i am on iron tablets..b12 injections 2 a week for 3 weeks and folate.
i'm complicated sadly and noone has answers . let down by one gastro waiting to see usual one both refused tests . despite 4 injections and being told b12 can affect msny things like mood its never been mentioned it can help with bad constipation , needing laxatives , bloating on foods and debloat after enough bathroom visits . Live alone depression ..seeing s psych .prediabetic .joined diabetic group.here..part disabled cant exercise walk when can shops . poor sleep despite diazepam .brutal to get off.. seen one gastro no help. seeing usual one 24 august. he refused tests too re bloating .
was constipated bad before iron tabs. lose stools diarrheo or float .eat fat oil on water . elaistaise ok. fructose intolerance .
complicated .
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basten
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Yikes! You have a lot going on. Have you tried a dietician to help you with your constipation, diarrhea, pre-diabetes and other issues? Have you been tested for food intolerances or to see if you are celiac? An elimination diet (talk to a dietician) might reveal that some foods disagree with you. Lack of B12 can cause some of your issues. If you have PA like people on this forum, it is very important to continue the B12. I had problems with diarrhea before supplementing with B12. It can also cause great fatigue. Some people have been misdiagnosed with depression because of the fatigue (but you also could be depressed). Many people who have spent too much time short of B12 have mobility issues. If you feel the B12 is helping, make sure you continue with it. If your doctor won't give you injections often enough, there is info on this forum about how to get some and self-inject. Very best wishes! You have so much going on. I hope you find solutions to all your problems and get back to good health soon.
Have you tried heme iron? I'm assuming you're taking a chemical version like fumarate which didn't work for me other than produce acute abominable pain.
I am sending you lots of hugs as I sense you could do with a few.
You have a lot to deal with which cannot be easy and no wonder you feel low and down.
I am an engineer, not a medic, and I self treat and do a lot of thinking. And a good question here is “where do you start?”
I can only share with you my experience of how I managed to my gut symptoms under control which then led to other symptoms improving. I would cut out gluten for the time being and if you like a butty then there are some great soft sour dough breads out there - still a little bit of gluten in them but about 97% reduced compared to a non-fermented loaf.
I also found a great prune juice - drinking some now! It’s gentle on the gut and full of nutrition. I would also try some natural kefir - just a small glass every day. Treat yourself to lots of fresh fruit and salads and try to avoid pastry and cakes and biscuits and pasta. Try just for a couple of weeks and see if you can break the gut constipation/laxative cycle. I have been there and it is so exhausting!
It may also help to take a Betaine and Pepsin supplement before a meal because if you are low in B12 due to poor absorption then chances are stomach acid is also low which means your foods not being digested properly which will result in painful transits through your gut. You seem IT savvy and you can get these online.
I also think a daily treat is in order - no idea what a treat would be for you - but it’s important to carve out a treat-time in the day.
thankyou . prediabetic .got down re gastros one said mental health started binge eating chocolate ..had laxatives years due to slow bowel transit . been told fructose intolerance ..yes 2 antidepressants dont do much..hit tolerance to diazepam a year ago when after none for years stupidly smoked 2 4 a day sometimes non for 2 weeks for about 4 months. dont know what happened but needed more laxatives plus senna ever since. diaz hasnt helped much with sleep since ..then back january bloating started on lots things i was ok with porridge omelette .even gluten free crumpets ..bread makes me worse. not many teeth so ages to eat..my diets been bad since saw gastro .comfort eating ..so need try avoid sweet stuff or eat whole lot ..the only gp thats been nice is one whose interest is b12. he knows a dr Klein and lady who mailed me volunteer president of uk b12 society she chatted with him month ago loud speaker while i listened .he said shes better than any gp ... mood has been bit better but ears hiss sleep bad but still take the poison at night famotidine plus gaviscon .. yes i often think whats the point ..psych not interested in physical just brain ..asks do i want comr off diazepam . i just shrug tell him just one reduction and pain eating burning in bacj is undescribable .ok happy you stay on..he knows they dont help sleep given me another med help sleep small dose but it makes little difference ..and weight gain too .. .gps psychs havent a clue the torture people go through months years tapering benzoes. i know and cant go on fb groups now to read the hell even how those been sick in tolerance anf had no choice but taper. some pain eating not all im one of the some .the nice gp re b12 said im trying to help and if feel better you can try come off the diaz for your anxiety ..no ite for sleep..i am booked to go away with son October a few days to Paris..but tried telling him issues .he never says anything doesn't want hear bless.hes paid. have a daughter don't see much says go..saw dietician must eat 3 meals day. what bread omelette porridge and look pregnant every day..yes depression has causes lots of problems apathy hygeine chores cooking .. im sure like son says it's the drug mum come off it. Daughter doesn't want hear about it either . they forget i came off it 7 years ago and was that bad o.d 3 x and couldn't hardly eat. nothing shows if brain gaba receptors cns trying to repair itself. i knew nothing about them and wish i had as took again...i never had all this bloating on foods and stools float sink big sloppy blobs oil on water anything fatty or gas explosion or nothing .gp said im complicated . take away my lovely grown kids i have no friends and only here for them ..my retired gp only one who sorry you shouldn't have we know now been on longer than 2 3 weeks ..hmmm im sure she knew .even gastro said they won't be easy to get off. thankyou for replying .
