Thursday, August 12, 2010

Vitamin B12




Well I have sucessfully taken another baby step to feeling better! While I am still waiting until the 20th to see my new specialist, I decided to visit my regular doctor to see if he had any thoughts on my symptoms. He plainly stated that what I was rambling on about was out of his area and over his head. I figured as much. However, he did some bloodwork and did find a little something that may or may not help me. My Vitamin B12 level was low. For those of you who don't know, I have an autoimmune disease. With one autoimmune disease comes many more it seems and low Vitamin B12 can be linked to the autoimmune disease, Pernicious Anemia. He didn't do any extra tests for that and I will leave that up to the specialist when it comes time.











In my usual style, I researched the heck out of Vitamin B12 as soon as the nurse relayed the results. I found out a lot of interesting stuff about it and read that low levels were often unchecked and undiagnosed. I wanted to tell everyone about my findings in hopes that if you are having some of the symptoms and can't find relief, you will see your doctor and make them check your Vitamin B12 level!! It's very important for us to stay on top of our own health. We know our bodies better than anyone and it's up to us to keep pushing to feel better each day. We absolutely cannot leave it all up to doctors because too many things slip through the cracks and too many doctors aren't updated on new research and discoveries. I know this from experience.




Some symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency are:

Fatigue
Nausea
Shortness of breath
Irritability
Sore mouth
Headaches
Hair loss
Dizziness
Sleeping problems
Numbness or tingling in fingers or toes
Problems concentrating
Confusion











Vitamin B12 is most commonly found in animal products such as fish, meat, and dairy products. If you aren't eating enough of these products, you could have low Vitamin B12 levels and it could simply be fixed by eating more of them. Low B12 levels could also be caused by a number of other things and it's best to check with your doctor before starting any supplements.


I started my B12 supplements yesterday and I've got my fingers crossed that it will help even if only a tiny bit!! :)






Oh and I'm so super excited that the first preseason game of the Carolina Panthers is on tonight!!!!!! I LOVE football season! Don't y'all??




30 comments:

  1. Tbe nurse in me loves this post!! I hope the B12 works for you!

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  2. I agree that we need to stay on our own health and symptoms...I have gotten the "puzzled" look from several doctors before myself...they really have no idea until they run tests. I hope that the B12 supplements start to help you feel better! The 20th will be here in 1 more week and I hope you will be able to have a better piece of mind and will get back to feeling like a BRAND NEW WOMAN :)

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  3. I am soooo ready for football, but I'm more of a college fan than pro! But I guess if we had a pro team in my home town like y'all it be different! Have fun tonight!

    Oh and need to check on the B12 thing...I get a lot of these symptoms on occasion.

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  4. So the symptoms of B12 deficiency sound a lot like PMS! :) :)

    I have been taking a B12 supplement for a month now and really do feel that is has made a difference!

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  5. This past week I had to get some lab work done. My blood pressure reading were very high. The doc thought something might be wrong with me. I told them that it could be my OC pills, the combination one. She wanted to make sure that I'm really ok so she ordered a bunch of lab tests. While waiting for the results to come back, I was super nervous and scared, thinking about all the what ifs. The results came back on Tuesday, and all the labs were normal. What a great relief! My life was literally on hold while I was waiting for the results. I hope your specialist will be able to give you more answers.

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  6. I hope you feel better soon. B12 is some good stuff and should give you some energy, among other things. You're wise to be proactive in your cure because doctors seem to be too busy for the most part these days. Good luck and keep us posted!

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  7. I'm deficient in Vitamin B12 too & Vitamin D. I'm glad to hear your going to the doctor & being very pro-active in getting better. Thank you for the heads up on Vitamin B12 because how else are we all to know!! Knowing about things is so important! Good luck hun on your journey to feeling better!! =)

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  8. That's interesting. I don't know if I have a deficiency or not, but I've been taking B12 for a couple of months now because I read that it helps with increased energy, so hopefully I'm all good ;)

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  9. I hope B12 works for you!! I have heard about the wonders of B12 but I have just always taken a multi-vitamin with a little bit of everything in it. I'm sure pure B12 would work better though! Good Luck with it! I'm glad you're feeling a little better!

