Vitamin B12 deficiency!!!!
Hello good people of vegweb, im not a great poster, but this one is important
ive been vegan for 8 years and got a bit cocky after the first few level checks and thought i was invincible. this is because it takes 3 to 5 years for your bodys stock to deplete, but after that it will deplete rapidly if you dont take a daily suplement.
i got lyme disease last year and so have been putting all my symptoms down to that, only to find out today that the tiredness, numbness, confusion, loss of muscle strength, nausea, headaches, shortness of breath and general feeling dreadfull are all down to the fact my vitamin b12 is half the absoloute safe lowest level. is should be at lowest 160 to be safe and mine is 91. it seems only the arthritis is from the lyme disease,which is a seperate issue (tuck your trousers into your socks when you are out hiking in the wilderness where deer live boys and girls).
so i am now on supplements from herr doctor, it will take 6 weeks for the anemia to go (this is not the same anemia as iron deficiency anemia, my iron is fine). if i am unlucky i may be stuck with the neuropathy (numbness, tingling, nerve pain) but fingers crossed it will mend
so what are you waiting for.....go get some!
:-\
So sorry to hear that Dodo. Hope you're feeling a lot better soon. It's a very debilitating form of anaemia - a friend of my mother's is a sufferer despite eating large quantities of animal protein. Personally, I take a multi-vitamin supplement (Kirkland Multivit for the over-50s) or a similar name and it has a significant amount of B12 in that, as well as selenium and vitamin D which vegans also (apparently) may be deficient in. Really hope you're not stuck with the neuropathy
thanks for that catkin, i used to take seven seas vegan suppliment but i eat such a good diet i wained, and all of my other vitamins (including D (im outside a lot) ;) ) are fine, my iron is fine etc, i just didnt stop to think about b12, i thought that the marmites high b12 level would cover me, and if id had it every day maybe it would, but once a month or so really isnt enough (ooops).
another thing i would like to say actually is that there is now a strong shown link between osteoporosis and vitamin b12 deficiency, so im wondering if any of the lyme arthritis is from that instead, i had an early menopause too so that wont have helped.
i shall keep you all updated on what gets better
:)
Same here, dodo! I've been having a huge problem regulating my body temp (I've been regularly in the 95s, 96s, sometimes 97s), which is what prompted the doc to run the tests in the first place. She's got me on B-12 shots for a couple months, and then we're going to make sure my stores are back up and that I can in fact process the stores.
Someone posted here about the difference between cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin, and how the latter is better. I haven't done my research, and I take Internet people's advice with a grain of salt, but I did notice that my prescription is for cyanocobalamin. >:( The OP did post a link to a methylcobalamin sublingual tab, which I'm going to show my doctor to see if I should get on that after my shots. That thread has a lot of good info here.
I'm very curious to see how my depression and fatigue respond to this treatment!
hah same here, either totally chilled to the bone and deathly cold skin, or running a temp just below 100. it was only ole (my husband, aberrossi on here) mentioning to the doctor when he was arranging the latest lyme blood test, that i was vegan, that he thought to run vitamin and mineral tests! i think we can all see why i married him hehe
im on the cyanocobalamin too, i didnt know there was more than one. im going to have a read of the link you posted.
let me know how your therapy gets on please, do you get easily confused and clumsy with it too, i have had problems with the silliest things, spelling, multitasking, coordinating, will be very nice if i become my bright spark self again ;)
Sorry to here about your deficiency. But, thanks for the reminder to make sure we are getting enough B12.
let me know how your therapy gets on please, do you get easily confused and clumsy with it too, i have had problems with the silliest things, spelling, multitasking, coordinating, will be very nice if i become my bright spark self again ;)
Hm, not really. I've noticed more a difference in the emotional realm-- anxious and depressed (although I know I have those latent tendencies anyway). I'm trying not to read too much into things, but I actually have noticed a big difference in myself in the last 10 days or so. And I've been getting my shots since the 18th of December. Here's me *praying* that it continues to stick!!
One really worrisome thing I have noticed is slurring my speech when I get really cold. That is a sign of hypothermia (among many other things), which of course I haven't had, but it really worries me when my body temperature gets down to 95 point something and I'm slurring my words. I do also get overwhelmed with some instructions, but I thought that was more an indication of my anxiety and my ADD-- interesting! I'll have to take that into account.
My blood pressure has also been very low. Typically the docs don't worry about that unless it's accompanied by other adverse symptoms, but obviously I've got other adverse symptoms, so we're trying to keep an eye on that too. My husband is excited that I may have to boost my salt consumption, because he likes salty food. :)
I was also really curious to see that my iron levels were just fine; I thought for sure that anemia was a real possibility. I'll continue to post my progress if you do the same, dodo. Take care of yourself!