i know people been help ful but can't do or say much. sadly its got sometimes i have had enough ..thanks everone. im known at my surgery and passed from one gp to another . noone cares vs
I think being passed from one GP to another, or from one consultant to another and feeling no-one cares is sadly an experience that many of us on this formum experience.
It is very hard sometimes to keep going. But we are a tough lot.
Hello Basten, sad to hear you are going through so much. I can relate. I have pernicious anemia like many on this site. I was feeling very anxious and having difficulty breathing. Then one day I started crying, and crying and crying uncontrollably. I could not stop crying, and I mean I had no control over it. My wife thought maybe I was having a stroke. She called an ambulance and they told her it was all in my mind. After that, I immediately knew something was wrong with me, so I ordered two books (listed below) and read up on B12. If you are very low on B12, your body cannot function as it should. It causes all kinds of problems. My advice is to get the books below and read them all the way through, they will explain a lot to you. Doctors have this GOD-like persona, they don't like to be told they are wrong. I went to a hematologist who promptly told my wife that I was a hypochondriac. He said I did not look like someone with anemia and he would be shocked if it came back positive. Finally, he agreed to order an IF test (Intrinsic Factor Test). This test is definitive and determines whether you have Pernicious Anemia or not. The test came back positive. We did a return visit three weeks later and he refused to see me and had his intern tell me the news. I found a place where you can buy some Methylcobalamin and immediately started getting shots. My wife injected me every day for two weeks and then cut back to 3-4 times per week, and now I take them 2-3 times per week. Also I take a folate pill once a day, because without folate the B12 does n ot work as well. All this seems a bit too much to deal with, but the better you start to feel, things get better for you, including your mind. B12 deficiency will really mess you up including your mind. You have to find a doctor. who is empathetic and is willing to remove his halo a bit. I truly believe the best expert in your care is YOU. No one knows more about your symptoms than you.
I hope I've helped at least a little.
The two Books:
'Could it be B12?' by Sally Pacholoc
'What You Need to Know about Pernicious Anaemia & Vitamin B12 Deficiency,' by Martyn Hooper
yes stumbled on new gp . he's subject special interest is b12 . knows a dr klein at cambridge . yes due ti mental health its all put down to that. ive started iron tabs and had 4th injection plus take folic tabs. ive been toldc start vitamin with low b6 .and maybe stop statin but as high bp and too much chocolate im prediabeic . its the choc im having trouble with. gastritis to but antidepressant alleviates most pain . Things i could never eat. im known at surgery for being a letter writer when so many issues coming off or trying to unsuccessfully come off sleep med now hit tolerance few hrs sleep. ill check that book..4 injections no change except not short brewth. Tinnitus on off
Sounds like a step forward if you are no longer short of breath after 4 injections. Well done for persevering as it’s not easy when you are trying to recover.
Don’t give up - you sound a brave and determined lady!
thanks not tarzan tho. extremely exhausted today.. no idea but off see a gp next friday. could be diabetic as pee more but could be they say b12 can take long time can feel worse before better told. hey ho just love old age
Getting your B12 levels up can take time, but if you're already feeling some improvement in your breathing that is encouraging. It took time for you to get so low, and so it will take some time for you you to feel better, but step by step it is possible. Low B12 does sometimes make you feel as though you don't want to go on, but day by day, week by week, with the right frequency of injections your nervous system can heal, and that will work on the tinnitus, the pain, the gastritis, the cravings and the depression. Keep going, it isn't easy but wishing you continued strength and healing x
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The Railway Worker 
Gluten and B12 deficiency 
Hi Again - b12 and Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) - its wasnt the Alcohol?
AUGH! 
Am I wrong?,
