I don't think it is to do with Vitamin B12 as I do eat a lot of the foods which contain it and I know that you do not need a lot of it. Vitamin B12 deficiency is quite rare

--B12 deficiency is far more common that is usually suspected, especially in the US where the "low nomral range" of most serum level B12 tests, about 200ng/ml, is probably much too low (in most other Western countries, the low range starts around 500).

B12 is the largest molecule that the body regularly absorbs from diet, so it is very easy to interfere with its absorption, even if one is consuming goodly amounts. Lack of stomach acid, autoimmune reaction against parietal cells, genetic methylation errors, etc., can all contribute to lack of absorption.

It's not a bad idea for anyone with suggestive symptomology to have a few tests run--generally, homocysteine and methylomaic acid (MMA) in addition to a serum B12 level.

Hi Serene Butterfly, I sure wish my notifications worked. I forget to come back to see if anyone wrote anything... and I don't get notifications even though my settings say I should...

Okay, so... there is very little B12 in foods. There's "enough" as long as we aren't confronting a lot of stress and as long as our gastrointestinal system is in good working order so that we can get what is in food out and use it in our bodies.

When I had regular B12 tests, once a month for quite a long time, I was able to see that my B12 level would drop as much as 256 points, and that coincided with exceptional stress.

I am still under almost the same stresses, and even though I use a lot of 5mg Methylcobalamin lozenges every day, I still have a hard time keeping up and my toes go numb and I begin to get peripheral neuropathy, tinnitus... etc.

B12 sounds so innocuous. It just doesn't sound like something that could cause serious problems.

But years ago before cobalamin was discovered people whose bodies whose bodies no longer had intrinsic factor and were unable to get B12 out of food died: B12 deficiency was known to be fatal.

Today a lot more is known about B12, and a lack of intrinsic factor may be an advanced stage of low B12, rather than a completely separate disease.

I wish I'd known about B12 and had a list of symptoms to look at when I was first "sick" because the sooner low B12 is found and replacement therapy begun the less chance of permanent nerve damage.

Take a look at a list of symptoms of low B12 and see if any are ones you are dealing with... then... see if using methylcobalamin for two months makes a difference.

Hey Everyone

Well, had my MRI scan done about May 26th so a little under 2 months and still waiting for the results, have no idea whether I have to see the consultant again to get them or get them from my doctor. Phoned up a couple of weeks ago and the neurologist I saw was off sick and had the following week off, etc so that my explain the delay but it's so annoying as I feel the dizziness is getting more frequent, etc.

Did other people have to wait ages for test results?

--is not two months. Still, it is too long a time to wait for results.

Often, if the medical office--not necessarily the doctor, but oft-times him/her too--thinks the test results are within whatever they consider to be normal parameters, they don't bother to contact the patient with the results. Still, all patients should be told the results of any tests, and all patients should keep their own copies of test results (for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is the ability to bring copies of previous results to new doctors, correction of erroneous patient notes, tracking of patterns over time . . .)

So contact them and tell them you want to not only know the what the report was, but that you want a copy of them as well.

Well, have phoned the hospital and apparently my consultant has been off sick and is now on holiday and won't be back until a week Monday!!

His secretary has said he has not yet dictated a letter to my GP and myself as he is waiting for medical notes to come through but she said there is nothing to worry about.

I'm confused though as if the results came back completely clear and nothing is wrong at all, couldn't he have just put that in writing, hy does he need more medical notes for???

Hi -
I hope you have an answer by now. If and when you check in, I thought it strange that you made no mention of blood tests - neuros don't always think to order them.

Your symptoms fit antiphospholipid syndrome - known in the UK as Hughes Syndrome.

Just an idea,
Noreen

I have ataxia caused by cerebellar/brainstem damage. HOWEVER---- part of my balance problems were caused by malabsorption of vitamin E. I have now been taking 800 units a day of vitamin E for just over a year and although I still have poor balance basically, there HAS been an improvement--possibly worth looking in that area?

also do a search on coQ10 and ataxia... good luck

Well, finally had a letter from the neurologist and just stated that there was no compression or pathology at the craniocervical junction. It's so annoying as I'm still getting the symptoms, etcand no closer to an answer.

But, is it normal for the radiologists, etc to look at one specific area of the brain as no other results were reported??