Finally blood test results
 

Hello all, I've finally gotten all of my blood work back and it has been evaluated by my neuro. All of the test were unremarkable except 3 test. My C-Reactive Protein is 3.1. This is severe inflammation according to my doctors words. Vitamin B6 is 87.3. The normal high is 32.8.y vitamin B12 is 1642. The high side of normal is 816. The neuro didn't say anything about my vitamin levels. Due to new symptoms that have developed over the past 3 - 4 weeks, my neuro has scheduled me for an MRI of my brain. I have it on the 12th. I've complained so much on this forum and I appreciate your help. Maybe I'll find something out soon. Take care of yourselves. God bless, KATO

Hi Kato,

It's always hard to know if it's better getting an explanation or not! I'm sorry you're still searching and hope your MRI goes well.

I just wanted to jump in with a link to B6 toxicity since it can affect nerves and cause GI symptoms. If you're taking any B vitamins you might ask your doctor about stopping those for a bit.

Can Too Much Vitamin B Cause Problems? - Ask Dr. Weil
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) Safety - Mayo Clinic

Take care. I hope you find relief and answers soon, :hug:

Did you stop taking the B12 for several days before the blood
tests? If not, the blood work is not accurate.

KATO, it might be worth getting your CRP level re-tested in a month or so.

Generally, elevated CRP can occur in two situations. The first is a short-term response to an acute infection - once the infection is over CRP levels go back to normal.

The second reason for elevated CRP reflects chronic conditions, including atherosclerosis, SLE, vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease among others.

A re-test should help to distinguish between these possibilities.

Yes I did.

Kiwi33, I have DDD, DJD osteoarthritis and something else going on that causes the CRP to be high most of the time. I have a cardiac workup each year. I have very bad family history of cardiac disease. The lupus also, I forgot that.

There is some evidence that vitamin C can help lower elevated CRP levels. This is not a huge effect, but a beginning. According to this study Vitamin C was similar to statins. And we all know here how awful statins can be for nerves.

Vitamin C treatment reduces elevated C-reactive protein

Paying attention to Vit C intake is also important.

Vitamin C Amount | Vitamin C dosage

He should have mentioned your b6 levels. B6 Toxicity mimics MS and many other disorders. Anything over upper level is b6 Toxicity. It can cause many symptoms, especially anxiety and nervous system complications.

Also, most neuros aren't aware of b6 Toxicity. Here is a site that may give you articles and such. Vitamin B6 Toxicity

KATO-- Since you have had such a life threatening heart problem at a fairly young age, and because your relatives have similar issues, I would get a DNA test for MTHFR. This is mentioned in this good link as connected to high B6 test results as well:

The Cause of Vitamin B6 Toxicity is Not What You Think

The main website for it is here:
MTHFR Mutation | MTHFR Gene Mutation | What is MTHFR? - MTHFR.net

This test does not need a doctor to order it, from 23andme.
If a doctor does order it your insurance may pay for it, because of your cardiac history.

It seems that frequently now, we see a poster here who has done this test and tested positive for one or more mutations affecting methylation. We have one poster here recently (janieg) who found a mutation in biotin metabolism. She is our first one!

I'd really recommend you do this test to see if you and/or your family members could benefit from it.

Hi, Just jumping into the discussion with this link to what 23andme has to say about MTHFR. I'm not discounting the possibility of a mutation causing a problem. However, I do want to point out that the initial internet hits for MTHFR aren't coming from Mayo, merck, Cleveland Clinic etc but from less mainstream sites. 23andme has delved into the research and states that people can have a mutation (and in some ethnicities they are common) but not have any health problems related to it. It all sounds rather complicated and difficult to figure out....


Our Take On The MTHFR Gene

This is a pretty technical link...but the paper shows MRI results of those with MTHFR mutations. Discussed also is brain shrinkage.

Common folate gene variant, MTHFR C677T, is associated with brain structure in two independent cohorts of people with mild cognitive impairment

While it is true that the "lay" internet has picked up on the MTHFR SNPs... there are scientific papers out there that back up the importance of treating those with MTHFR errors to prevent brain and cardiovascular diseases. I recall reading a Merck site over a decade ago when they published their papers on MTHFR mutations. Times are very different now, with many non technical sites discussing this now.

We are very lucky in that methylB12 and methylfolate are available OTC at relatively low cost to help with this problem.

The Merck company tried to sequester methylfolate for several years as an RX only product. They removed it from OTC sellers, but that did not last. It is now available again, OTC. The Merck company still holds the patent on methylfolate however.

The competition of folic acid with methylfolate in vivo however is still not clarified yet.

The bits of science that I understand in the paper that mrsD has linked look good to me.

More generally, there are large numbers of subjects in the study cohorts and the authors have considered and eliminated possible confounders (eg, inheritance of apoE4, which is a risk factor for AD).

All in all, I think that this is an impressive piece of work.

I found it interesting that a number of the links in the 23andme statement are studies that actually show significant correlation between MTHFR mutations and cancer, heart disease, etc. I've also seen studies that indicate its not the mutation thats causing it - it is low folate or high homocysteine levels (but that is caused by the mutation).

I have the A1298C mutation, which isn't the worst. I also had a fairly acute onset of SFN symptoms - going on 3 years ago now. After going on a supplement routine to address the mutation, the SFN has not progressed, and has gotten somewhat better. I can't say for sure that the mutation caused the SFN, but I have felt better with the supplements, so will continue to take them. The cost of the supplements does add up over time, but I'm fortunate enough that it is not a huge financial burden to me.