I have Raynauds and Scleroderma and have just been told I am Vit B12 deficient. Does anyone have this deficency and can give me any advice.

[SandraM]

[Hidden]

Hi,

I have Scleroderma, and although not B12 deficient, i am very Vit D deficient. Apparently the gut does not always absorb nutrients properly with Scleroderma, so if you have problems with your bowels, you should get this checked out. I am however a vegan, and have to take a B12 supplement as it is not present in my diet, so you may need a supplement, or an injection as i have a friend who has to have this for Vit B12 deficiency.

[SandraM in reply to Hidden]

Hi, thanks for your comments. Yes i do have bowel problems and have been reading articles on internet. I'm starting the injections tomorrow. I wonder if this will help the bowel issues too.

[DebKate in reply to Hidden]

I am fighting Scleroderma, as well, and have to be careful when I take B12 that my blood sugar doesn't drop a bit ... and, although the B12 helps me, I have to eat protein to feel better.

When my blood sugar gets to 114, which is normal for most people, my heart rate speeds up, I get fatigued, and I can even feel weekness and have to lie down. Just a heads up, I don't know if this is a problem for other patients. I just try to eat every two hours ... something with a good level of protein in it.

And yes, to the Vitamin D. I am on prescription Vitamin D gel tabs: 50,000 iu's (i'd have to look at the bottle, is it iu's? LOL), twice a week, because of low Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D helps me with pain, and I feel generally better when my levels are normal. I seem to have more energy.

And yes, I have raynauds and chronic fatigue, also.

Best wishes ... we fight the good fight for our health and do all we can do to be as normal as possible!

I might also add, that I crochet, and I believe that helps me fight finger fliexibility and pain. Keeps those fingers active. I have very few episodes of "white fingers" or even redness.

Nutrition and whatever excercise we can do is so important.

Hugs! Debbie

[DebKate]

Note to above: I should say crochet helps fight finger "inflexibility!"

[Jana101]

Hi I was diagnosed with this nearly 20 years ago(known as pernicious anaemia).I had a series of injections then & just have one every 3 months & have been fine.I too have been diagnosed more recently with Vitamin D deficiency which is very common with these illnesses.Trouble is in the UK it's hard to get high doses of Vitamin D so I'm taking supplements for the time being.God luck with it all Jane

[wartsandall]

Hi SandraM, I also have Vitamin D , and Iron deficiency anaemia, so I take supplements for these problems,.however, my B Vitamin blood levels are borderline , therefore I have to have regular blood tests to check these. This seems to be a common problem for people who have scleroderma because the gut doesn't absorb the nutrients the same. Goodluck with the injections, hope you do'nt have too many problems.

[SandraM]

Thank you all for your comments. I'll watch out for Vit D problems!! Debbie - good to hear your tip about crocheting, not sure if I would be any good at that if my knitting is anything to go by lol!!!

I've only recently joined this site so its pleasing to see people support each other.

[DebKate]

Sandra, you may want to try crocheting...I try to knit, too; however, i find many are either good at one or the other...knitting OR crochet! LOL!

What is also very awesome about crocheting is working with colorful yarns...it seems have an affect on how i feel...emotionally...color seems to work with the brain to promote healing...you can google this and see what I mean! Anyway, truth or not, it makes me feel better! LOL! Blessings on your path to health!

Debbie

[JemimaDoll]

Hello,

I just wanted to let you know that I recently had this problem. I have limited scleroderma and was told I was very Vitamin B12 deficient, and may need injections. But I agreed with my GP that I would go away and try and improve the B12 levels through my diet. I was very worried about this, as I am vegetarian, so I researched other non meat sources (of which there are only a few).

It only took about 3 weeks of eating Ready Brek for breakfast, or eggs (about 3 times a week) in the form of pancakes or scrambled eggs.

That was enough - when I got the results of my follow up blood test, my B12 levels were fine! I was so pleased!

I hope this helps x

[happydays1]

Hi. Try pottery kneading the clay is excellent for the hands, the creativity is good for the soul, and its a great way of getting out and meeting people. I have regular IV iron infusions, painful but does the trick and take Vit D. Fatigue I just get on with it!