require. Be more specific - "why don't you want to give me a referral?" Think of being a journalist with an evasive politician!
However... Do also remember that GPs are often bullied by patients (OK, often with good cause) and bullied by consultants, but they are human so are often less than helpful because they are out of their depth or under pressure from the system or have other outside hassles, so if you are kind to them and straight forward with your request, it's possible they will respond to your care/understanding.
Be empathic, at least in your head - is it the hassle of writing the letter/the cost to the system/the time you might have to wait/the negative reaction they might get from the consultant (if you think we get treated badly, it's nothing to how GPS get treated by them, even if in theory they are polite!). If you have an attitude of genuinely caring for them when you get to speak to them it also gives you a sense of power/parent/carer and just being the bigger person in the picture. It's curious, but it works
You are dead right; if you can have confidence in your request when you go in you are much less likely to be shot down.
I know how hard it is when you can't think straight because you feel so lousy but good luck and go for it - we're with you: you can do this!
I can endorse the advice given above. I wish I'd read this reply two years ago when first approached my GP with B12 symptoms & Gut issues. Since that time I have developed the confidence and empathy to confront the GP practice and have subsequently received a more appropriate and decent level of support for my symptoms. Support from the Pernicious Anaemia Society was also invaluable.👍
In my experience I have PA and often get stomach pain. An endoscopy and colonoscopy found a small section of atrophic gastritis.. this I believe is linked to PA.. you need to be tested for PA/iF and I would suggest you have a colonoscopy and endoscopy... the last one actually could have been a life saver for me as they found a polyp that was on its way to being cancerous.. that’s one of the benafial side effects of having to have reg endoscopy/colonoscopy which is recommended with PA ..
I also take kefir every morning on an empty stomach and this has helped
Atrophic Gastritis is what causes Pernicious Anaemia.
If you have P.A. the antibodies produced destroy the parietal cells in the stomach l This destroys the Intrinsic Factor and the stomach acid( both crucially important in order to absorb vitamin B12 ) that those cells produce . So if you have P.A. , you will have low or no Stomach acid (Hypochlorhydria or Achlorhydria. ) This upsets the good bacteria in the stomach and bad bacteria take over , causing stomach pain . I took a good probiotic for a few months ( Symprove ) which did the trick . It’s never returned after several years . But I try to treat my stomach to treats like fermented veg . Sauerkraut , kimchi , real yoghurt and kefir every now and then .
Like wedgewood and lifegems I take kefir and make my own fermented vegetables and kombucha and my stomach cramps, bloating etc has disappeared. Definitely worth a try.
Hello - sorry to hear you are having so much trouble / pain with your stomach. I’m also voting for visiting your GP, as others have suggested. I also think you should probably have an upper abdominal ultrasound (I think the GP could arrange this) - to double check whether you may actually have something like gallstones (as well as B12 deficiency ) - they can cause pain after eating, in the location that you describe, and it can be particularly painful after fatty food. I have had gastritis for many years (and I have a functional B12 deficiency, and some autoimmune stuff going on in my gut) and then in 2019 I had an ultrasound, and my gallbladder was like a big bag of marbles!
Cutting right down on fatty foods, spicy foods, alcohol and caffeine in the short term might help ease things slightly while you are waiting for invertigations / answers.
Good luck with it all, I hope you get some answers soon .. D_b
Like others have suggested, I found huge relief from years of stomach problems after avoiding gluten, regularly taking kefir first thing every morning, plus a tablespoonful of saukraut after meals (other bitters work well too - lemon, lime, ACV etc. or Vogel’s Centaurium - small bottle easier for carrying around)
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