Different people have different symptoms of low B12. Some people experience problems with their nerves, others with memory, others with balance, etc.
Not all people have changes in the shape of their blood cells early on.
It has been suggested that pernicious anemia, which years ago is what B12 deficiency was called, is a form of B12 deficiency that appears after a long time with low B12. It is a lack of intrinsic factor.
When I had tetanus, which is a central nervous system disease, I had so many different symptoms/health problems that I could not identify where one left off and another started.
For instance there was the inability to lift things... they were suddenly too heavy. My Brita pitcher with an inch of water in it was almost but not quite too heavy to lift.
I'm so silly, that I thought my kitty must have gained a lot of weight when I was sick and couldn't play with her, because she'd gotten so heavy I couldn't pick her up...
Once a friend brought me some bologne.... (how is that spelled?) because she thought I might like to have something to make sandwiches out of... and it took me days to open it... I was just not strong enough.
It always seemed to me that it was my muscles, there was some problem with my muscles.
The fact, however, was that it was my nerves.
My nerves made it hard to breath, they caused a huge extreme pain in my thoracic diaphragm, they made it impossible for me to stand long enough to take a shower... so I got very dirty ... literally, I was a crusty old woman.
The nerve damage was severe and the homeless doctor told me that's what was causing a lot of the problems I was left with.
(My home was foreclosed, so then I could see the homeless doctor. Up until then, I didn't have enough money for a doctor to see me.)
* A dynamite thing is that I was able to save my home and I'm still in it. I filed bankruptcy...
And then I had time to sell my rental and pay the arrears on my home.
It's because I did that, I think, that the state court judges are so angry at me and foreclosed my condo without any notice to me, so I couldn't save it using federal law.
So it goes... the old grudge reaction at work.
It I can just not get too stressed, ... I hope, I need to keep fighting this out in the Appeals Court.
Today, if someone wants to file bankruptcy they need to have been in debt counciling prior, I think, in order to avoid it being dismissed. So if any of you are in dire straights financially, I would for sure get debt counciling so that bankruptcy is an option for you.
I appear to also have forgotten which kind of council is spelled which way.
The reason it is so important for people to keep notes about their symptoms, vitamins, B12 tests, etc, is so that they can see what is happening.
It's so easy to believe that something is or is not happening.
So to know what is happening, to be able to look back and see what the actual results were, you need to have taken notes for yourself.
Take notes!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rose
PN is not what I'm talking about. If that is as far as the damage has gone, the problem will often be gone within weeks, months or a year.
I am talking about severe damage that usually does not go away, and sometimes repairs only partially over years. Central nervous system damage is what I am talking about. The "combined degeneration" of the spinal cord and even sometimes damage to the brain, which is the term for nerve damage caused those who go untreated long enough.
And the amount necessary depends on the level of malabsorption, not the amount of damage. A "small amount" will not do anyone with severe malabsorption any good, even if they have a tiny bit of damage. The damage in that case will continue until they get large enough doses to stop it.
A "small amount" consistently enough will do someone with mild or moderate malabsorption a great deal of good, even if it only stops the damage.
rose
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