Can anyone help explain what

[brenanddave]

hi I just received my blood test results back which all came back normal. I was expecting my homocysteine to be higher as I had stopped b12 twice daily and multi-B the day before. Can anyone tell me what these results mean?

Homocysteine:6.9 umol/L ( 5.0 - 15.0 ) Antinuclear Ab:Negative

DNA double-strand Ab:< 1 IU/mL ( < 5 )

I tested positive for AB parietal cells So, would I have needed to stop b12 and multi b for a longer period of time to get a clearer estimate of where my actual b12 levels were at? Also, I would have expected PA would have shown with the antinuclear test being autoimmune? Sorry. Just trying to understand what is going on in my body. t does appear to be looking good though! Thanks for any answers x

[wedgewood]

Your homocysteine result is excellent ! That is so important. Well done . 3 cheers !

Sorry I know nothing about the DNA result .

[brenanddave in reply to wedgewood]

Hello wedgewood, Yes! I thought that was good. I just wasn't sure how accurate it would be having only stopped my twice daily b12 and multi B for 2 days. I am stilI so tired all the time an having problems with my legs and walking. I hope you are well? x

[wedgewood in reply to brenanddave]

Just keep injecting brenanddave . Funnily I’m just messaging with my son who emigrated to NZ 12 heads ago ! Just realised that’s where you are .He and family are in Auckland .

Just keep doing what you have been doing . You may have been deficient for a long time , therefore recovery won’t be quick .

Best wishes .

PS i’m well thanks . Just have a problem with feet , that’s irreversible, as I was without treatment for so long .

[brenanddave in reply to wedgewood]

Yes! All we can do right! I wll stay with 2x a day for a while. We are north of Auckland near Warkworth. Sorry to hear you still have that darn foot thing. It is very agravating . Thank you for your reply and best wishes x

[Dilly_blue]

Hello - I can’t answer all of your questions, but I can tell you about my experience with MMA and B12 injections.. I have functional B12 deficiency (raised MMA despite treatment, but my homocysteine levels have always been normal), and I also have autoimmune B12 deficiency (GPC ab and ANA). Over the last couple of years I have had a flurry of different hospital appointments for different specialisms, and have had a few MMA tests as part of that. I am having B12 injections - and the frequency of those varies (SI). I have found that an MMA test around 2-3 weeks after an injection shows only very mildly raised levels, where if it is a couple of months after a B12 injection then it is more markedly raised. As an aside, my symptoms return after around 4 days, so I do suspect that following injections there is a gradual increase in metabolites (and symptoms), and perhaps the speed of this increase will vary for different people depending upon exactly what the issues are in B12 uptake / metabolism.

If only Viapath (at St Thomas’s Hosp) we’re still doing reasonably priced private MMA tests.. I would seriously consider doing a series of tests immediately before an injection then at a defined number of days afterwards (eg 1 day, then 2 days, then 4, 7, 14, 21). As I think that would be incredibly powerful evidence to present to my GP and other health professionals (as I still have problems with lack of understanding from the medical profession).

As I said, I have a confirmed functional deficiency, so this may not be the case for those who can utilise B12 well at a cellular level.

So in my experience, if I had had an MMA test a day or two after a B12 injection, I would expect my MMA levels to most likely look normal (but I imagine this would change / worsen over the space of a week or two, if I didn’t inject).

Hope this helps. Ps I am not medically trained; and this is just my experience, which may not be the same for anyone else

[brenanddave in reply to Dilly_blue]

Thank you so much for sharing your journey and knowledge. That does really help me piece this all together. I never knew I had this 6 mths ago or anything about it. It has changed my life. Just trying to work it out and find away tolive with it xx

[FlipperTD]

Scientist, not medic.

Your results look good to me.

Autoimmunity is awfully complex. Stuff comes and goes, so it might be better not to obsess about it. There are many autoantibodies that can be generated, but just because you have one, it doesn't mean you'll get them all, which is just as well. Some are very, very, very [trying not to stress!] vicious.

It sounds like you're going on OK. If you've been found to be unable to absorb B12 so have to rely on injections, I'd be very cautious about stopping the jabs, personally, but that's something to discuss with your doctor/s.

Good luck, and keep at it.

[brenanddave in reply to FlipperTD]

Thanks Flipper. That really helps me. I am only 6mths into finding out I have this and knowledge is very piece meal! And everyone has their unique experience with it. And the throw in that the medical fields know ledge is minimal if any at times. It is all still such a puzzle. It wasn't until I found my legs were no longer working right that I become aware this is part of it. So scary! Anyway, my take on it is knowledge is power and when I feel I have enough to satisfy myself I will begin my journey of exceptance best I can, x

[FlipperTD in reply to brenanddave]

Cheers for that.

I remember one consultant surgeon [ex-army WW2, I believe] who used to say to his students 'Listen to the patient telling you the diagnosis' and also 'I could have told you that from the bottom of the bed'. He relied on good clinical skills and listening. Yes, he'd request tests, but not in anything like the numbers that some others did. So, keep on keeping on, and if you feel you're improving then that's because whatever you're doing is working.

Good luck!

[brenanddave in reply to FlipperTD]

Thank you Flipper!!! Wise words x