Vitamin b12 deficiency ruined my life

First Aid 2012 (page 451) said hyperreflexia but the newest errata says hyporeflexia. At least from my google search, it seems that hyporeflexia is true,,, but in the diagram for B12 deficiecny, corticospinal tract is damaged with gray matter of anterior horn spared... which makes me think that it's an UMN lesion...which should result in hyperreflexia. Does anyone know the mechanism by which B12 deficiency results in hyporeflexia? Or is first aid errata wrong to say that B12 deficiency causes hyporeflexia? B12 is key to preventing abnormal mylein production. When odd chain fatty acids are not properly metabolized, you get the production of abnormal myelin. Since the arc of reflexes has myelinated neurons, I would imagine this would be why you become hyporeflexic as the nerves wouldn't be functioning properly. That was bright logic. And correct. B12 deficiency leads to combined system degeneration. If you a gradual onset, usually subacute, symmetric pattern of this, think b12 first. Also vibration/proprioception diminished is a big buzzword to differentiate it from the below diseases in the ddx. MS also leads to combined system degeneration, but you know its intermitted, not gradual. I think the only crazy disease they might test that does this is adrenomyelosomethingorother. Diabetes and alcoholism are also be in the ddx for CSD. So look for visual and other DM probs to differentiate, and alcohol usually gives corticospinal/cerebellar probs. I could be wrong but I didn't t...

Most people rarely think about vitamin B12. It’s not part of routine blood testing the way vitamin D is. We have been surprised that health professionals do not routinely request blood tests for vitamin B12 levels, especially for patients taking the diabetes drug metformin or acid-suppressing drugs like Nexium or Prevacid. Such medications can alter vitamin B12 (cobalamin) levels in the body. This reader developed serious symptoms triggered by low levels of vitamin B12: Q. I suffered with severe fatigue and weakness for two years before being diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency. My regular physician didn’t diagnose me. The neurologist I saw after having a concussion actually tested my B12 level, which was at 38! I read up on this condition and found that most doctors don’t test B12 levels, even when many symptoms are present. If my doctor had tested me soon after I reported fatigue and weakness, it would have saved me a lot of suffering. I had become so weak and tired I could barely get out of bed. I had trouble breathing and I would lose strength in my legs and collapse. My comprehension was poor and I experienced “blackouts” with my memory. This deficiency has ruined my life, as it will take me six months to a year to recover. We had to postpone a cross-country trip we had planned because I’m not strong enough yet. I need rest after minimal exercise. People should ask their physician to test for B12 if they are having unexplained symptoms like this. A. Vitamin B12 leve...

This fall, after a lifetime of odd anything. Lifting up a book to read or my phone to scroll was too painful for my arms. Sound frequently and intensely irritated me, making binge-watching out of the question. Every time I stood up, blackness would cloud my vision, and I’d be sure I was going to faint. Once I was up and the darkness lifted, I couldn’t walk right. My legs were too weak, and it felt like something was tugging hard on my nervous system, pulling it upward like I was a marionette. I thought I was dying — and I kind of was. Without a diagnosis, I would have died. I had a total of 33 miserable-making symptoms. It came on slow. It was tiny aspects of my experience — a cyst here, a rash there. Or other random things, like being clumsy and having to pee all the time. Sometimes it was bigger things, like a mental break or endometriosis symptoms. There were also the ever-increasing changes in my demeanor and level of energy and an electric pain that started as innocuous pins and needles. More: I didn’t want to admit something was wrong. So for a while, it was easy to pretend I was fine, but it turns out I’ve been ill for a very, very long time. It’s hard to say exactly how long. I can’t go back in time to give a 10-year-old me with ulcer symptoms a blood test, but that period of pain went unexplained and was consistent with what’s made me so sick now: vitamin B-12 deficiency, of all things. My symptoms have progressed to funicular myelosis, which is the combined degen...

Author • Diane Cress Associate Professor of Nutrition and Food Science, Wayne State University Disclosure statement Diane Cress does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Partners For several months during the summer of 2022, my dog Scout vomited at 3 a.m. nearly every day. If you have a dog, you know the sound. And each time, she gobbled up her mess before I could get to it, making diagnosis of the cause difficult. The vet and I eventually settled on my hydrangeas as the source of the problem – but keeping Scout away from them didn’t work. She started to seem tired all the time – highly concerning in a typically hyper yellow Lab puppy. Then one day Scout vomited up a hairball – but not just any hairball. In dogs, hair normally passes easily through the digestive system, but this hairball was wrapped around a brillo pad that was too big to move through. Once this foreign object was removed, the overnight vomiting ended. Scout still needed treatment, though, for a different and surprising reason: The object had inhibited a step in her body’s absorption of vitamin B12. B12 is an essential nutrient involved in proper functioning of blood cells, nerves and many other critical processes in the body. I’m a registered dietitian, and An array of vitamin B12-rich foods – all of which come from animals. Signs and sympt...

Vitamin B12 (also called cobalamin) is a water-soluble vitamin which plays an important role in the production of red blood cells and is required to keep nerve cells healthy. Vitamin B12 deficiency, also called cobalamin deficiency, is a medical condition of low B12 levels in the blood. According to studies, one in every five adults in the United States suffers from vitamin B12 deficiency. ( Despite being a water-soluble, vitamin B12 gets stored in your liver, kidneys and other body tissues, so vitamin B12 deficiency can go unnoticed for a long time. That is where the danger lies. By the time the condition gets detected, there might be some irreversible damage done already. Some of the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are fatigue, cognitive problems, and tingling in hands and feet. ( In this article, you will find out about the role of vitamin B12 in the body, causes and symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, how to treat this vitamin deficiency and how long it takes to fix B12 deficiency. What is Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) and What Does it Do? Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is an important micronutrient that is essential for DNA synthesis and providing your cells with energy. The reason why it is so important to correct a vitamin B12 deficiency is that a lack of this vitamin can lead to macrocytic anemia. This type of vitamin-deficiency anemia causes According to research published in the journal Nutrients, vitamin B12 is usually found in protein in most animal foods. To prevent a v...

A vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to nerve and brain damage and anemia. Early symptoms include weakness, constipation, and depression. It can result from dietary factors, medication use, and some underlying conditions. Vitamin B12 is vital for creating and maintaining nerve and red blood cells, it supports the nervous system, and it helps create DNA, the basis of all cells. Without treatment, This article looks at how to recognize B12 deficiency, who is at risk, and how to treat or prevent it. Share on Pinterest blackdovfx/Getty Images According to the Low levels of B12 • • • • problems with balance • • problems with thinking • a sore mouth or tongue In infants, signs of a deficiency include: • not growing or developing at the expected rate • problems with movement • megaloblastic anemia Anemia and neurological problems can lead to further symptoms and complications. Anemia Body cells need vitamin B12 to reproduce. If a person does not have enough vitamin B12, their body cannot make enough red blood cells. This can result in The hallmark symptom of B12 deficiency is megaloblastic anemia, in which the red blood cells are immature and larger than usual. This affects their ability to deliver oxygen effectively to the body. Common symptoms of anemia are: • • • • • pale or yellowish skin • • • reduced appetite and weight loss Neurological symptoms A vitamin B12 deficiency can also lead to neurological symptoms, such as: • • problems with thinking and memory • • • changes in gai...