What could this numbness be?
 

Hi, I'm posting because I have these numb spots on my body and I don't know if they're related, if I should be worried, if it will get worse etc...

One is egg-sized on my abdomen, on the upper left on my lower left rib.
It started suddenly 2 weeks ago when I got up out of a chair and the muscle in that location cramped, with sharp pain and tenseness that went away like any cramp. But I touched it and it was numb, and continued to painfully cramp if I used the muscle in a similar way. It feels like it's the top left abdomen muscle. I'm wondering if it could be a pinched nerve? I've never had one though so I'm not sure. Every once in a while it hurts randomly even when I'm not moving, ranging from sharp and needle-like to an annoying dull pain. But when I touch it there's no feeling at all, and hasn't regained any feeling.

For many years I've also had a numb spot on my mid-left back right near my spine. Unlike the other one is started slowly with tingling. Recently it's spread to include the areas around it. Maybe the size of my hand. I'm wondering if it's related because they're almost on opposite sides of my body.

I was also told I have low b12, but I read this would cause numbness in your hands and feet? I basically have no idea what would cause this numbness.

Welcome to NeuroTalk:

I hope you are taking activated B12 each morning on an empty stomach. This may improve your numb spots.

Low B12 will cause nerve damage in your spine if not fixed. You may need it forever, too, unless you find a cause (a drug you take or whatever) causing this situation. Once nerve damage progresses in the spine and brain it may not be reversible anymore. So using methylcobalamin daily is very important.

I took it for a few months then basically forgot about it because I didn't think it was related to the numb spot on my back and I didn't notice a difference anyway. I wasn't told to take it on an empty stomach but I'll do that now. So it wouldn't necessarily start in the hands and feet?

Also sorry if I was misleading, but the b12 test wasn't because of the numb spot on my back. At that point I wasn't thinking about it at all really. It was just something they did because of a reaction I was having to a medication, and the doctor didn't seem concerned and told me to take the pills just in case.

People are all different.... low B12 can cause many symptoms and they may be different in different patients.

It can cause diarrhea...and insomnia (MethylB12 is a cofactor for melatonin synthesis--the sleep hormone)

Fatigue, nerve pain and paresthesias, weakness of muscles, visual disturbances and eventually blindness, anemia, and all sorts of symptoms. Sometimes low B12 mimics some symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

You should be taking it every day, on an empty stomach at least
1000mcg. Get tested every 6 months for a year, until you have a stable result. Stop the B12 a week before any testing.
You should be in the upper range or around 1000pg/ml. If you don't get up there, increase your daily dose.

So you don't think it could be a pinched nerve or something?
Also, I noticed my b12 pill bottle says to take it with a meal for some reason.

Ignore that label.... it is inaccurate. Manufacturers are not research people. Only about 13mcg are absorbed in the intestine from a 1000mcg dose, and if food is present it is absorbed into the food and not absorbed at all. B12 is very poorly absorbed in the first place and it needs all the surface area of the intestine to get thru. For many years oral was thought to NOT WORK... and only when studies were done was it found that a tiny bit can be absorbed under ideal conditions.

Certain drugs too that are given in microgram doses, require empty stomach. Levothyroxine and digoxin are a couple of examples.