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Old Mon May 24, 2010, 03:42 PM
Marlene Marlene is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Springfield, VA
Posts: 1,406
Hi Rachel,

On the B12.....there are quite a few reasons why people are low in B12. If you are a vegetarian, it could be low; if you are on any acid reflux med, it will interfere with absorption of B12; if your gut flora is out of balance, meaning you have too much of the wrong kind of bacteria, that bacteria consumes the B12; you can have mal-absorption issues...that's where wheat and/or gluten is causing a problem where it disrupts your body's ability to breakdown and absorb B12, then there's the old "stand-by" lack of intrinsic factor" and finally, your body may need the more bio-available form of B12 call methylcolboamin because for some reason you cannot convert the cyno form to a usable form.

And when you supplement with B12, you must add in a B-Complex. The B's all work together.

IMO, I would continue with B12. If he did the MMA after you started supplementing, then you won't get a very accurate reading. It takes a while to really restore B12 and then to correct things that are not functioning as they should. It can take at a minimum of 3 months to restore B12 to a good level. And then it can take a while for things that are not functioning at an optimal level to come back to normal.

Unfortunately, there's not a really good conclusive B12 test. That's why a high normal level is better than a low normal level, especially when you are having symptoms. B12 not only effects blood production, it's critical to the functioning of the central nervous system which includes the autonomic nervous system.

I hope you pursue the second opinion. It's your right.
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Marlene, wife to John DX w/SAA April 2002, Stable partial remission; Treated with High Dose Cytoxan, Johns Hopkins, June 2002. Final phlebotomy 11/2016. As of July 2021 HGB 12.0, WBC 4.70/ANC 3.85, Plts 110K.
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