Ahh Low (or No) B12

Well the blood work is back - I have Low B12 - so that means more tests. We need to get the specifics on what is going on in my body...

Now I'm not really clear on what will be going on - so I looked online and here is what i've found...

Vitamin B12 is essential for folic acid metabolism and for the health of your nervous system and red blood cells. It also plays a key role in achieving normal homocysteine levels. It is important to have adequate amounts of Vitamin B12 in order to prevent anemia (low hematocrit).

Symptoms - -
Feeling tired or weak (Yup that's me)
Pale appearance to the lining of lower eyelids
Palpitations, fast or irregular heart beat. (Yup that's me)
Faintness and breathlessness.
Hair loss
Bruising that occurs without reason
Dizziness (Yup that's me)
Long or unusually heavy menstrual periods
Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet (Yup that's me)
Equilibrium difficulties (Yup that's me)
Confusion (Yup that's me)
Personality changes and depression

General Info - -
Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease in which the body is not able to absorb enough vitamin B-12 from the digestive tract. It occurs after long-term autoimmune gastritis (inflammation of the mucosal lining of the stomach). The destruction of the gastric mucosal cells makes you unable to make intrincsic factor, a substance that enables vitamin B-12 to be absorbed from the intestine, resulting in a B-12 deficiency. Pernicious anemia is most common in people of Celtic (i.e., English, Irish, Scottish) or Scandinavian descent. Pernicious anemia usually occurs in people aged 40 to 70 years . . . I guess i'm jsut lucky..... Among Caucasians, the mean age of onset is 60 years, but it shows up at an average of 50 with African-Americans.

For pernicious anemia, injections of vitamin B-12 (called cyanocobalamin or hydroxyocobalamin), oral folic acid therapy, or both, can reverse the production of abnormal blood cells. (so we are looking to see if the pills will be effective, if not it's the needles... NGross much!!)...Current treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency consists of a life-long regimen of monthly B-12 injections. Unfortunately, neither diet or iron pills will help, but if diagnosed early a full recovery is promising.

In looking at some info it appears that the most plausible cause from my Pernicious Anemia (if that is confirmed with more tests) is Failure of the stomach lining to produce intrinsic factor. Intrinsic factor is a chemical produced by the stomach lining and combined with vitamin B12 in the small intestine. Due to an autoimmune disorder (a disorder caused by a person's own immune system attacking the body's organs and tissues), the production of intrinsic factor is blocked.


So that is what I have for Info right now - when I go back to the doctors i'll fill you all in...