New guy supplement advice - etc
 

Greetings!

I have spent the last few days reading historical posts on this forum. This place is pretty amazing. I have a fair idea of some supplements I should be taking now, and am hoping to get a bit more guidance if people have a few moments. A brief history on me, I have had pain/tingling/burning in my hands for around 3 years. At some points it has been completely debilitating. I have had 4 EMG's, one of which showed compression in my R hand and had carpal tunnel surgery which didn't dissipate my symptoms. The other 3 found no compression. I have had several MRI's looking for things such as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and neck nerve entrapment. I have been to orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, internal medicine specialists, etc. I was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Fibro from different doctors in disagreement. I was prescribed anti-depressants as I guess they dull the nerves in your extremities, I don't currently take them as I hate the overall feeling and don't like the sweeping under the rug approach to the problem. Anyways, so I have been around the block with this and so far no answers...

I am going to list out the results of the lab work I had done a week ago (trying a new family practice physician):

Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy D2 <5 ng/mL
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy D3 34
Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy 34

Vitamin B12 205 pg/mL

White Blood Cell Count 7.01 TH/uL
Red Blood Cell Count 5.04 MIL/uL
Hemoglobin 15.4 g/dL
Hematocrit 45%
Mean Corpuscular Volume 90 fL
mean Corpuscular Hgb 31 pg
mean corpuscular Hgb Conc 34%
Red Cell distribution width 12.7%
Platelet Count 270 TH/uL
Mean Platelet Volume 11.4 fL
%Segmented Neutrophils, Auto 68%
%Lymphocytes, Auto 22%
%Monocytes, Auto 8
%Eosinophilis, Auto 2
%Basophils, Auto 0
#Grans 4.75 TH/uL
#Lymphs 1.56 TH/uL
#Monos .57 TH/uL
#Eos .11 TH/uL
#Basos .01 TH/uL


Albumin 4.3 g/dl
Aspartate Aminotransferase 18 IU/L
Alanine Aminotransferase 16 IU/L
Bilirubin Total 1.4 mg/dL
Protein Total Serum 7.3 g/dL
Calcium 9.5 mg/dL
Creatinine .9 mg/dL
Glucose 94 mg/dL
Alkaline Phosphatase 47 IU/L
Sodium 141 MEQ/L
Potassium 4.3 MEQ/L
Chloride 107 MEQ/L
Anion Gap 4
Blood Urea Nitrogen 16 mg/dL
Carbon Dioxide 30 MEQ/L
Gfrm Aa 123

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone .40 uIU/mL

T4 Free .9 ng/dL
T3 Free 2.8 pg/mL

Hemoglobin A1C 5.2%

Microalbumin Mg/L .27mg/dL
Creatinine, Urine Random Quant 72.7 mg/dL
Microalbumin/Creatinine Ratio 3.71 ug/mg



From my reading here I made a few determinations. It seems like my B12 is low, even though the doctor said it was fine.

I have ordered two supplements:

Jarrow Formulas Methylcobalamin (Methyl B12), 5000mcg, 60-Lozenges
Jarrow Formulas Vitamin D3, 2500IU, 100-Soft Gels (Pack of 2)


What I'm not sure about:

Should I be taking a D2 supplement? Is there anything I need to take with the B12 to allow my body to absorb it correctly? Is there anything else anyone would recommend besides the B12 and D3? I am thinking maybe some Fish Oil to help with inflammation. Has anyone had these sensations where correcting a B12 shortage corrected it?


Thank you to anybody who actually got through this whole post, I wasn't sure about posting all of the lab details, but maybe someone will have an idea that could make the difference.

D2 is not a natural supplement for your body. You can ignore that.

2000IU or your 2500 IU daily to start with the D3 would be a good idea.

The B12 IS low very low. 5mg B12 on an empty stomach daily and retest in 3 months.

Fish oil is a good idea. Or eating Salmon once or twice a week.

I can't say this will help with TOS... that can be a complex problem. Vascular, nerve, or tissue compression. Other factors may be present for that situation.

Hi I have rsd too and pn. Anyhow my pain doctor said for rsd vitamin c is a good supplement to take. I take magnesium too that may help with some of the cramping and tightness but I am not for sure. I am not informed about the bloodwork results but Mrs D is so she gave you great advice I am sure.

Welcome to our PN forum, Chase.

I really don't like to get into other testing evaluation. That is a fairly complex medical thing, and you can look that up yourself, or ask your doctor for details. There are many sites with "normal" ranges.

The vitamin results however, are typically not evaluated by doctors according to the new research.

The B12 thread here has a link to a physician run educational website, by the AAFP, and it explains that levels below 400 need further evaluation and/or treatment.

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

The B12 information is almost a decade old in US, so one would hope doctors have learned the new criteria. The Vit D information is still pretty new within the past 2 yrs, and still doctors don't evaluate test results well, or prescribe the correct form of D = D3.
The website http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
is pretty complete today, and explains the concept of not using D2 test results or D2 for treatment.

It is fortunate that both D3 and B12 are over the counter in US. That means a patient may accept responsibility for his/her own treatment for deficiencies with them. I give the latest up to date information that have studies behind them, so people can bypass doctors who seem clueless about these two nutrients still.