Hi, I just wanted to share a bit of a positive experience. I had about a year long history of feeling jittery, bit light headed, palpitations, classic anxiety symptoms. In desperation I asked the GP if she could check to make sure there was no physical reason for this. She kindly ran some basic checks and because my mother was newly diagnosed as B12 deficient, she included a check on my B12.Everything came back fine apart from a B12 level of 100. Commenced loading doses and then the plan was 3 monthly injections.
Improvement was a bit gradual, but 8 weeks after starting the loading doses I was feeling 90% back to normal. Anxiety symptoms all gone.
Hallelujah I thought and went off on holiday. Then the anxiety/adrenaline rushes started again, feeling jittery and not connected to my body?
Came home and immediately sourced a private B12 injection, which corrected everything within 48 hours.
I spoke to my GP about this, and I had previously mentioned to her that I was happy to self inject, (ex nurse) and she agreed that I can have the vials and needles etc to self inject monthly. Granted, this is on a trial basis to be reviewed in 3 months, but it's keeping everything on an even keel for me.
So the practice nurse talked me through the procedure and observed me doing my first one. She has now been tasked with finding more patients from their B12 clinic who would be willing to self inject and the GP surgery has amended their policy and drawn up guidance for other patients.
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Charlie2024
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Hi, she did intrinsic factor test but this did not confirm PA, I will discuss causes when I next see her. I was more focused on winning her round with evidence and guidelines to show I needed more frequent injections.
Brilliant. I've presently got an NHS prescription to self inject too.
2 weekly .
I choose to do subcutaneous at home and the nurse IM every 6 weeks .
I'm sure it's thd way forward.
Hope monthly works for you.
In mh experience of over 3 years now.
Subcutaneous work just as well.
I have an IM one in the hope if will last longer .
Also darnt change a thing.
Although thd prescription often goes to the surgery ax so fes of us . So havd to get it on a paper prescription ax thd IT csnt cope with 'unusual ' cases .
This probably won't mean anything to you, but tell the surgery to "untick the PA box" when they are prescribing and then your prescription can go electronically. When B12 is administered at the surgery, they can claim a fee for giving it. To do this they mark the prescription as "personally administered". Then the prescription is printed out and sent off. The PA box defaults to being ticked and forces the prescription to be printed (this is outside the surgery's control).
If the prescriber unticks that box, the prescription will go to the pharmacy electronically.
Awesome! It's so good to hear positive stories like this! Make sure to monitor your symptoms. Ideally, you want to space out your shots so that your symptoms do not come back.
Amazing! Both for you and for other B12 patients at the surgery. Well done for bringing about that result - wish all gp's were so enlightened. Continued good health to you and your mother
Absolutely. Initially when I asked for more frequent injections she said the surgery did not have the facilities (staff and appointments) to meet my expectations, so that was when I suggested I do them myself and quoted other places that were doing similar.
Also good to hear of a common-sense GP reaction to your findings - instead of the hysteria which is sometimes experienced as a result of telling the truth by forum posters. Refreshing.
Practice nurse also deserves praise for taking on this new role.
When, years ago, my GP suggested that the nurses would be happy to help instruct me in self injection, how could she have known that they would recoil in horror at the very thought ? So I asked on here, watched some videos, got help with online ordering and just did it .... scared stiff, but not begging !
The GP surgery has amended their policy and drawn up guidance for other patients.
It maybe worth writing a Thank you card/letter to your GP for this. They can use it as evidence for their Continuous Professional Development. Every 3 years they have to prove themselves to the General Medical Council.
Excellent and if you wish to get that information into many other Systems and are a member of the Pernicious Anaemia Society; it is worth dropping them an email with the name of your GP Surgery.
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