--though I'm sorry for the situations that brought you here.

That B-12 reading is WAY too low; I'm not surprised you have neurological symptoms. B-12 deficiency eventually affects every system in the body, but among the first to show problems are the nervous systems, both central and peripheral. B12 deficiency can cause brain lesions that mimic MS and other demyelinating conditions, can result in subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord, and can cause havoc in the larger peripheral nerves.

You're obviously going to need massive supplementation to help repair what can be repaired--I'd recommend at least 5000mcg (5 grams) of the methylcobalamin form daily for a while (just in case you have genetic methylation chemistry problems that would prevent you from optimally converting most commercial preparations, which are cyanocobalamin, into the body-usable methylcobalamin).

A big question, of course, is WHY you are so deficient. Have you had testing for lack of intrinsic factor? You mention having lost a lot of weight recently--was there any bariatric surgery involved? (Such surgery is often associated with deficiency, as the stomach sites that break B12 out of food are effectively eliminated in the bypass process. Docs who perform it should put patients on B12 supplements immediately, but they often don't think along those lines.)

You should come look over the big B12 thread in our peripheral neuropathy forum:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread85103-14.html