Dodo, thanks for bringing up this important topic, and I am sorry you have to go through all of this. I just wanted to throw in that there is a lot of information about B12, how much to take, how to take it, the importance of not relying on nutritional yeast alone on this website, for anybody who is interested http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/
Holy crap, that's a very intensive website! Thanks for the link, hibiscus. I've been reading through this material for quite some time this morning, and as smart as I think I am, there was a lot I just can't get through or can't understand. (It's the deficiency that's clouding my brain! ;))
Thanks for bringing this up Dodo and I hope your health will be much improved. I recently read and implemented the info on the Vegan Health site after a nutritionist told me in passing that I should be taking a sublingual B-12 supplement even though I eat fortified foods. I just completed step one of the regimen advised here: http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/rec
sharway, it's interesting what you say about body temp. i'm "naturally cold" also, i think I usually run about a high 96, but this has never concerned the doctors for whatever reason (which is a pain when i am sick with a fever, because it won't look "real" since i'm low to start! >:() i had my b12 checked in the fall, along with everything else, and my NP said it was fine. but i'm wondering exactly where i'm at because i do have some of the symptoms and i'm pretty bad with the supplements and enriched foods. but my issue is compacted by preexisting mental issues, so half the time (or most of the time) it could just be "my crazies" flaring up!
My SIL has always run a very low body temperature and my MIL never worried about it because that's how she always was. Me on the other hand, this is a new symptom, which can signal trouble. Have you always been like that, or is it a new development?
Also, call your doc and ask what your exact B-12 numbers were-- or have 'em fax you your results. If it was on the lower side, then you might want to have it tested again sometime soon. If it was firmly in medium/normal levels, then you're probably fine, since it can take years for even an inadequate diet (which I'm totally not claiming you have) to deplete your stores. If you're not sure what's normal or what's low, let me know, because I've got some info from my doctor, even if I don't have it committed to memory.
In that page hibiscus posted, there's a whole slew of stuff about unreliable B-12 tests. You may want to just add a b-12 supplement to your diet and see what happens.
I hope you get better quickly and as completely as possible, Dodo!
My Iron tablets have a good chunk of B12 in them, I am trying to recall if its over 200% or 300%, hehe. I already know I need to take the Iron due to my Perimenopause which causes low iron anemia so it just adds one more good thing as well.
Thank you so much for the reminder though! I used to have a habit of taking my multi every day, but somehow I stopped. Now I need to take my multi AND my iron and I still forget. The reminder helps!!
My SIL has always run a very low body temperature and my MIL never worried about it because that's how she always was. Me on the other hand, this is a new symptom, which can signal trouble. Have you always been like that, or is it a new development?
My twin and I have a normal body temp of between 96 and 96.5. It's always been that way. It made sense when we found out since our mom would sometimes think we were faking illness during childhood because our fevers never seemed to be high (as in over 100 degrees). I've run as low as 92 degrees but that was when I was in the hospital for a week following back surgery.
I've run as low as 92 degrees
:o
I am sorry to hear that but glad you discovered it.
My husband had a B12 deficiency. They are very rare but quite serious.
My twin and I have a normal body temp of between 96 and 96.5. It's always been that way. It made sense when we found out since our mom would sometimes think we were faking illness during childhood because our fevers never seemed to be high (as in over 100 degrees). I've run as low as 92 degrees but that was when I was in the hospital for a week following back surgery.
It's really unfortunate, but without going into lengthy explanations, the cause for that -not recognizing that's a REAL PROBLEM - lies in the western medical mindset. You can get treated for "low body temperature" like me if you live in Japan or China because traditional medicine and western medicine co-exist happily side by side to the point where most medical doctors will even prescribe an 'herbal" version of a medicine if you request it . I'm not sure if Chinese Medicine practitioners in the US will treat it too, but they should if they are tru Chinese Medicine practitioners. You might look into finding a good qualified one.
Actually, yogaferret, I've been told the same about my low blood pressure. I guess in the US, docs are so used to seeing SADs with high cholesterol and high blood pressure, so when they see low levels here, they don't even know what to do with it. I guess it must be a "refreshing change" for them! I've had a couple people recommend that I do NOT see an American doc (luckily, I just switched off my bitchy doc's service to a Middle Eastern woman who is more open-minded) for these problems, and I've considered branching out a bit more.
I too have a B12 deficiency. My levels were very low. I don't absorb B12 so vitamins and subliguals didn't help. I have to go for a monthly B12 shot.
Hope you are feeling better and that getting your levels back up help you immensely.
Actually, yogaferret, I've been told the same about my low blood pressure. I guess in the US, docs are so used to seeing SADs with high cholesterol and high blood pressure, so when they see low levels here, they don't even know what to do with it. I guess it must be a "refreshing change" for them! I've had a couple people recommend that I do NOT see an American doc (luckily, I just switched off my bitchy doc's service to a Middle Eastern woman who is more open-minded) for these problems, and I've considered branching out a bit more.
so so true!!! In so many counts!
I'm getting 'treatment' for that too, but low blood pressure is not only much harder to diagnosis, there are several varities. There was a great 1 hour program on it last year and i taped it. Loved it. :) For ex, there's LBP that only happens after you eat - help treat that be drinking tea or coffee before AND after eating - or LBP that only happens when you go from lieing down positions to upright. Quite a list. I'll have to take notes when I watch it again.
There's no medication to correct it now and maybe never will be because of the complexity, but at least there are things to ease it.
Anyway, I'm more familar with CHinese med heritage and Indian which is very similar. I'd be really interested to see what the mid east woman has to say.
Nutritional yeast is a good source... do take a supplement while you're in crisis, too.