Hi Everyone.
Hope all are doing well.

Does anyone have any info regarding lactic acid and carnitine?
My lactic acid tested at 24.3 (elevated) and Carnitine too low:
Free Carnitine 24 Total Carnitine 28

I have Medullary Cystic Kidney Disease and a myriad of neuro symptoms and
SCD......now the neuro is going down this avenue to see why I keep getting new symptoms and horrible bouts of fatigue.

Thank you so much.
take care,
lah

Hi, I am new to this forum, but I have read posts for about 2 years now.
I actually printed your post regarding the weekly B12 injections and the response your neuro made reagarding the levels, and I showed it to my Haemotologist. I take weekly injections since May 2005. I was dx'd 12/04, but the Neuro I had at the time, did not want me to take more than monthly shots. Unfortunately, my MMA levels did not come down until 7/05 with the weekly shots. My MMA is normal now, but my B12 level sits at around 600.
The question is why???? When I found your post, I almost went through the roof, and I began to cry.
In 12/05, I noticed that I had muscle atrophy of my left thigh. I won't go into the long details, but in the end, I was diagnosed with Mitochondrial Myopathy.
Your doc is on the right track, if he is looking for that. The elevated Lactic acid levels indicate that your muscle is having difficulty making ATP ( the usable form of energy for muscle, nerves, etc.) The low level of Carnitine can indicate a form of Mitochondrial Disease called CPT or CPTII. Your symptomatic flares that you have had with illnes is also indicative of a Mitochondrial disease. I bekieve that the B12 def. has something to do with this disease, but as of yet no one has dicsovered how. I think more people like you and I would be needed to find out. Have you had a muscle bx done?
Also, I have had a long standing iron deficiency, that is not related to the B12 def. ( not Megalobolastic). My Hgb and Hct are normal and the def. is normocytic, normochromic. The problem is that I lose an average of 1500mg of Iron in 9 months. Every year I have to receive IV Venofer which is iron to get tanked up. I have no detectable avenue of losing blood. This iron loss and refractory B12 def is confusing, along with the Mito disease,and no doc thus far can put all of the pieces together.
I look forward to your response.
Thanks,
camelot

Lactic acid is produced by exercise, how did you get a reading on yours?

Iron deficiency does not produce megaloblastic anemia. If it produces anemia, it produces small cells.

However, whether anemia is present or not, in small or large cell form, some level of iron malabsorption often accompanies B12 malabsorption because insufficient stomach acid contributes to both, and that is a common cause.

Also, it is not uncommon for those tests to be normal when low iron and low B12 occur together. Many doctors do not know that those tests can be very misleading.

I hope you will begin taking daily methylcobalamin. You may have difficulty converting other forms or getting usable B12 to your tissues. It must get there for use and for storage, and getting daily dosing of readily usable methylcobalamin would likely help.

Also, it would be good to continue to read on this forum for other nutrient ideas. And how is your liver?

rose

I currently take a Mitochondrial cocktail, which consists of high doses of vitamins. I will check my B12 to see if is the methyl variety. The weekly shot is cyanocobalomin, I have read about the possibility you mentioned of difficulty in using and storing this form of B12.
My liver checks out fine, only elevation is Alk Phos which hovers at 145. the other transaminases have been normal, liver CT normal. Alk Phos is a bone marker as well, which I have periods of joint and long bone pain, but further test have not been indicative of any bone issues.

Thanks,
Camelot

Hi Camelot,
I sent you a private message.
I hope you got it.

What sort of mito disorder were you dx'd with?
Do you have vision and balance issues?
spasticity? Cognitive? Speech?

Today out of the blue, I am unable to use my left leg, without my cane (named "Wayne" by my 12 year old!). I know what you mean by the atrophy.

What is Alk Phos?
Is it true Rose, that the iron problem can interfere with the b12? I remember reading treating the iron can mask the b12? Do I have that right? I don't want to mis-inform.

I am going to post another question about the b1 problem.

As always, thanks for listening.
lah

Hi Michael,
I just went to the lab and had my blood drawn. It was early in the day.
I walked on the treadmill the day before- 1 mile- took my time 37 minutes and used those arm thingies.
and the second time I got a reading of 16.6
which is .6 above "normal high"- no treadmill the day before, but carried my kitten in his carrier into the vet, only an hour before the test.

He's a mere baby and hardly weighs a thing.
Do you think those activities could elevate a lactic acid test?
thanks,
Lah

lah,

Having too little iron can make blood cells smaller, awhile having too little B12 can make the cells larger, so if both conditions occur in the same person the cells can be normal size or even small. Thus, most medical people would believe that B12 deficiency cannot exist---those medical people are terribly ill-informed.

Also, too little stomach acid can interfere with absorption of both iron (to a lesser degree) and B12. So those problems often occur together. It is important for people not assume though that if iron is strong or even high that B12 malabsorption cannot exist--it can.

rose