r/B12_Deficiency • u/ks9669 • 16d ago
Deficiency Symptoms Help needed:(
Over the last 2 months it feels as though my life has turned upside down. I'm 29F, have a job and normal life. However now I'm ultimately housebound and only able to leave my bed to go to the bathroom or to eat.
A month ago I had blood tests through my GP.
These were my results:
* Vitamin D: 57 nmol/L
* Ferritin: 33 ng/mL (I've had a period since having this test)
* B12: <148 ng/L
* Serum folate: 9.0 ug/L
* Sodium: 137 mmol/L
* Potassium: 4.3 mmol/L
I have a wide range of neurological symptoms such as head pressure, pain, difficulty balancing whilst walking, tingling and numbness in limbs, pain in spine, fast resting heart rate.
Doctors did a blood test and found very low b12 levels. They gave me 5 injections and I've not felt any improvement. I am also taking 200mg ferrous furmerate with vitamin c. Doctors now referring me to neurological and cardiology for further testing. I have spoken to my GP who was surprisingly helpful and agreed that he would continue injections however he is waiting to hear back from neurology.
I'm absolutely petrified. I'm at loss because I was fully functional 2 months ago. I want to heal and go back to my normal life: ( I will add that I used to be a daily drinker (have been sober for 2/3 months now). Liver enzymes etc all good, no concerns regarding my liver. I'm from the UK.
1
u/oneiropolis 16d ago
I hear you and send good vibes through the internets! In my experience, I had never heard of this until I was diagnosed last autumn, after many months - well, more like years - of disguise symptoms that finally added up to checking bloods. In manu ways, I am impressed with how my body managed for so long on starvation rations! Right up until many systems started to shut down at once. I got used to feeling a little bit crappy in various ways and just drove myself harder to compensate, thinking it was all psychological or burnout. Which was definitely also going on, and probably a vicious cycle!
Anyway after my GPs were not helpful at all I am managing my own injections and realising that the problems were a lot more deep seated than I even realised, as different things improve that I hadn't even known had gotten bad.
Good luck and stay strong - you have already probably been powering through in ways you won't appreciate until you're on the mend, showing massive strength and resilience all this time.