Anyone know anything about b12 deficiency?

[BusyBee86]

My friend had a blood test to check her iron levels. The doctor has just rang her and said that her b12 level was abnormally low! They are going to test again to see if it was a mistake. If not...what could it be??

Is she vegetarian or vegan? Long term B12 deficiency can be very serious and can cause irreversible damage (neurological, I believe?). Vegans (and some veggies) are advised to supplement with B12.

Oh really, that doesn't sound good. No she is not a vegetarian or vegan. She also gets pins and needles/numbness in her hands and feet and gets very bloated. Wonder what could be causing it!

Very difficult to get through diet unless extremely unusual eating or large tracts or bowel removed through surgery, more likely pernicious anaemia. Hopefully this will help identify the root cause and she will start to feel better in general.

its called pernicious anaemia .And does cause the pins and needles etc. some people can't absorb B12 very well, so she may well be one of them. My DH had to have injections at the surgery for a while when his was too low (his main symptom was tiredness) and he came out post injection like a man restored, he had so much energy!

I know only a little about this, My mum gets a B12 injection every month.

She said she can feel when she is due her next injection and when she has it it is like someone has changed her batteries.

That's interesting to know about the injections! They sound like them have an amazing effect. Hopefully she won't have to wait too long to have another blood test then get results. Then she will finally know what's causing this. Thanks for all replying

They* stupid iPhone!!

i have to take prescribed vit b12 tablets every day, the doctor has said at some point i will switch to the injections but at the moment its manageable via tablets

I have pernicious anaemia. I lack the enzyme in the gut needed to absorb B12 from food. Initially, when it was first diagnsed, I had to have weekly injections for 6 weeks to build my B12 levels up and since then I have an injection every 12 weeks and will need them for life. I get very fatigued and really struggle to get up in the morning when my injection is due but the injection sorts it right out pretty much immediately. Otherwise, it has little effect on my life. I'm currently pregnant and the PA hasn't caused any difficulty at all. My blood results have all been good and I'm just having injections as per my normal schedule.

DH had his bowel removed because of ulcerative colitis. He needs B12 injections every three months.

I have b12 injections every 10 weeks , I am not a vegan and I eat a good diet . I just can't process B12 for some reason .

I feel so much better now I have regular injections .

I have the injections. Sadly no amazing effect for me, they just keep me trundling along without the pins & needles/numbness and general lethargy. They do sting like buggery (don't tell her that tho!) but worth it to feel better.

How long have you been having them for epilator ? It took me a while before I noticed a big difference . I really notice it now if I go over the ten weeks between injections . One of the biggest problems I have is memory and grumpiness coming up to the time , which is why I have 10 weeks instead of twelve .

And a big yes to the stinginess (real word honest )

Asking them to inject it slower really helps I find .

I don't find them stingy at all...maybe I'm just hard as nails

I think if it was a different colour it would help , that pink stuff even looks bloody stingy .

Are you colour blind ecumenical ?

I have this too. I lack intrinsic factor which metabolises B12 so I have the injections every month, I do them myself. You can get B12 drops to take sub-lingually, the Biocare ones are great as a daily top up. The injections are so sore, you have to get them in a fatty area but they still hurt.

Never did me any harm when I was pregnant but I get very cold and tired when I am run down. Hair thinning, flaky nails, loss of muscle tone and low moods can also be attributed to B12 deficiency.

I found they stung less if I had them in bum rather than my thigh or arm.

After having them for about 10 years I had trouble getting round to them when children arrived and eventually gave up bothering and my levels remained ok after several tests so I haven't one for years now and apparently fine. So it seemingly doesn't have to be forever.

Oh dear this stinginess doesn't sound good lol. Fingers crossed she won't have to have injections as she has a big fear of them!! Oh dear! I can't believe so many of you suffer from this and I had never heard of it before.

Wilbury, I was diagnosed last summer, I'm not a veggie or anything, but had a lot of the main symptoms and Googled them! I had the 6 shots within 2 weeks, then went onto every 3 months. I feel OK after I have them, but not 'amazing'.

Level went from 250 up to about 400 after the first 2 months. I was feeling a bit crap when my last one was due so asked for it early. GP insisted on a blood test first, which I thought was a bit unnecessary, as I'd read that you can't 'overdose' on B12. Turned out I was at 1000+ !

In some ways its encouraging, as injections are working, but now I want to know what else is making me feel so bad. I already have thyroid issues and take 100mcg Thyroxine a day. How many more crappy illnesses can I get?!