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  10. Aw, I hope you start feeling better and notice a difference. I often take a vitamin b complex supplement to help with stress. I don't handle stress well and am quick to think that everything's a disaster (haha!), to put it mildly. But anyways, I've always had good luck with it, even if it's just subconsciously.

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  11. I hope your B12 works. I recently found out my Vitamin D levels were low. I was put on a prescription strength Vitamin D pill, and it was amazing how much better I felt! Maybe a little more B12 in your system will do the same!!!

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  12. Keep me posted on the B12!! I'm still taking the cal-mag supplement but sadly my mood isn't lifting. :(

    But, thank heavens for chamomile tea.

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  13. How many mcg are you taking? I take 4000 a day along with 4000 vitD...and lots of other things.

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  14. Oh and did you listen to that podcast I sent you?

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  15. This is really interesting! I hope that it works out well for you!

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  16. So glad you are moving in the right direction! I hope this baby step becomes a big step and you continue to feel better! XO

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  17. I hope B12 works! Thanks for all the info as well. :)

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  18. I have been hearing a lot about B12 lately. Thanks for sharing what types of food it can be found in. I really hope the vitamins help you feel better!!

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  19. Hope you get to feeling better soon! And popcorn is one of my many weaknesses as well....sounds crazy, but popcorn and hot sauce (if you like hot sauce) is like my favorite snack ever! Cute blog...now following :)

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  20. I have heard how great this vitamin is. I use to take it on a regular basis, but whenever life starts getting busier I always start to forget to take it and it's been a while since I have. I really need to start again!

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  21. Hey girl...

    I have auto-immune too among all the other gazillion health issues I'm battling at the moment :((( but it has to do with my thyroid and taking thyroid hormones(NON synthetic ones of course)...has actually lowered my antibodies..not sure if yours is thyroid related but thought I should mention it :)))

    Also...I have a few natural remedy recipes ...can I email it to you?

    Dee

    Dee

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  22. I hope the B12 makes you feel better soon! Keep us posted.

    xo
    Valerie

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  23. Thank you for the sweet comment! Love your blog by the way! I find it so funny that the first post I read of yours is about vitamins seeing that I am a vitamin consultant! B12 is so fabulous for so many different reasons. What is it that's exactly wrong? Maybe I can make some other suggestions for you. Doctors can be so anal with their itch to push prescriptions on everyone when most common ailments can be cured completely with all natural supplements. Let me know if I can help you! I love stuff like this! :)

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  24. Keep yourself healthy sweetie!! But a great reminder for us too!

    Happy Thursday Dear!

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  25. I hope the B12 vitamin does wonders for you! Also, I LOVE my Panthers too! CAN'T WAIT!!!

    Oh yeah, and if you want to see the difference between Bonanno's and Jack Rogers, Southern Living: Preppy Style did a post about it last week. They're very similar, except one thing's for sure...you can custom create your own Bonanno's - Jack Rogers, not so much. They're both quality brands, and I own both.

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  26. I started feeling so much better almost the next day from taking my B12..

    Panthers are my hubbies fav team too!

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  27. I had to get B12 injections last year myself. Now, I just take the vitamins - when I can remember them. Feel better soon.

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  28. Having B12 deficiency can make you Chronic Fatigue.

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  29. Just found your blog on the blog hop and I'm so glad I did! The symptoms of B12 deficiency fit EXACLY with how I have been feeling lately. I'm a bit anemic, so I've been trying to up my iron intake and it hasn't been helping as much as it should - I'm going to start taking B12 and see if it helps.

    By the way, I love your blog!

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  30. Something that has A LOT of b12 is zipfizz. It's a healthy energy drink you add to a bottle of water. It's pretty good. Everyone that knows about it swears by it! Maybe that would help you! : )

    littlesemperwifey.blogspot.com

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