B12 is low but doctor is reluctant to help me :(

[AnotherRandom]

Hi all. Sorry this will be long and possibly boring lol.

I have suffered with anaemia since the age of about 12-13. Always treated with iron tablets. Would work for a while then I would be back at square one with anaemia again.

Having just finished a course of tablets I still felt extremely tired amongst other symptoms such as hair loss, fatigue, palpitations, aching back, pins and needs in my arm/hand, headaches, forgetfulness and an extremely low mood.

The doctor was saying it could be due to the weather change but sent me for a blood test.

Results came back and my B12 level was at 220. The receptionist said it was borderline and the doctor would call me back. I got a call on her behalf and they told me everything is okay and that my symptoms are due to mild asthma? I have never in my life had these problems with my asthma!

I asked for a call from the doctor who was adamant my levels were normal according to the UK's range of 180-900. She said there was nothing she could do as I am within the normal range. She also told me the ranges vary from country to country and that elsewhere in Europe anything less than 300 is deficient.

She then told me my levels have improved since May when my B12 level was 183 I asked her why there was no mention of this as it is considerably low in the normal range and she got quite short with me on the phone saying there was no need to mention it as I am in the normal range and therefore don't need any treatment.

She is going to check my bloods again in Feb but what on earth do I do until then? I feel absolutely miserable and feel like laying down all day as I feel weak and tired :(

I was very similar, and was diagnosed with coeliac disease in the end. It would be worth testing for, but make sure you continue eating wheat/gluten as giving it up can affect the results of blood tests - you need to be eating gluten for antibodies to be detected by the blood test.

I think you need to have tests for thyroid function, penicious anaemia (before taking any supplements), and coeliac disease. Both your iron and folate also sound low.

Even if the above tests all come back clear, I would still push for b12 injections - you've had borderline/low test results, are symptomatic, and not vegan. Therefore, you should be treated. If you have b12 injections, it's important to also take cofactors - folic acid/folate in particular because I understand that they all work together. Also important to eat plenty of potassium rich food. They should give you loading doses of b12 and then onto a maintenance schedule. This tends to be once every three months but many people find that isn't enough. Some GPs are good and will increase the frequency; others less so and many people end up self-injecting.

Although your TSH is okish, it's your ft3 and ft4 that could be the problem. Your ferritin is very low at 25. My TSH was so-called normal as was my ft4, but I was eventually found to have low ft3 which is the active part. It takes a while to get on the right meds.
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