Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. It's been one of those weeks. And then, of course, I had to stay up late last night to see the blood red moon/eclipse. Way cool.
Intelligence has nothing to do with any of this!
Are you a psychic? How could you know that you had deficiencies? There are so many people who have a deficiency and don't even know it!
Did they ever do the Reticulin antibody test for CD? They dropped that antibody, because they wanted a "magic bullet" one. Stupid. You do GF, right?
If you haven't read this article, it's a great one for differentiating between the kinds of MTHFRs.
http://mthfr.net/mthfr-c677t-mutatio...ol/2012/02/24/
Did your husband (?) get tested for the gene, too? It's very important to know if your kids have one or two genes!!! The treatments are different. They need testing, too.
Guilt isn't helpful at all! Let it go. You did your best and are now taking care of it.
They literally call what you have to do for MTHFR a "protocol." That means you have to do this for forever. I'm not a doctor, but I would recommend that you nip the B12/folic acid thing in the bud immediately, strongly (B12 only), and consistently.
You really need to find out if you have pernicious anemia. It could only be the MTHFR, but if you have PA, that means you don't have enough stomach acid to break food down. That would contribute to GI issues and vitamin deficiencies. Don't assume it's Crohns. Since PA is autoimmune, it might be helping that—if you have it.
Is your sister being worked up for MTHFR?!! Any other family members this might affect?
I think that if you aggressively treat the B12 deficiency, which affects all of the cells in your body, then you have a good chance at healing your peripheral nerves. Your body might act like a sponge for B12 for the first several months to a year, due to how long it's gone without it. Imagine a vineyard, after a drought. Every single plant (system in your body) needs to be replenished with fluid and nutrients.
I hope you get the answers you need. And quit beating up on yourself. We need a national holiday, like "Women, Stop it!" day.
Annie