Any B12 experts out there???

jmelyn1977
on 6/4/12 12:18 am

B12 drawn on 10/31/11 --- 746
drawn on 4/4/12 ----- 481
drawn on 6/1/12 ----- 333

Starting in January I was getting b12 injections monthly. After my lab draw on 4/4 I went to bi-weekly due to the drop. Now it's dropped again - I am getting 1000mcg of B12 every other friday.... Why does this keep dropping??? I do not understand?

Side note - I do not take my multi vits as regularly as I should. Ya ya - I know I dont need that speech. Just wondering if it has anything to do with this continuous drop in my b12.

Thanks for any insight I can get!

~Jamie~

poet_kelly
on 6/4/12 12:22 am - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

I'm not an expert. But your B12 level is now scary low.

Not taking your multi regulary should not have anything to do with the drop in B12.

I would increase your injections to weekly. I have to do mine weekly in order to keep my level up.

You might also consider how you are doing the injections. Are you doing them IM or sub-q? While sub-q seems to work fine for many people, if it's not working for you, you might try switching to IM.

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

jmelyn1977
on 6/4/12 1:06 am

RNY on 04/13/11

Thank you Kelly!

It is interesting that you say the level is "scary low" - considering the norm levels state 160-1000??? And of course my PCP thinks my levels are fine. I just sent an email to my Bariatric RN and waiting to see what she says...

BTW, I am getting them IM.

Thanks for responding!

~Jamie~

poet_kelly
on 6/4/12 2:06 am - OH

RNY on 11/04/08

I say it's scary low because below 400, you can develop permanent nerve damage in your hands and feet. The "norm levels" you are talking about are, I think, the reference range listed on your lab report. People often assume that reference range is the range you need to be in for good health, but it's not. That range is determined by the lab testing a number of apparently healthy volunteers, often their own employees. It's just the average level found in a number of tests. If some of the volunteers have low B12 levels, then the reference range ends up lower than what is needed for good health.

I think permanent nerve damage is very scary.

Kelly

Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.

H.A.L.A B.
on 6/4/12 1:35 am

RNY on 05/14/08

I get mine weekly. Sometimes our body have a hard time keeping the B12 up. The injections is cyanocobalamin. It needs to be converted for the body to use. The body need to convert that to methycobalamin or adenosylcobalamin.
Adenosylcobalamin (adoB₁₂) and methylcobalamin (MeB₁₂) are the two enzymatically-active cofactor forms of B₁₂ that naturally occur in the body. Most of the body's reserves are stored as adoB₁₂ in the liver.

People may have enough of the cyanocobalamin and still be deficient.

Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG

"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"

"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."

jmelyn1977
on 6/4/12 2:25 am

RNY on 04/13/11

Thanks again Kelly - and thank you H.B. for that tidbit of info. I guess we will have to wait and see what my doc says and maybe I will need to go to weekly as well, and see what happens.

MeganGish
on 6/4/12 3:02 am - Ashland, KY

RNY on 12/29/11

I give mine to myself right in my thigh. My level hot down to 294 and i took the initiative to do something about it. My prescription for b12 only cost 5.00 a month so it's not expensive at all.

Any B12 experts out there???

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Any B12 experts out there???