Hi Clare,
Your gift of hindsight will do you well, you sure mention some things that suggest you could be low on B12.

I for sure understand what you are saying about how a country's "low" dictates whether or not a person is viewed as having a deficiency. I have an article on my site about how the low for B12 in Japan and some other countries is 550. That's hundreds of points higher than here in the U.S.

If I were you I'd get Methycobalamin lozenges, or the hydroxy form that people on different forums here have said is available at your chemist.

I'd do that no matter what the doctors say.