Is it needed and safe for my mom to supplement with folate or B12?

[Jr499]

Hi all! I haven't posted before but I've been reading for a few months and find everything really helpful. My mom has had both chemotherapy and radiation this last year, and now has many overlapping symptoms with b12 and folate deficiencies (fatigue, mild neuropathy for years, mild memory loss/confusion at times, brain fog).

She had blood tests this month that show her RBC and TIBC low and her MCV and MCH high. Does this indicate she has a deficiency in either folate or B12? She's always supplementing some amount of B12 and her B12 level is normal.

Doctors are rightly focused on the cancer being destroyed, and I feel like how crappy she feels is being attributed to months of treatment instead of being investigated.

I'm also worried about how kidney health factors in to supplementing with high doses of these vitamins. This probably isn't the place to ask that, but I thought I'd check just in case someone has experience with safely supplementing with kidney disease. I know just enough to be worried, which may be completely unnecessary! She has a low eGFR (which apparently means mild kidney function loss), but she is also 71, so it may be a normal for her age.

Thanks for your help!

[Orchard33]

I'm 73. Rule of thumb: I never accept anything that's put down to age. It's lazy doctoring.

[Jr499 in reply to Orchard33]

Yes! I don't know how much that figures in to this situation, but it's definitely on my radar to not let age be the excuse. Thank you for saying that!

[FlipperTD]

Hi Jr499, and welcome.

It's hard to tell without seeing results but it's worth being aware that some chemotherapeutic agents are folate antagonists, so you could be onto something. However, it's probably best to discuss any possible changes in therapy with the oncologists, who understand these things!

I hope mum is sorted out.

Good luck.

[Jr499 in reply to FlipperTD]

Oh, thanks for mentioning folate antagonists, I had no idea! I'll look in to that regarding what she was given. I suggested she ask for a folate blood test. I'm definitely cautious about helping her supplement without the doctor's approval, but she's getting frustrated with how she feels and has seen how much better I have felt with treatment. I've told her to get her doctor's all clear/approval first.

Before the latest kidney blood test, her oncologist didn't see the need but also didn't see harm in B12. I guess at this point we need to be patient until we hear from the doctor. Thank you!

[Gen89]

I don’t think it’s a good idea to be supplementing with high doses of vitamins without discussing it with your mum’s oncologist. I had chemotherapy years ago and still have brain fog and neuropathy caused by this but vitamins won’t cure that. If your mum should have a folate or vitamin b12 deficiency proven by a blood test I assume the doctors would treat that with suitable levels of supplementation at a time they consider safe. It’s not really known how vitamin supplements affect medical conditions and I think there could be concern that high doses might promote cell growth so I would be careful with supplementing at this stage post cancer treatment unless recommended by her oncologist. Chemotherapy is a life saver but it does do damage which isn’t always reversible but it’s better than the alternative! It takes a long time to recover from the side effects of chemotherapy, a year rather than months so don’t expect too much too soon. I hope your mum continues to do well in her recovery but definitely discuss any supplementation with her oncologist.

[Jr499 in reply to Gen89]

Thank you for your reply, and I'm sorry you're still having those symptoms. I really appreciate your perspective with cancer treatment, yourself! I've told her to get her doctor's all clear/approval first, especially with your point about promoting the wrong cell's growth. Before the latest kidney blood test, her oncologist didn't see the need but also didn't see harm in B12, but that may have changed now.

[MrJustatip]

Hello Jr499, well, I don't know a whole lot about kidney disease, failure, etc. However, as far as Folate, be sure to supplement it along with any B12 she gets. So she has some kind of kidney disease along with her now dropping B12 levels? The symptoms you mention are in accord with B12 deficiency, so you could ask her doctors to test her vitamin B12 levels (taking blood) although if they do test her B12 levels be aware that there is always a range with B12 labs and if her levels fall within the usual range levels the doctors show you that does not mean her B12 levels are OK. I an an intrinsic factor test to see if I had Pernicious Anemia. I did a test for the blocking antibodies, proving I had PA. If she has PA that will most definitely need to be attended to because all the symptoms you mention are those of PA but also could be Alzheimer's. Doctors are notorious for saying someone has Alzheimer's when in fact they really have low B12 levels which may or may not be PA. So if she does have PA, that can be about as serious as the kidney issues. Be aware also that if they do test her B12 levels, the normal range is varied, but often doctors will say someone's B12 is fine because it falls within normal ranges. The normal ranges they usually use are not correct. The people on this forum are all aware of Dr.s and B12/PA. When my B12 was tested they said my B12 levels were 2000, but that same week I was diagnosed with PA. The ranges of blood tests for B12 are all whack-a-doodle. You may want to do a bit of research on lab tests for B12 before you talk to her doctors. Good luck to you both, Mjatip