Re:B12 and amount of intestine used

14 years 9 months ago #26043 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Re:B12 and amount of intestine used
Hi Pat,

"I will get tingly sensations in my feet (wierd huh?) and sometimes the tip of my tongue will get sore.." What is wierd about your comment is that I have the same symptoms. :huh: Although it's the depression and fatigue that I am concerned about. I actually had my right foot x-rayed yesterday to see if I had a stress fracture.

Thank you for your feedback. I hope all is well in your world and that your worries become less. Life would sure be easier if we were only fighting one battle at a time. Be good to yourself.

Gordon

p.s. my fingers will be crossed for the next month. :)

age 70
Dx 10/03
neobladder 9/4/04

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14 years 9 months ago #26041 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic Re:B12 and amount of intestine used
I think that may be a variable Gordon....B12 is eliminated very quickly from the body...it will dump what it does not need. Since you're so low right now i suspect it will take about a month for you to feel the results...getting above that 270 mark. I have mine checked every 6 months when i have my other blood tests run..and i usually have to remind my doc to do it as he forgets. I can usually tell when i'm low at the end of the month....i will get tingly sensations in my feet (wierd huh?) and sometimes the tip of my tongue will get sore and i guess i've attributed some of my depression to the loss of my husband and income and a myriad of other things but i may still need more of the B12. I've been looking into the transdermal patch by Vita Sciences that you wear behind your earlobe for 24 hrs....one former forum user Marigold swears by them. I figured it might be a good idea to use one a month to supplement the shots???
Pat

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14 years 9 months ago #26040 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Re:B12 and amount of intestine used
Pat

OK, so what I'm taking away from this is: given that I have been diagnosed with low B12 level and will be taking B12 shots on a regular basis, I should still have my B12 level checked on a periodic basis. Right? I am assuming that getting the B12 deficiency detected is the main hurdle. After that the treatment is pretty standard.

How long does it usually take to experience some results? I'm sure it varies, but generally speaking.

Sorry if I sound dense on this. ;) Thanks for your help/efforts.

Gordon

age 70
Dx 10/03
neobladder 9/4/04

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14 years 9 months ago #26039 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic Re:B12 and amount of intestine used
like i said most doctors absolutely poo poo the uMMA test...its expensive and i think they get penalized if they order tests that are too expensive....heck i don't know. Places like Mayo use it all the time. My local oncologist, internist, uro thinks its unnecessary.....so once a year i send a sample and have it tested and pay for it myself just so i know i'm really getting enough from the shots. I'm still not back up to the over 800 B12 i had before the cystectomy. The lab i use is
www.b12.com/
Vitamin B12 levels are tested in different ways with different accuracies.




Serum B12 by radioimmune assay (RIA) is less accurate than microbial assay since it picks up all forms of cobalamin including those that are inactive. Serum B12 by microbial assay appears to be the most widely used and is considered accurate. However, pregnancy, large doses of vitamin C, and folate deficiency may result in a falsely reduced B12 microbial assay. A 24-hour urine MMA (Methylmalonic acid) test is claimed to be very sensitive but is also more expensive. Without B12, MMA increases in the urine.

Another testing pattern used by doctors to determine vitamin B12 status is to test for intrinsic factor (IF) antibodies. Their presence prevents the normal binding of B12 to IF and thus prevents B12 absorbtion. Of pernicious anemia sufferers, 70% have these antibodies. If the test for IF antibodies is negative, a Schilling test is usually performed to help distinguish the nature of the problem. This test involves the use of radioactively labelled B12 and may be objectionable to some people.

A lack of gastric hydrochloric acid tends to confirm a suspected lack of intrinsic factor (IF), as both can be due to a shrinking of gastric cells.
Pat

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14 years 9 months ago #26035 by Gordon
Replied by Gordon on topic Re:B12 and amount of intestine used
As my doctor explained to me, "the regular blood test will not pick up the lack of B12 until you have a real problem." I had a specific blood test run for B12 info. Based on that, I would say your doctor's take on the situation is wrong.

Pat will be better able to answer this question. Pat?

Gordon

age 70
Dx 10/03
neobladder 9/4/04

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14 years 9 months ago #26034 by EG1680
Replied by EG1680 on topic Re:B12 and amount of intestine used
after reading all the posts about the B-12, my husband, 1 1/2 yrs. post neobladder surgery, went to the doc and showed him the info. we asked for the MMA test, but he insists a regular blood test will be enough. does anyone know if this is true? he just came home from the blood test and we will get the results tomorrow. eileen

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