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[pepperminty]

Hi Ladies,

I have most of the symptoms - numbness and tingling in hands and feet , exhaustion,  nerve pain, lethergy , and breathlessness etc.
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The NHS website states that :

A particular drawback of testing vitamin B12 levels is that the current widely used blood test only measures the total amount of vitamin B12 in your blood.

This means it measures forms of vitamin B12 that are "active" and can be used by your body, as well as the "inactive" forms, which cannot.

If a significant amount of the vitamin B12 in your blood is inactive, a blood test may show that you have normal B12 levels, even though your body cannot use much of it.

There are some types of blood test that may help determine if the vitamin B12 in your blood can be used by your body, but these are not yet widely available.

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So therefore this renders my Gp's blood test inaccurate for B12. I have already been tested for iron and I know that it is low. Although within normal range for the NHS . I wonder if my nerve issues could be related to this.

I suspect that most ladies are deficient in something later in life - I was in vit D too, but now take a suppliment.

So I am wondering how do I get tested for B12 fully etc.
Or do I just go out and get some tablets and hope for the best?
Do more of us have it and don't know?
Is it a piece of our puzzle?

Peppermintyxx

[Postmeno3]

The way to go might be to get tested first for "intrinsic factor". This will determine what your absorption is like. The NHS is mostly still dated enough to consider B12 issues only related to pernicious anaemia and making people wait for quarterly top-ups. They also want to convince themselves that B12 is stored which it is not as I understand. My advice would be to return to the gp for intrinsic factor testing then, armed with the active/inactive info (which is actually on their website) and this evidence that testing is not specific enough, ask to be trialled on B12 injections. It will not miraculously improve things. It takes time. If you are refused and are keen to try, there is plenty info available on injecting yourself. Try the charity website www.b12.org. Alternatively, you could try Solgar sublingual B12 tablets as these are more readily absorbed meanwhile? Good luck, but persevere assertively!

[Letmein]

The first stage of you are not taking any supplement is to so an active b12 test. You can try to convince your GP to have it in the NHS, or you get it done privately.

The other alternative is to try self injecting yourself and see if it makes any difference. You can't overdose on b12, your body will get ride of what it doesn't need in your urine. You can get some online via amazon.de.

I would try the first though. If you want to self inject, join the pernicious anemia Facebook page. There's a lot of info there.

[pepperminty]

Thank you ladies.

I could try my GP but trying to get an appointment and be listened to is very hard these days. Is there any wher I can get the test done privately - I am not sure which test I need or whether I would be ordering the right one?

I don't think i could or would want to inject myself as I have a fear of needles  .

PMxx

[floraljo]

Pepperminty- did your nerve issue resolve and where was the pain? I'm dealing with this currently.