Spoke too soon???

Pat, Dick still has his ileum. There is a relatively common problem associated with aging of not getting B-12 through the digestive process. He had been taking cycobalamin but we were having hassles when our insurance coverage changed to Medicare and a different prescription coverage. Then we moved to new state and if he could use the oral form why not. There is solid research stating that the oral form will work. In his case it may be related to his diabetes. I'm the one who will need testing as I had my sigmoid colon removed last year.

Julie you can take the sub-lingual Bl2 but the oral kind won't make a difference if you don't have your ileum. And you should take it in the form of methylcobalamin. There is also a small B l2 patch out there that i know Marigold uses....and that seems to have worked for her. Pat

My husband was on a B-12 shot for years but I read that taking it by mouth may do just as good. His Doctor researched the research and told him to try oral B-12. He is taking 1000mg about once a week. He was taking it oftener but his levels were too high.
It was a real pain to get the B-12 injectable as our insurance wouldn't cover it as it is a vitamin. He has to take B-6 as an antibiotic he is on uses it up.

It is a good idea to have the B-12 level checked as it is a common problem.

Julianne, B-12 certainly cannot hurt, I was getting a B-12 shot once a week when I was on a diet program, and Gene is on it now after his r/c. It ca only help. Ginger

Thanks you guys. I will mention the B12 for sure. 's is just hard to know if we are noticing things because we are ooking too hard or if we are overreacting about the things we notice. She also has this chronic hoarseness. Is that anything? I guess I have just been feeling anxious the last couple days. Thanks for helping.

I know i preach about the Bl2 deficiency but doctors overlook it.....about l/3 of patients in nursing homes have Bl2 deficiency.....we lose our ability to absorb it as we get older....and in the case of cystectomy with a pouch the surgeon takes the ileum which is exactly where we do absorb it and uses it for the pouch...now they will tell you that you have a 5 yr supply in your liver but that just doesn't hold truth for a lot of us...I ran out of it in 7 months and need now monthly shots...I had to have them once a week until my levels got into normal range. The Umma test (urine test) is the best indicator of Bl2 deficiency but half the doctors don't even know about it and order the blood serum test. Check out these sites....www.b12.com/
and here's a page from wrong diagnosis.com........forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=9948&page=2
Pat