100mcg is nothing. If you have good functioning intrinsic factor, which your previous tests suggest you don't... it might be enough.

B12 cannot give you heartburn. Out of a 1000mcg tablet (1mg) only 13mcg on average get absorbed... in the small intestine.

Start with just this...nothing else.

Here is the chart from a research project that actually measured B12 absorption orally:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...able/T1/#TF1-4

This study gave oral B12 only on an empty stomach.

Cinnamon and other spices may give heartburn, in anyone.

Here is a link to the new protocols of 400pg/ml. This link is a CE for doctors.
Print it out and have her read it.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0301/p979.html

She can also read this:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2532799/
written for doctors and is the whole article the above table on B12 absorption was taken from.

And the new video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvEiz...ature=youtu.be
contains quotes from medical experts!

You are only a messenger. This medical information exists. And if your doctor balks at the truth, find another doctor!
Alot depends on how you present this to your doctor. Educating them is difficult because they don't believe patients.

Thank You Mrs D, I'll look at those links.
I used to take all vitamins at one time, and I will try the B12 alone.
I really don't have a choice in where i go. I'm on IowaCare and it's a step down from medicaid. I don't get to choose my doctor's, they do it for me. It's sectioned part of the state has an area to go to. Like 5 counties to one major city. Might be 6 or 6 counties, can't remember.
I was a CNA for many years and then just went to private contract driver for The Department for The Blind for the past 5 years. I can't even do that anymore, driving that is. I can't grip the wheel that good and sit in that position anymore all day. I was just doing a lot of driving and sitting all day long.
I go tomorrow to see her, so I will take a look at the links you gave me. Thanks so much again.

Greetings from a new member. I haven't made it all the way through this thread, but I wanted to note that my PN (currently "idiopathic" and probably sensorimotor) STARTED with edema (bad swelling and redness in feet and lower legs). At least, that was the first symptom I noticed. I hadn't seen much mention of that as a symptom or predecessor of peripheral neuropathy. So I'm glad (though also sorry!) that others have had this problem too. Maybe it just confirms the sad fact that this disease of ours has lots of faces.....

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

First thing... what drugs do you take? Blood pressure? Statins?
Alcohol? ACE inhibitor like Lisinopril, Vasotec, or Altace?

Some blood pressure drugs cause dependent edema as a side effect.

Everyone with suspected PN should get tested for B12 and test at 400pg/ml at least (this is a new low, and replaces the old ranges which doctors still call normal as low as 200.) Get your results therefore.

Vit D also should be tested for at the same time. Up to 70% of adults in US are below normal with this also.

Do you eat whole foods like beans, nuts, yogurt etc? If not, you may be low in magnesium. Testing for this is not very useful because people may show serum levels in midrange but still may not have enough to do the biochemical work it needs to do in the body. Up to 70% of adults in the US are below the RDA for this.
Diabetics especially or those borderline lose magnesium in the urine.

These are the big three most common problems. But for leg swelling you need to see if something in your life (drugs or alcohol) are depleting thiamine for you. Low thiamine can also be hereditary... and causes a condition called wet beri beri...which is edema.

There are antibiotics that can cause PN, and some other drugs.
You can find a thread about this in our SubForum above. Those drugs typically damage DNA in the cells and there are some supplements to help with that, but the Big Three need to be evaluated first, since fixing those really helps many people.

There is alot of reading for you to do... so do it in parcels so you won't tire out too quickly.

Here is a new video on low B12 that is sobering to get you started:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvEiz...ature=youtu.be

And this is my B12 thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread85103.html

Thanks for all the information! I have indeed been tested for D and B12, and I eat nuts and yogurt and take Mg supplements. And I was tested for vascular problems (none found). I should also have mentioned that the swelling pretty much stopped after about a month of keeping my feet elevated, but the neuropathic pain and cramps that arrived at the same time didn't stop--they got worse. So i guess the swelling is now a non-issue, except that I think it's odd that it seemed to bring on PN and then departed, leaving its trash (the PN) behind it. :-(

Oral magnesium supplements do not get into tissues where there are problems with edema and/or blood flow. Using a topical is much much better.

I've been using the Morton's Epsom lotion (new) from WalMart which has it for a very low price of $5.98...with great success.

This opens up the circulation in the micro areas, allows toxins to leave your feet (swept away) and nutrients and oxygen to get into those tissues better. Also the magnesium in the lotion will be absorbed a bit and work on the pain receptors, called NMDA , which magnesium antagonizes. Magnesium also helps stop cramping.

It is well worth a try, for $5.98...I think it is a miracle solution, myself! Some of us here use it with great success.
A quarter's dollop on the top of each foot, and up the ankle, each day, on intact skin. You should see results within a day, in fact.

http://www.mortonsalt.com/for-your-h...-epsom-lotion/

It is in the first aid section of the store. Not many other places have this yet, locally. But Amazon does, for $2.00 more.