In order to better prepare myself for my next visit with my GP, I bought the book "Vitamin B12 Deficiency in Clinical Practice" by Dr Joseph Chandy. My GP has been renewing my B-12 prescriptions for a few years and I self inject every 2 weeks. For some reason this year he tested my B-12 level and it came back elevated. I'm in the US. The range is 200 - 1100 pg/ml. My result was 1462.
My doctor didn't discuss this with me, but it's made me nervous. I'm very happy with the book which arrived today. It'll help me talk to my GP about my serious need for injections.
Are there better books out there that anyone can recommend? This one is good.
Thanks.
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prillyb12
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Dr. Chandy is a true healer and a courageous person! I read it when first diagnosed to become a informed consumer. I was in the throes of B12 and B6 deficiency so it was 5 minutes at a time. I was being mistreated with oral cyanocobalamin at the time in USA.
His writing the book and me reading it started my questioning my physicians. I did not accept Chandy's work as it was one source. I then read "B12 Survival Handbook" which was not helpful due to fallacious arguments. I then read "Could it be B12" As I was experiencing symptoms of Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord I imported illegally cyanocobalamin and started injecting as everything I read indicated delay of proper treatment was dangerous. This started my exploration and disovery of self treating B12 deficiency which is ongoing.
Re. doctor’s visit, the BMJ research document (full document accessible to your doctor online) has good information that further testing after injections is not necessary - as others have already pointed out. Writing in advance with links and taking someone close with you for support is often helpful too.
Being a lifelong bookworm, I’ve read as many as I could find over the years and had Dr Chandy’s book sent to my surgery when they refused to acknowledge the suspected diagnosis of Addison's Disease and it’s connection with PA/B12def./thyroid disease. Dr Chandy has 70 years experience within the NHS and kept detailed technical notes on his patients.
I like that the book is very reasonably priced but is also free to access from his website online - b12d.org/book
Sally Pacholok’s book, “Could it Be B12?” is my favourite ‘go to’, mainly because its very readable when brain is foggy, accenting important points in bold, so that it’s very easy to reference when needed. I’ve bought several copies for family and friends over the years. Sally Pacholok and her doctor husband had huge experience of working years in the emergency department of a large city hospital.
Hi, I'm in the UK and am navigating the pitfalls of standard b12 testing at the moment. One of my children doesn't supplement but has high total serum levels. I've gone down a rabbit hole of research.I'm trying to map out the b12 journey into cells, beyond the IF process too, and am finding that many other micronutrients are vital, folate primarily. There seem to be knock on effects of b12 deficiency on magnesium, iron and or calcium levels, but I'm early in research.
Was folate checked too?
Do you have access to the other b12 blood tests at the doctor? Homocysteine, mma, active b12?
I'm brain dumping research in an epic document at home, because my memory is unravelling (likely insufficient b12 too) but this article about high serum b12 could be useful for you?
thank you, I’m overwhelmed by the help on this page, I’m ringing the GP today for an appointment, I am going to ask to actually SEE the neurologist and ask him to treat the neuropathy and migraines and see what he says
Probably gabapentin, sumatriptan or another big pharma concoction
with regular injections you will exceed test ranges. The test cannot distinguish between active b12 ( the forms needed by or getting to the cells) from the other forms of analogue b12 that circulate. Guidance in the U.K. clearly states that testing once a patient is on regular replacement therapy is unnecessary and unhelpful as levels will rise irrespective of efficacy. You cannot get a true measure. 90% of B12 in the blood are forms not available to cells. There are many analogues.
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