I was dx w/ pernicious anemia finally in October 2022 after over 10 years of lack of appropriate testing and treatment. PCP followed the protocol now just getting monthly B12 IM by heme doc. I have a heme doc bc my cbc results always are low plus bc of iron deficiency I have had iron infusions. I was finally dx with CeD and lactose intolerant in May 2023 by a GI who finally cared about my well being. I’m considered seronegative CeD however I’m biopsy positive and genetically positive.
Back to my question:
My GI ordered micronutrient testing to discover I’m deficient in many B12 co factors assuming due to malabsorption. I’m wondering if I’m deficient in co factors is it pointless to continue self inject of B12? I order my own supplies. This journey is difficult however I have been greatly helped by the B12/PA FB support group!!! Thank you
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Schpsych2414
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The main cofactors are: Folate (vitamin B9), Ferritin (iron stores) and vitamin B6. However there are more micronutrients which I’m deficient. I’m taking supplements orally however bc of my CeD I’m not absorbing normally, yet.
No, it's definitely worth carrying on with your jabs - but making every effort to get the other micronutrients into you as best you are able to. You want to make sure you've always got more than enough B12 to make the most of any nutrients that are available. You can't have too much so at least max that out all the time and get as much as you can of everything else.
Despite being dxd with CeD and lactose intolerance as a child, but never been treated for CeD, I am not CeD +ve now but I too have lots of malabsorption problems. They can go with genetic lactase deficiency.
I also have chronic pancreatitis and severe EPI so struggle with digestion too, so I know how much of a battle it can be to get the required nutrition.
Alternative routes for absorption of some vitamins and minerals are under your tongue, or even through your surface skin, especially smaller molecules, such as magnesium compounds.
I manage it by having as nutrient-dense a diet as possible and taking huge amounts of supplements, to combat the fact that only a small % are absorbed.
I also use high strength B12 injections every day and have done successfully for 8 years. The improvement I've got is unbelievable and I'm still improving.
Phew finally a diagnosis of coeliac/celiac disease. It is very interesting that you are seronegative for it. For others to know, this means that a test comes back as a negative but you still have the illness. Primary Care Physicians and doctors should be aware of this.
Cofactors of other vitamins and minerals are a must as they all work together. So, keep self injecting B12 and take other supplements. I posted this, please do not get hung up on the whys and whats, just note pretty colours of vitamin B1, B2, B3 etc.
I am in the U.K. but use celiac.com, Scott has worked very hard to produce a very informative and lengthy post on the Nutrient Deficiencies that can occur in Celiac Disease.
He has written about 36essential micronutrients which those with celiac disease can be deficient in. However, other people on this site may benefit from this knowledge.
It is extremely important that you have dietetic input as well. They are the specialist in this area. They understand biochemistry.
I have the periodic table on my lounge wall. In the U.K., often in our health care system, the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.
In chemistry, this is called chirality or the mirror image of a molecule or ion.
A personal recommend, as someone who also has celiac, is L-glutamine. The L denotes which image, left or right. It is pointless taking something if it is not going to work.
In basic terms, it is the wrong ‘shape’ but that is Enzymology. That topic can blow a person’s head off.
Now, I really am going to put a spanner in the works. One piece of research states that 20,365 human proteins (enzymes) have been identified but only 3428 have been labelled.
So, I ask again, ‘Doctor, do you know everything ?’
A person cannot. It has yet to be discovered and more Nobel Prizes are to be won. It took Dorothy Hodgkin and her team 12 years to work out the structure of vitamin B12 and 35 years for insulin.
🐳
Not just a pretty face.
Left and right images of the enantiomers of amino acids (building blocks of protein).
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When will B12 injections help?
Why in Dutch guideline for PA and B12 deficiency emphasis is just on IM injection and SC injection not mentioned?
If I got an active b12 test done privately and it showed I was deficient, would my GP give me injections?
I am a beginner in self injecting b12. Help and advice please
diagnosis and symptoms
